Popular Billy Joel Exhibit Set To Close On LI; Fans Have Chance To Bid On Rare Memorabilia

STONY BROOK, NY — The Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame's Billy Joel exhibit is "movin' out."

The poopular "Billy Joel, My Life: A Piano Man's Journey" exhibit will wrap up its successful run with a special event, "The Billy Joel Collectors Presentation."

The event will spotlight the designer of the exhibit and two local collectors who loaned their personal items for display on Saturday, October 25 at 2 p.m. at the Stony Brook space, located at 97 Main Street. The event is free with admission ticket. The exhibit officially closes at the end of the next day, on Sunday, October 26.

"We’re thrilled to be able to honor these collectors and put them in the spotlight at this event to give them the credit they deserve," said Barry Fisch, board member and general manager at LIMEHOF. "Their passion for collecting is part of what made the exhibit such a popular success over the last two years, and thousands of visitors have enjoyed seeing these rare items — all in one exhibit."

When Billy Joel himself toured the exhibit, he was overwhelmed with, as he put it, "all this stuff," on display that celebrated his life and career, LIMEHOF said. While much of that "stuff" was from his own archives, the designer of the exhibit, Kevin O’Callaghan, also collaborated with local collectors Paul Fierro and Eric Fellen, who lent their own personal Billy Joel-themed items to be included for display.

“It was so exciting to have major collectors approach us after the initial announcement," O’Callaghan said. "Their contributions put the exhibition over the top — in fact, it made Billy Joel say when he came to the opening: 'Wow! Where did you find all this stuff?' He was thrilled to see things that he thought were lost."

O'Callaghan, renowned designer, board member, and creative director of LIMEHOF, as well as the two collectors will be on hand to discuss the artifacts on display and take a metaphoric "final curtain call bow" at the end of the show.

O’Callaghan will talk about his experience working directly with Billy Joel to design and create the once-in-a-lifetime exhibit and Billy Joel’s reaction to the exhibit when he toured the space. The collectors will talk about the art of collecting "all things Billy", including stories relating to the obtaining of the items, LIMEHOF said.

In addition, audience members the chance to bring home rare Billy Joel items. As part of the event, the collectors have donated some of their own items for door prizes and a silent auction to raise money for LIMEHOF. The scheduled door prizes and auction items will include:

Door Prizes:

• "Live from Long Island" promo matches
• A pair of pins from the July 1987 Russian Tour
• Autographed promo photos of Liberty DeVitto (a LIMEHOF inductee)
• Birthday hat and plastic mug from Billy's 70th at Madison Square Garden
• 1990 Storm Front USO and DOD flyers promoting a free show
• 16 new keychains from Billy Joel’s 2006 Tour

Auction Items:

• Billy Joel New York Yankees bobble head
• 1978 Promo Japanese Tour 2 LP gatefold in black and white
• 1979 Promo Japanese Tour 2 LP gatefold in color
• 1977 "The Stranger" promo hanging one-sided mobile
• 1994 Billy Joel / Elton John Promo round 24-inch 2-sided poster
• 1982 "The Nylon Curtain" promo coffee mug
• An original 100th MSG Show poster (2014-2024)
• 3 backstage and 1 crew pass from Bridge Tour
• 2 sealed Chu Bop bubble gum mini albums from the early 80s
• An original 100th MSG show keychain (entire MSG run 1978 to 2018)
• Millennium Concert double CD live album - Japan Issue with bonus live tracks
• WBAB-Billy Joel Bumper Sticker
• Billy Joel Interview Album
• Hassles Hour of the Wolf (original pressing)
• In Harmony - compilation album (Promo copy that was part of Jim Boyer's personal collection, Jim was Billy's main recording engineer that worked with Phil Ramone)
• Live at the Great American Music Hall (sealed Record Store Day pressing)
• Much more

Some of the items will remain at LIMEHOF to become part of "The Billy Joel Collection- On Loan from the Billy Joel Archives", presented by Catholic Health. The specially curated exhibition has been collected from prized items from the Billy Joel archives, many never before seen in public. Full details about the next exhibit will be announced toward the end of this month.

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