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Authors Posts by Rita J. Egan

Rita J. Egan

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In October 2019, cousins Edmund Zarou and Alex Solounias, above, founded the business Night Light 3D last year. Photo from Edmund Zarou

Last year, two cousins took a sad occasion and turned it into a positive venture. Now the two want to share their light with others.

The pair created photorealistic nightlights like the one featuring Zarou’s father. Photo from Edmund Zarou

Edmund Zarou and Alex Solounias, part owners of the family business Zaro’s Cafe in Huntington Station, founded Night Light 3D in October 2019. The company takes customers’ photos and turns them into nightlights that project the image on a nearby surface.

Zarou said in an email that it all began after purchasing a 3D printer and making photorealistic nightlights with his dad Charlie’s image on them. His father passed away Dec. 26, 2016, after a bout with leukemia, and Zarou said it was a way to honor his dad that brought some comfort to his mother, sister and grandparents.

When friends heard about the nightlights the cousins created featuring Zarou’s father, they asked if more nightlights could be made with images of their loved ones. That’s when Zarou and Solounias decided to start Night Light 3D, extending their reach to people all across the country.

The success of the business is one that surprised Zarou at first.

“We have gotten nothing but positive feedback,” he said. “The amount of joy these nightlights bring is incredible.”

The pair now own five 3D printers to keep up with the demand. Earlier this year, Zarou used the printers to create face shields for local frontline workers who didn’t have enough on hand when the coronavirus infection first began to spike.

While customers can order nightlights with any type of photo on them, as the business grew, the cousins noticed that memorial nightlights were popular. One person told Zarou “that their loved one would continue to light up a room even though they’re gone.”

Zarou said he and Solounias decided to offer the nightlights for free for one month starting on the anniversary of his father’s passing, Dec. 26.

“Instead of us sitting here and mourning his passing, we’re going to honor his memory,” Zarou said.

Solounias said the goal is to help others, too.

“We really just hope to bring some comfort to someone in mourning,” he said.

He added that he hopes customers see that they care about their customers.

“We just want to lighten up some people’s nights with a picture of a loved one,” he said.

Both added that there is only one thing that they ask of those ordering a free memorial nightlight — to email a brief story of their loved one that will be posted on their social media.

“This is our way of keeping their memory alive,” Zarou said.

Starting Dec. 26 for one month, customers can order a free memorial nightlight. When visiting the website www.nightlight3d.com, customers can use the coupon coded “CHARLIE” at checkout. Shipping charges still apply.

Zarou said they are excited about making the memorial nightlights for everyone.

“We are grateful to be in the position to do this, and I know my father would want nothing more than for us to honor him this way — giving back,” he said.

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Dlisah Lapidus, Grace Brouillet and Mia Schoolman are the founders of Junk Dump magazine.

Looking for a way to connect young artists during a time when schools are unable to hold art shows, three Ward Melville High School students decided to give creative teens a chance to share their work, not only on the web but also in print.

In December, a new magazine called Junk Dump premiered. The publication was founded by Grace Brouillet, 17, of Port Jefferson Station, Dlisah Lapidus, 16, of Setauket, and Mia Schoolman, 16, of Stony Brook. Brouillet and Schoolman are seniors, while Lapidus is a junior set to graduate a year early.

Featuring artwork, photography, fashion designs and writings, the magazine has no ads, as the girls put up their own money to have it published. They used the online service PrintingCenterUSA to have it printed.

The three said the hope was to recoup some of the outlay by charging $10 for the full-color magazine. While they printed 75 issues of the first edition, titled Distorted Time, they had so many people interested that they are planning to print more of their second issue which is set to be released in February.

Schoolman said they chose the name Junk Dump because they wanted the magazine to be a place where artists could share anything, even if their piece wasn’t completed. Or, as she described it, “a place where artists can dump their work and show the raw side of their artwork.”

“We love unfinished or unpolished work, and you never get to see that in exhibits or art shows,” she said.

It’s no surprise that the girls became interested in creating a publication. Schoolman said she’s into studying the fine arts, and she and Brouillet are interested in graphic design. Brouillet is also editor-in-chief of the school’s yearbook. Lapidus said her interests lie in journalism and fashion design.

