Long Island Maritime Museum to hold its annual Halloween boat burning 

Under normal circumstances, the sight of a boat up in flames might elicit feelings of shock or sadness. But the Long Island Maritime Museum’s annual boat burning, held the Friday before Halloween, is actually a happy occasion.

“This really is a spectacular holiday event,” said Terry Lister-Blitman, the museum’s executive director. “After all, who doesn’t love a great, big bonfire?”

Since 1990, the West Sayville museum has set ablaze a donated boat that has outlived its usefulness. This year’s event, to be held Oct. 25, will feature live music by Quarter Horse, a gourmet food truck and a Roxy’s ice cream truck with hot chocolate and donuts for sale. There will also be a raffle for a kayak built by volunteers in the museum’s boat shop.

“It’s . . . a way to memorialize the boat that is being donated,” Lister-Blitman said of the event, a fundraiser for the museum. “Any boat we take in for this event is beyond restoration and this is a gracious way to say goodbye, far better than depositing the hull in a landfill.”

This year’s boat is part of the museum’s collection. It was used as a clam dredge on Great South Bay, according to Lister-Blitman. The vessel has had many owners, the last being John Verbeke, of Sayville, before it was donated, she said.

Boats are donated in ready-to-burn condition, with safety and environmental hazards like the engine, fuel tanks and electronics removed. A Suffolk County fire marshal ensures the boat is properly prepared for a safe burn, and members of the West Sayville Fire Department start, control and end the fire, which takes about four hours to reduce the vessel to smoldering ashes. According to Lister-Blitman, the burning boat is roped off a safe distance from the public.

“A couple thousand people attend the event each year,” she said, and some kids show up in their Halloween costumes. “We would like to thank everyone in advance for acknowledging us and being part of our fundraising efforts.”