Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce members and guests partied like it was 1924 on Tuesday night, February 20, when they gathered at James Joyce in Patchogue to celebrate the chamber’s 100th anniversary.

People dressed in 1920s fashions as they reenacted the first board of directors meeting in 1924 of what was then known as the Patchogue Chamber of Commerce.

Back then, the all-male board wrestled with many issues still resonant in Patchogue today – attracting hotels, building sewer plants and creating jobs for the area’s young people.

Much of the dialog was authentic, taken from accounts of the day written in the Patchogue Advance. The Long Island Advance, Patchogue-Medford Library and Patchogue Historical Society assisted with research for the script, Chamber Executive Director David Kennedy said.

“The marvel of the whole thing is that the majority of these were the words that people spoke back then,” said Kennedy who played the role of Chamber of Commerce Managing Secretary N.R. Garland. “It’s a great history lesson and a great way to honor our chamber.”

It took about two months to write the script, Kennedy said.

Other historical figures that were part of the reenactment included Patchogue President Edmond R. Bellman (played by Mayor Paul Pontieri), Board Chairman Dr. E. Agate Foster (played by Rob Cutrone) and Chamber President Jerome Ackerly (played by current Chamber President Jo Bennett.)

Today, the chamber, which reincorporated as the Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce in 1999, has almost 500 businesses as members and sponsors a host of events year round.

The Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce gathered at James Joyce on the night of Tuesday, Feb. 20, to re-enact the first meeting of the chamber back in 1924.