Come Visit, Everybody: Historic Hamptons Tourist Attractions

Two events took place in the Hamptons these past weeks that reminded me of a time long ago when the local community created events hoping tourists would come to the Hamptons to boost the economy and get them through the off-season.

One was Sag Harbor Harborfest. The highlight of it was the whaleboat race. A starting gun was fired to kick it off. Entrants in rowboats representing fire departments, nonprofit groups and retail stores then splashed out to a 15-foot Styrofoam whale floating just offshore of Long Wharf to each throw a large wooden harpoon into its side, then row back to shore.

Who came back first won.

Another such event held in September was the Largest Clam Contest in Amagansett where, on the front lawn of the Amagansett Life-Saving and Coast Guard Station Museum baymen arrived with their entries in buckets of water to be weighed to see which was the largest. Contestants, officials and neighbors attended to canoodle, be in cahoots, and confab.

Clam chowder was offered, and winners announced.

All this reminds me of another such event years ago, not in the Hamptons, but at the beach town of Florence, Oregon. It came about because an 18,000 pound 30-foot-long sperm whale had swum ashore and died on the beach. Ordinarily, the locals would drive earthmovers onto the site, dig a huge hole alongside the beached whale and then push it down and cover it over. Why not instead pack it with dynamite and blow it up? Make it an event. Invite the public. Bring in the big bucks. A local hunter said it would take 40 sticks of dynamite to do the job. The Oregon Department of Transportation decided it should be forty boxes. The whale, instead of evaporating into tiny pieces of dust when exploded, sent giant chunks of dead whale high into the air. Thousands were in attendance. Whale chunks rained down for a quarter of a mile in each direction, crashing into trees, through car windshields and onto rooftops. Nobody was killed or injured, but the place stank for weeks. And a video of the event, made by cameramen from nearby TV station KATU, remains a staple on the internet today.

Winters were tough in those days. Many farmers and fishermen here got through the winter months on Welfare. Now our events are polo matches, film festivals and horse shows. And we’re a world class resort.

Y’all come.

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