Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery Fund-Raiser
September 6, 2008, Centre Island, NY
Another last minute scramble! I found out that Larry Hagman was going to appear at a fund-raiser for the Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery and Aquarium on Long Island eight days before the event. This event took place at Twinight, the beautiful Centre Island home of Fish Hatchery board member and benefactor Richard Baron Cohen. This was only a few hours away by car, too close to pass up!
As the day drew nearer, a very big potential problem cropped up. Topical Storm Hanna was coming up the east coast, heading straight for Long Island, bringing with it the possibility of flooded roads around my waterfront destination. I called the Fish Hatchery before I left my New Jersey home to verify that the party was still on, and it was! The event was only a half hour from by brother's home, so I stopped there first for a quick visit. When it came time for me to leave, the rain was coming down hard. Most of the drive was uneventful, but when I got closer to Centre Island, I ran into more and more flooded roads. Not impassable, luckily. Other cars were going through, and none were stuck in the middle, so I kept on going. Eventually I made it to the Centre Island Beach parking lot where vans were waiting to shuttle us to the mansion.
There were quite a few celebrities scheduled to appear in addition to Larry Hagman, including Ed Asner, Lou Ferrigno, Cindy Williams, Tippi Hedren, Joyce DeWitt, Priscilla Barnes, Erik Estrada, Stefanie Powers, David Faustino, Morgan Fairchild and Adam West. None were there when I arrived, even though I was a few minutes late. Host Richard Baron Cohen is an avid porcelain collector, with the foyer of his home much like a museum. Cases were filled with spectacular art. Several huge connected tents were put up in the back of the home to protect the guests from the elements. I wish I could have seen the view of the Long Island Sound that would have been evident in better weather.
The Hatchery was raffling off several items, including a scooter, a watercolor painting, and several local trips. I bought a few raffle tickets just for fun. Larry and Maj arrived a short while later, holding hands. I left them alone for a while, to let them greet people. When Larry came near me I said hello to him, shaking his hand. He recognized me, did a double take, smiled and said Hi. We spoke for a bit, then I asked if I could get a photo with him. One of the photographers nearby used my camera to get the shot. After we met, several photographers got photos of him. I left to listen to the band for a while and grab some appetizers.
We were assigned tables for dinner. Larry got to sit with the host, whose mother is a fan. I was sitting at a table with Lou Ferrigno and his wife Carla. I fondly remember the CBS Friday night line-up of the early 1980s. Along with my brother, I would watch Lou Ferrigno's show, The Incredible Hulk at 8pm. We would then have a snack during the awful The Dukes of Hazard (Sorry Dukes fans!), followed by the highlight of the evening, Dallas. Lou and Carla were very nice, as were the other people I was sitting with. Dinner was a choice of salmon, steak or pasta with vegetables. I chose the pasta dish, which was very good!
The raffle winners were announced, and, as usual, I didn't win anything.
After dinner, the celebrities got together for a group photo, allowing me, along with many others, to get some nice shots. After this, some people started to leave. I saw Larry, said goodbye to him, then thanked Richard Baron Cohen for hosting the event. The rain seemed to be tapering off as I left.
But apparently the wind picked up. News reports said that the party was evacuated as one of the tents started ripping apart! Luckily no one was hurt!
For the complete story of a series of Larry Hagman events, see About This Site.