Lapidus said the objective was to show all talents whether one is an artist, writer, photographer or designer.

“That was really the goal — we wanted to just give every person who had some creative aspirations a place where they can express themselves and get some recognition for it,” she said.

The magazine features work from teenagers all over the country and the world, even as far as Turkey and Scotland. The three invited people to contribute via Snapchat, and the submissions have also led to an Instagram page and website. Schoolman said they also messaged some young artists directly.

Lapidus said they wanted to include young artists from all over the world as they recognized that with current restrictions due to COVID-19, many don’t have a place to express themselves, something they have witnessed firsthand with school art shows not taking place during the pandemic.

“It would be really interesting to see in this digital age that we have, and where face-to-face contact is restricted,” Lapidus said. “I think we can form a community through this magazine that doesn’t have to just be restricted by geography. It doesn’t have to be just in this area. We can even connect people here to all over the world.”

The high school students plan to publish the magazine every other month, and next year when they’re in college they still intend to produce more issues, Brouillet said.

“I think this is something that we’re all really passionate about and love doing, and we all feel it’s making a difference in our own lives and other peoples’,” she said. “When we go off to college, we’ll be able to build a community even bigger and keep it growing.”

Even though the girls run a website and social media accounts, presenting work in print is important to them, especially to Lapidus, a self-described avid reader, who said she’s always connected more with print media than online.

“It’s just not the same as holding paper in your hand,” she said.

She added so many magazines are online, but during the pandemic having a print version made sense.

“I thought when physical contact is taken from us with this pandemic, it’s important to bring print back in some way, and I think that having a physical print magazine connects people even further,” Lapidus said.

Schoolman said Lapidus’ passion for print, along with her and Brouillet’s graphic-design abilities are a good match.

“I think that when we first started the project, not many people really knew what we were doing,” Schoolman said. “We said we were making a magazine but obviously we didn’t have the physical copy in our hands [at the time]. I think when people actually see us go into publishing, printing our own magazine, it’s so important to kind of combine the digital world with the physical world.”

For more information on Junk Dump magazine, visit www.junkdumpmag.com.

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Owner Brian Baker cuts the ribbon at Bellport Brewing’s grand opening Dec. 3, while the Turners — John, Travis and Georgia — on the left look on. The event was attended by Brookhaven Town Councilmen Michael A. Loguercio Jr. and Dan Panico, County Legislator Rudy Sunderman, members of the Bellport Chamber of Commerce, family and friends. Photo from Leg. Sunderman’s office

People may be surprised when they hear that Setauket resident and environmentalist John Turner and his wife, Georgia, have entered the brewery business, but the new venture is all about family.

Georgia and John Turner, investors in the brewing company, and owner Brian Baker. Photo from Leg. Sunderman’s office

Turner said his son, Travis, 29, a few years ago began working with Brian Baker, who opened Bellport Brewing on Station Road in the South Shore village Dec. 3. The father said his son developed quite an interest in brewing beer while working with Baker and became an assistant brewer. When Baker thought about opening a brewery in Bellport, the Turners decided to become investors in the new business and support their son’s career dreams.

“Kind of the stars aligned right, and we decided for that reason and a few others, to take the plunge,” Turner said.

Baker, a former IT network administrator turned brewer, agreed that everything fell into place regarding going into business with the Turners, and the location that he spotted seven years ago finally became available. He credits his wife, Danielle, for being “absolutely amazing” during the process and is grateful for the Turners who he described “like a fairy godmother.” He said he couldn’t have done it by himself.

“I’m grateful for everything that everybody has ever put into this brewery to make me a success and to make this brewery a success,” he said.

Turner said the brewery is in an ideal spot as those walking around the village may pass by and drop in to check it out.

“We hope to get a lot of people just walking on the street during the summertime,” he said, adding he hopes walk-ins combined with social media will provide a good following.

