A Night Of Thanks To Support Sag Harbor Fire And Ambulance Departments

On Thursday, January 19th, Bay Street Theater & Sag Harbor Center for the Arts will honor and celebrate the brave Sag Harbor Fire and Ambulance Departments and the local police and fire departments that worked tirelessly to extinguish the Main Street fire in Sag Harbor on December 16th during A Night of Thanks.

“Bay Street is honored to be able to host this event for our fellow community members,” shared Tracy Mitchell, Executive Director at Bay Street Theater.

The evening will feature a concert headlined by several East End favorites, including Nancy Atlas and the Nancy Atlas Project, Hoodoo Loungers, and Gene Casey and the Lone Sharks.

“Our volunteer ambulance and fire firefighters deserve not only our thanks, but additional financial support to be certain they are as safe as possible,” added Mitchell. “And on December 16th we all were witness to what they endure.”

The Sag Harbor-based theater is donating the venue and staff services, and all three bands have generously donated their time and talent. All proceeds from ticket sales will support Sag Harbor Fire and Ambulance Departments, and in addition to the concert, Bay Street will raise funds for the two vital departments with a Special Raffle that will feature items and prizes that were donated from local retailers and restaurants.

Hoodoo Loungers. (Photo: Jason F. Ruoff Photography)

In December, New York State Assemblyman Fred Thiele and New York State Senator Ken LaValle contacted New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo to request that the U.S. Small Business Administration grant the Village of Sag Harbor a special disaster declaration that would allow residents to apply for the SBA Disaster Recovery Program. In mid-January, Assemblyman Thiele received a letter from Governor Cuomo’s office and the New York State Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Services (DHSES) that explained the staff is “taking the necessary steps to ensure that the affected small business owners will be provided information on the types of assistance available as they recover from this incident.” DHSES will work alongside Sag Harbor Village, Suffolk County and the SBA to examine the extent of the fire’s damage. “Once the extent of losses to these businesses is known and substantial economic injury is established, the state can proceed with a request to the SBA for federal assistance,” DHSES explained.

A Night of Thanks is part of Benefits by Bay Street, a program of Bay Street Theater & Sag Harbor Center for the Arts that offers up the theater space and staffing to those in need when a catastrophe occurs. Bay Street has raised over $20,000 as part of the program, with fundraisers that have supported the typhoon in the Philippines, the earthquake in Haiti, the tsunami in Japan, and more.

A Night of Thanks begins at 7 p.m. and tickets are $50.

Bay Street Theater is located at 1 Bay Street in Sag Harbor. For more information, call 631-725-9500 or visit www.baystreet.org.