Welcoming Harvest Time in Hampton Bays

Hampton Bays Beautification Association volunteers put up Hampton Bays harvest time banners along Main Street today, an annual tradition for the past three years.

The Beautification Association puts up harvest time banners in October and holiday banners in December.  The volunteers expressed relief that the Columbus Day holiday brought mild weather for their workday.

"One time we had something like 30 degrees putting these up," said volunteer John Zuccarelli. 

"We were freezing our fingers off," added volunteer Jack O'Keefe.

"Every year we're out here in the snow, the rain, the sleet," said volunteer Gene Carlson. 

The association recently decided to use banners that can be reused each year and are durable enough to last.

"We used to put up corn stacks with real corn," said volunteer Bernie Walters, explaining that buying new decorations every year became expensive.  "Now we have banners."

The Hampton Bays Beautification Association holds meetings on the first Monday of every month at 7 p.m. at the Hampton Bays Library.  For more information on the association, visit www. hbba.net.