Turner, who is the Town of Brookhaven’s open space program coordinator on a consulting basis, said he and Georgia hope in the future to become more than investors in the brewery, maybe even part owners. Leading up to the grand opening, he said his family enjoyed working with the Bakers in helping to get the building, the former Rooster’s Cafe, ready.

In the future, Baker said he would like to have an outdoor space and a food truck, maybe even cornhole and bocce ball games.

For now, Turner said he and his wife are learning a lot about beer making. From first boiling the water to opening the tap to pour it out, there are certain steps one must go through carefully that he compared to chemistry.

“If any one of those steps isn’t followed completely, you’re not going to turn out with the beer with the alcohol content, and the flavor and the character and body that you hope to have,” he said.

Baker agreed that creating a beer recipe is similar to a chef’s job.

“You need to know what the malts will do by themselves and how they work with others,” he said.

The brewer added Long Island was once one of the best locations to get hops from.

“The soil is everything for the hops environment,” he said. “When you have great soil and great farmers you get great hops and malt.”

Turner said the family has enjoyed helping Baker to shape the flavor and character of the business as well as speaking with potential customers to see what they like.

“It’s exciting but there’s also some trepidation because obviously the brewery opened up in the middle of a pandemic,” Turner said.

Despite the challenges the pandemic has created for businesses, Baker said both families are grateful for what they have today, even though they don’t know what tomorrow may bring. At the same time, they are aware of the current business climate and public health crisis.

“Today we have a brewery,” he said. “Today we have our health. Today we have our family. You know, let’s focus on that and not so much of what’s going to happen tomorrow.”

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Dead menhaden have been found on West Meadow Beach. Photo by Laurie Vetere

Residents have noticed large numbers of fish found dead on local beaches, though environmentalists said people should not be alarmed.

A dead menhaden found on West Meadow Beach. Photo by Jay Gao

Co-founder of the Setauket Harbor Task Force, George Hoffman, said a few weeks ago, residents started reporting that as they were walking along West Meadow Beach they noticed a large amount of dead menhaden, a type of forage fish that is also known as a bunker fish. Others have also spotted the menhaden around Setauket and Port Jefferson harbors.

Hoffman said the task force reached out to local scientists, and a few residents contacted the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation as well. The DEC told residents that the die-off events were not unusual. The type of fish swim in large schools and are vulnerable to low dissolved oxygen. The DEC is collecting fish samples for analysis by Stony Brook University’s Marine Animal Disease Laboratory for further evaluation.

It’s the first time the task force has heard of a large die-off locally, Hoffman said. The task force tests the oxygen levels in local harbors regularly during the summer, and he said this year the levels have been good.

He said while the menhaden are not that large, measuring 8 or 9 inches, together they create an unwelcoming sight.

One of the people who noticed the dead menhaden and notified the task force was South Setauket resident Paul Feinberg, who visits West Meadow Beach regularly.

“My initial reaction to this sight back in early December was quite disturbing,” he said.

Bill Lucey, the soundkeeper from Connecticut-based Save the Sound, said the dead menhaden have been spotted along the Connecticut shoreline of the Long Island Sound, too. He has also heard reports of them washing up in the New York City and Hudson River areas.

Lucey said menhaden usually migrate earlier and they may have missed a migration cue due to warmer waters and a larger amount of plankton, which they eat, this year. However, once the temperatures dropped and the plankton died off, they may have faced problems, especially older fish that are less resilient. Normally around this time of year, the bunker fish can be found spawning along the shore of the Carolinas.

Another reason, Lucey said, that residents may be spotting an excess of dead menhaden is that there are more of them in general due to state-imposed fishing regulations. He said a friend of his was on the water fishing earlier this year when he felt a small earthquake in the Sound. His friend saw the menhaden jumping out of the water. Others have mentioned the increased number of bunkers to Lucey, too.

“One sailor said he hadn’t seen that many fish in 57 years,” he said.

Lucey said the increase in the amount of fish is a good thing. Hopefully the harvesting will be sustainable and the population will continue to increase as the bunker fish will attract predators such as humpback whales and bald eagles.

Residents “see a problem, but really it’s potentially a good sign that we have a huge robust population of the forage fish,” he said.

