"YOU WOULD BE AMAZED AT ALL THAT HAPPENED THERE...

Of course they had OVER 300 years to do it in"

Songwriter / Author / Historian and Mastic Beach native Ken Spooner will present a program of stories, slides and photos complete with circles and arrows ala Arlo Guthrie (Alices Resturant style) on the changes of the area once known as Mastik Neck from it's colonial days to focusing on it's early 20th century transformation into the towns of Mastic, Mastic Park, Mastic Beach, Mastic Acres, and Shirley. Mr. Spooner’s grandparents lived in Mastic Beach from 1940 and Spooner grew up there during the years 1950 - 1964. He attended William Floyd School from the day the paint was still wet and they opened the doors to the areas first kindergarten. It was from writing a series of short stories of his childhood days, that Spooner became interested in a deeper look at how his hometown came to be. Since 2001 he has been posting results of his research on this website that has earned him the unofficial title of E - Mayor of Mastic Beach. Speaking about the program: “This will not be your cut and dried regular look at how things came to be in the Mastics. Much of information I have found wasn’t readily available in any books, but rather it has been gathered from digging deep and interviewing the few surviving people who were there in the 1920’s and '30's including many of the caretaker families from the private estates of Smith, Lawrence, Dana, Floyd, and Knapp. These few famlies once owned everything in sight and out of sight too .... like the bottom of the bay. My findings alone on F. J. Quinby and his "Tangier" the town that never was, is quite a story in itself. As is the Knapp Estate which turned out to be the last piece of the puzzle that kept the two towns of Mastic Beach divided for 12 years. Of course we will have some time for Q & A and hopefully a whole lot of fun. Heck we might even have someone dressed as F. J. Quinby, shoot a Walter T. Shirley impersonater out of the Tangier Smith's cannon! (For those who don't know me that last part is a joke of course) Always a history buff,Spooner is turning his findings into several books. “It is just simply amazing..... all of what happened in my little town before I moved there,,, of course they had over 300 years to do it in” He lives today in Nashville TN. Most of his life he has spent in music. First as a musician working with other Long Islanders like Billy Joel and the late Harry Chapin. In 1987 he moved to Nashville where he wrote a number 1 Country Song titled “If The Devil Danced In Empty Pockets ...He’d Have A Ball In Mine”. Anyone familiar with the song will have an idea about the Spooner philosophy of life in general. In 1994 he wrote his first book “Long Ride On A Short Track” about the history of auto racing on Long Island.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT

Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library
407 William Floyd Parkway
Shirley, NY 11967-3492
(631) 399-1511 ext. 353

FROM THE LIBRARY CALENDER

Local History Extravaganza
Date Oct 16 2005 2:00PM - Oct 16 2005 4:00PM
Program No: 2243 [Adult]

"Are you a Local History buff? Do you want to get a glimpse at our community’s past? Would you enjoy reminiscing and sharing memories with friends, neighbors and family? If you have answered yes to any of the above questions, we invite you to join us as we journey back in time. Ken Spooner, songwriter, author, historian and Mastic Beach native will present a program of stories, slides and photos on the changes of the area once known as Mastik Neck. A question and answer period will follow. Mr. Spooner is author of the web page The Knapps Lived Here http://www.spoonercentral.com/knapp.html and is planning to write several books based on his extensive research of the area. Don’t miss this great Local History Extravaganza; it will certainly be an afternoon to remember! Light refreshments will be served."

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