Whaleyville to celebrate May 7

By Jason Norman

After their annual Whaleyville Community Day last year, several locals were clearing out some bush and shrubs next to the community center, which used to house Whaleyville Consolidated School. They ended up finding some buried treasure.

A barbeque pit erected by the Whaleyville High class of 1956 was found.

&uot;It was cracked up and bricks were falling apart,&uot; said Dean Russell. &uot;It’s one of the very few things left of Whaleyville’s past. This is a direct connection to the class of 1956.&uot;

The school, which closed in 1978, stood next door to the community center.

&uot;That’s great,&uot; 1958 graduate Alice Babb said when told that the pit was being fixed up. Her husband Charlie was a member of the donating class. &uot;I looked at it when I was at a fish fry at the fire department, and it was starting to crack and I thought it was starting to fall. We’ll definitely be there for the community day.&uot;

The money made at the event went to renovate the pit. Every Tuesday evening, several people get together to help with construction.

&uot;We made a little bit of money,&uot; Russell said. &uot;We spent it all right back in the community.&uot;

The pit will be unveiled at the next Community Day on May 7.

The event will begin at 9:30 a.m. at Robertson Elementary School with a parade leading to the center (Route 13 will be closed for roughly half an hour at this time).

There will be an antique car show (the 1948 Hudson Commodore from the film &uot;Driving Miss Daisy&uot; will be on hand), a petting zoo, rides, an arts and crafts show, a pie-eating contest, and a swing band for live entertainment. The nearby fire department will be holding a fish fry.

There will also be hot dogs, burgers and other foods, much more so than last year, Russell said. The money raised at the day will go to help buy a historical sign for the Jackson Brothers Lumbar Company, which operated in the area from 1888 to 1919 and was at one point the largest company of its kind on the East Coast.

jason.norman@suffolknewsherald.com