Skip to main content

Item of the Week: The Maidstone Club’s Costume Bash

Thu, 10/27/2022 - 09:09

From the East Hampton Library’s Long Island Collection

For anyone trying to put together a last-minute Halloween costume, the Maidstone Club's 75th anniversary costume party in 1966, featuring 1890s attire, offers some procrastination-friendly inspiration. In this photograph taken by William Boone, we see members dressed in Victorian-era golfing, swimming, and tennis outfits.

From left to right, the photo shows: Isabelle Robertson (1901-1986) with Julian Myrick (1880-1969) in tennis costumes, Andrew (Peter) Connick (1930-2011) and Emma Pattison Skidmore (1900-1978) in bathing costumes, and Mary Lewis Hopkinson (1901-1986) and William N. Beebe (1903-1985) in old-fashioned golf attire. 

It is worth noting that Myrick's obituary mentioned his efforts to increase both the competitive nature of tennis and the Maidstone Club's stature in competitions. It is likely his costume reflected his passion for tennis.

The party took place in the Maidstone Club's ballroom on July 23, 1966, and was such a draw that the 400 plates for dinner sold out, and an additional 100 attendees came for the dancing alone. Not shown here but quite memorable was an old-fashioned waltz performed by Russell Hopkinson and Jane Alcott Holmes, who appeared in a sequined black gown with a bird of paradise headdress. Also memorable were the 75 birthday cakes paraded through the ballroom.

W. Dickinson Wilson acted as master of ceremonies, briefly honoring the eight Maidstone Club presidents (past and present) in attendance, along with Kenneth E. Davis, the longtime club manager. Rosalie Boalt chaired the event committee, which included William Beebe, Susannah Wood Amory, Mary Lewis Hopkinson, and Dorothy Sykes. 

Members danced to music by the Joe Carroll Orchestra, and the singer Conrad Thibault led a group through several numbers, including the club's "Maidstone's a Silver Lining," followed by Myrick singing his "standby" tune, "And Let the Rest of the World Go Dry."


Andrea Meyer, a librarian and archivist, is the head of the East Hampton Library's Long Island Collection.
 

Villages

Christmas Birds: By the Numbers

Cold, still, quiet, and clear conditions marked the morning of the Audubon Christmas Bird Count in Montauk on Dec. 14. The cold proved challenging, if not for the groups of birders in search of birds, then certainly for the birds.

Dec 19, 2024

Shelter Islander’s Game Is a Tribute to His Home

For Serge Pierro of Shelter Island, a teacher of guitar lessons and designer of original tabletop games, his latest project speaks to his appreciation for his home of 19 years and counting. Called Shelter Island Experience, it’s a card game that showcases the “nuances of what makes life on Shelter Island so special and unique.”

Dec 19, 2024

Tackling Parking Problems in Sag Harbor

“It’s an issue that we continually have to manage and rethink,” Sag Harbor Village Mayor Thomas Gardella said at a parking workshop on Dec. 16. “We also have to consider the overall character of our village as we move forward with this.”

Dec 19, 2024

 

Your support for The East Hampton Star helps us deliver the news, arts, and community information you need. Whether you are an online subscriber, get the paper in the mail, delivered to your door in Manhattan, or are just passing through, every reader counts. We value you for being part of The Star family.

Your subscription to The Star does more than get you great arts, news, sports, and outdoors stories. It makes everything we do possible.