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Oystering Video Premiers to Raves

The new video on oystering called The Oyster In Oyster Bay was previewed at the Christ Church 300th anniversary celebration on Sept. 28. Tom Kuehhas, director of the Oyster Bay Historical Society and Rob Crafa, executive director of the WaterFront Center, were on hand to share in the kudos.

The video looks seamless and effortless. "That's the way something done professionally should look," said Mr. Kuehhas.

Mr. Crafa, who is in charge of the waterfront festivities for Oyster Fest 2002 said, "It's out just in time for the Oyster Festival where it will be for sale."

Fritz Coudert III, board president of The WaterFront Center and a trustee of the Oyster Bay Historical Center, who was instrumental in making the video a reality said, "It took about 3 and a half years. Tom Kuehhas was very good getting the historical material.

"I suggested the video and Tom thought that was fine. It was the perfect opportunity to do one but turned out much bigger than planned. The Oyster Bay oystering community liked it and it will be good for the WaterFront Center.

"The center was just beginning when we began the project, but the two are coming together. Now it is perfect for the WaterFront Center and our marine education programs. Interestingly, the man who did the editing, Yale Nelson, in 1986 won an Emmy for a sports video." That is a good endorsement for the project.

Mr. Coudert also wanted to credit the Bayville Museum for loaning period photographs for the production.

"The video came out very well. It took forever to get the microscopic view of the swimming oysters. Twenty-four hours after the sperm hits the egg there is a little tiny shell that can be viewed under the microscope. You can see them swimming around with their cilia. It went in at the last minute," he said.

The Oyster Bay Historical Society assisted the WaterFront Center for over two years as they worked on the video, said Mr. Kuehhas as he introduced the project to viewers.

"The original impetus for the project was a letter from Congressman Peter King on behalf of the Library of Congress bi-centennial. They were looking for projects peculiar to a community and I thought of oystering. Fritz Coudert, and I thought of doing the video for area libraries. No real history of oystering had been done," he said.

They produced the 28-minute video. "We interviewed captains of oystering boats. Ada and Franklin Flower of the Frank M. Flower & Sons, Inc. oyster fisherman let us use their family archive photos as well as ones from the Flowers' company collection. Gloria Bayles Tucker whose family founded the Oyster Bay Oyster Company also contributed to the video."

Fritz Coudert was the first of many narrators who told the story of their involvement with the bay. Mr. Coudert opened the video saying that his family has been in the area since 1870. Over his shoulder you could see the oyster sloop Christeen, a national landmark that has been here almost as long, and that is a part of the WaterFront Center of which Mr. Coudert is board president.

Franklin Flower said his grandparents W. Allen Flower and his wife Ruth came from England in 1887 and settled in Shu Swamp. There were malaria mosquitos in the area, so they moved down to the shore and began clamming and oystering. He told of the first underwater leases the family obtained.

Ada Flower continued the talk telling how in a slow time, the oystermen became carpenters and built cottages in Bayville, which then became a resort community.

Dave Relyea, one of the three current owners of the Flower's company told how they, the smallest oyster company gradually bought out the Bayles and Reidel oyster businesses.

William Davis, a retired boat captain told more of the story of the boats used in oystering. Since that time he has died.

Dave Relyea told the story of the hatchery and illustrated step by step the growth of the oysters and clams the Flower's plant in the local waters to grow and then harvest.

The final editing of the video was done by Yale Nelson at 30FPS, a video company that started in Oyster Bay.

Mr. Kuehhas said the scenes of the Christeen oyster sloop were taken on Sept. 10, "The day before the world changed. It was a gorgeous day." The bay looked its best.

Copies of the video were on sale for $20 and will be available at the Oyster Festival at the WaterFront Center.

You can also call the Oyster Bay Historical Society at 922-5032 or the WaterFront Center at 624-7900 for information about purchasing the video.

After the showing of the film, local resident Doris Amos, a trustee of the OBHS said, "I never knew getting an oyster was so complicated." They only make it look easy.