The Three Village Historical Society announced the houses for the unofficial kick-off for the holiday season, their 33rd annual Candlelight Tour on Monday.
Taking place on Friday Dec. 2 from 6 p.m. through 9 p.m. and Saturday Dec. 3 from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m., the society expects to completely sell through it's 1,500 tickets, as it has in years past. Prices range from $40 to $100 per day depending on member status and chosen day.
After the festivities on Friday, a buffet dinner will be held for those guests over twenty-one years old at the Long Island Museum. Customers have the option to purchase a breakfast at the Stony Brook Yacht Club before the tour kicks off.
The theme of the 33rd annual event is "All Around the Bay," centered around the Setauket Harbor and it's ship building history.
This year's stops are:
- Setauket Neighborhood House, 95 Main Street (Saturday only)
- Setauket Methodist Church, 160 Main Street
- Montoya House, 77 Shore Road
- Funt House, 85 Shore Road
- Tarjan House, 75 Van Brunt Manor Road
- Byrnes House, 50 Osprey Lane
- Sugrue House, 14 Braemar Road
The locations featured on the self-guided tour will be decorated in a holiday theme by local artists. They will also be easy to spot with luminaires lining their walkways and fresh greens serving as a highlight.
Karin Lynch, the organization's treasurer, says of the chosen locations "there's a lot of history here. Its an area that we haven't really explored before."
Dozens of volunteers will pitch in during the event, including ticket sellers, decorators, and the owners of the featured houses who will allow strangers to wander all around their homes. This is the major fundraising operation of the Three Village Historical Society which defrays much of it's overall cost. One hundred percent of the proceeds will go towards the society.
One of the volunteers, Michael Russell, spoke of the importance of the event in raising awareness. He said, "our children live in a historical area. They need to know what there roots are. Every year you discover something new."
