Colonial Clambake and Cheer

Not even a little rain was going to dampen the spirits of Rye area residents Saturday night for an old-fashioned clam bake and dance, one the numerous events held in honor of Rye's 350th anniversary.

Friends and families came together over clams, burgers, corn and live music, just a few feet away from the very same shore where, three-and-a-half centuries ago, Rye's founding fathers first landed and settled. Town of Rye Supervisor Joseph Carvin, who organized the event, thought it was the perfect setting—and menu—to pay homage to those brave pioneers and to think about just how far the town of Rye has come since their time.

 "This is just really an opportunity to get people in the community to come together and celebrate our culture," Carvin said. "If you try to put yourself back in the mindset of the people that founded the town of Rye in 1660, and thought 'What would happen in 2010 on this piece of property?' you never would have imagined this. The real point today is that we are making history each and every day. We don't really think about it often but in fact we really are."

Also in attendance was State Assemblyman and Rye resident George Latimer, who echoed Carvin's sentiments, placing a large emphasis on the historical significance of Rye's 350th anniversary.

"Events like today remind us that it's not just about the here and now," Latimer said. "And we're all very focused on the here and now. How do you make a dollar this week? How do you keep your house, you career, your kids? We don't naturally think of the history that came before us, but that history is important."

Another theme and goal of Saturday's event was to bring together the Town of Rye and the City of Rye, as well as neighboring towns such as Port Chester and Rye Brook; something that has not always been so successful in the past. Rye Mayor Doug French hopes Saturday's event, as well as all the others part of Rye's 350th anniversary, will serve to unite those communities and their members and hopefully kick start a long period of cooperation and support.

"It's these types of events around our history and our traditions that bring the communities together and make it a lot of fun for everybody," French said. "The big winner in all of this is the different communities working together to put on a number of events. In this day and age when communities really have to work together I think this is a great start."

When it was all said and done, however, there was little doubt who the true star of the evening was.

"The clams are as fresh as can be," said Rye historian Douglas Carey. "They are sweet and succulent."