Since its founding in 1861, the former Eagle Harbor General Store was more than just a general store. It was a gathering place for the community, a music venue for local bands and musicians, a post office, and the place to get an ice cream cone in summer.
With its eclectic collection of memorabilia displayed alongside goods for sale, the store was a de facto museum as well. The odd assortment of artifacts: old toys, obsolete tools and housewares, photographs and mementos -- much of it donated by local residents – became a repository for the collective memory of the town.
The Eagle Harbor General Store is now the home of the Eagle Harbor Social Aid and Pleasure Club, and, in the tradition of the Store’s colorful past, current owners and artists Liz Ward and Robert Ziebell presented a cultural program of social aid and pleasure in the summer and fall of 2016. Visitors were welcomed in to relive their own memories of the store and to participate in the creation of new ones.
The name “Social Aid and Pleasure Club” has its origins in the carnival culture of Liz’s native New Orleans, and in honor of that celebratory spirit, there was live music on the porch, and craft foods, coffees and beers were served. Three contemporary art exhibitions were integrated into the Store’s displays of historic artifacts, combining past and present in new and innovative ways.
We hope you will enjoy this short video featuring the inaugural season of the Eagle Harbor Social Aid and Pleasure Club.
