Prosper King House Just About Ready; Lizon Hat Shop Fundraiser Kicks-Off

After years of planning and construction, the historical in Hampton Bays is near completion.

According to Brenda Berntson, president of the , after near three-years of restoration, the house will open to the community on September 24.

The grand opening, said Berntson, will feature house tours, demonstrations of clam shucking, weaving, embroidery, rug hooking, quilting, sewing and candling.

“It’s going to be a fun day,” she said.

Held from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., the event will be called Prosper King Day and include games and snacks for the kids and live music by the Black Petals.

In October, the historical society will make the Prosper King house its new headquarters. The society is currently working out of the Hampton Bays Chamber of Commerce building on Main Street.

At the event, the historical society will kick-off a fundraising effort to restore the Lizon Hat Shop, which Berntson says needs to be saved quickly.

Time, she said, is running out on a Suffolk County grant that the society garnered to repair the structure’s roof. The money must be used by the summer of 2012.

“Before we can use the grant, we need a foundation for the hat shop,” she said.

Berntson says the hat shop, originally on the south side of Main Street and owned by Barney Smith, was moved across the street for unknown reasons and in 1910 suffered a fire that destroyed half the building.

Berntson said the historical society is looking to raise $553,054 for renovations. To raise those funds, residents can try on the historical, stylish Lizon Hats for a donation. Other fundraisers, she said are in the works.