SAG HARBOR, NY — Almost four years after a fire ripped through the village in December, 2016, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Saturday to celebrate the end of construction and fundraising that breathed new life into the beloved Sag Harbor Cinema.
Even as the smoke rose from the ruins, saving the Sag Harbor Cinema became a rallying cry that united scores who came together to resurrect the theater. At Saturday's event, elected officials gathered, while adhering to social distancing protocols, to usher the cinema into its next incarnation.
Those present included Eric Getler of the Empire State Development Corporation, New York State Assemblyman Fred Thiele, Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman, Southampton Town Councilman Tommy John Schiavoni, and Sag Harbor Mayor Kathleen Mulcahy.
Cinema Chair April Gornik said the dedication aimed to honor officials who had both financially and culturally supported efforts to save the Cinema. Gornik also thanked the first responders who battled icy cold to fight the fire four years ago. She also commended representatives of the original 501c3, the Sag Harbor Partnership, which initiated the Cinema's rebirth
Gertler said the Cinema exemplified a governmental-and-private partnership situation that ESD was happy to support.
Thiele spoke of his Sag Harbor childhood. The theater, for more than 90 years, has stood as the "true center of the village", he said. Thiele also said the Community Preservation Fund has provided $4.5 million to the Cinema as a way of "maintaining culture and preserving community."
Thiele said his family's connection to the Cinema has long run deep: Both his parents were in the theater when Pearl Harbor was bombed, he said; they were happy to return after the war, he added.
Schneiderman, who was in charge of the disbursement of the CPF funds, reflected on the creativity of the Sag Harbor community, as well as the members of the Cinema team. Gornik thanked Schneiderman and officials for understanding the importance of culture as an economic engine, and also as an integral part of life on the East End.
Schiavoni also shared his memories of the Cinema, going back to his early childhood.
Mulcahy thanked Brenda Siemer, who saved the old Cinema sign from being replaced. She lauded the heroic efforts of firefighters who not only saved the Cinema, but also, Main Street. She also lauded Twin Forks Moving and Storage owner Chris Denon, who, on the evening of the fire, saved the iconic Cinema sign, storing it in his facility at his own expense. It was that kind of "ground-up community initiative," she said, that has helped make the Cinema "rise from the ashes."
September 30, 2020 at 07:58AM
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Sag Harbor Cinema Rises From The Ashes - Southampton, NY Patch
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