Local environmentalist John Turner agreed. He said with an increase again of menhaden they have been fueling a resurgence of the coastal ecosystem.

“It’s called a forage fish because it feeds and actually filters through the water, so it pulls algae and plankton out of the water, and it converts the microscopic plants that are in the oceans into animal protein,” Turner said. “Then that goes up the food chain again to the whales.”

He added that the menhaden can even be credited with an increase of bald eagles and ospreys in the area.

Lucey said when residents see dead menhaden on the beach to leave the carcasses as the fish will provide food for shoreline birds, which is especially important now that the temperatures are dipping, and there are less fish to be found in the water.

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A scene from the Three Village Drive-Through Holiday Electric Parade Dec. 13 at Ward Melville High School. Photo by Rita J. Egan
A scene from the Three Village Drive-Through Holiday Electric Parade Dec. 13 at Ward Melville High School. Photo by Rita J. Egan
A scene from the Three Village Drive-Through Holiday Electric Parade Dec. 13 at Ward Melville High School. Photo by Rita J. Egan
A scene from the Three Village Drive-Through Holiday Electric Parade Dec. 13 at Ward Melville High School. Photo by Rita J. Egan
A scene from the Three Village Drive-Through Holiday Electric Parade Dec. 13 at Ward Melville High School. Photo by Rita J. Egan
A scene from the Three Village Drive-Through Holiday Electric Parade Dec. 13 at Ward Melville High School. Photo by Rita J. Egan
A scene from the Three Village Drive-Through Holiday Electric Parade Dec. 13 at Ward Melville High School. Photo by Rita J. Egan
A scene from the Three Village Drive-Through Holiday Electric Parade Dec. 13 at Ward Melville High School. Photo by Rita J. Egan
A scene from the Three Village Drive-Through Holiday Electric Parade Dec. 13 at Ward Melville High School. Photo by Rita J. Egan
A scene from the Three Village Drive-Through Holiday Electric Parade Dec. 13 at Ward Melville High School. Photo by Rita J. Egan
A scene from the Three Village Drive-Through Holiday Electric Parade Dec. 13 at Ward Melville High School. Photo by Rita J. Egan
A scene from the Three Village Drive-Through Holiday Electric Parade Dec. 13 at Ward Melville High School. Photo by Rita J. Egan
A scene from the Three Village Drive-Through Holiday Electric Parade Dec. 13 at Ward Melville High School. Photo by Rita J. Egan
A scene from the Three Village Drive-Through Holiday Electric Parade Dec. 13 at Ward Melville High School. Photo by Rita J. Egan
A scene from the Three Village Drive-Through Holiday Electric Parade Dec. 13 at Ward Melville High School. Photo by Rita J. Egan
A scene from the Three Village Drive-Through Holiday Electric Parade Dec. 13 at Ward Melville High School. Photo from Denise Williams

This year the organizers of the Three Village Electric Holiday Parade had to go about things differently due to COVID-19 restrictions and social-distancing guidelines.

Instead of vehicles and floats decorated with lights traveling down Route 25A in Setauket with hundreds bundled up and standing along the road, the parade turned into a drive-thru light show presented by the Rotary Club of Stony Brook Dec. 13 and held on the Ward Melville High School grounds. The show took place from 5 to 6:30 p.m., and spectators lined up in their cars up and down Old Town Road to get a peek of the holiday fun long before the gates opened.

Various businesses were on hand as well as students from Three Village school district. To comply with social-distancing guidelines, only a few representatives from each group stood with their entries. Many used photo cutouts and videos to represent those who could not be there.

To celebrate the high school seniors, Three Village parents set up more than 500 lighted bags on the school’s front lawn, each with a student’s name on it.

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Photo from Suffolk County Police Department

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police 4th Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify a man who allegedly stole property from a Commack store in May.

A man allegedly stole a portable generator from Walmart, located at 85 Crooked Hill Road May 25 at approximately 10:25 a.m. The stolen merchandise was valued at approximately $300.

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about these incidents can contact Suffolk County Crime Stoppers to submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-220-TIPS, utilizing a mobile app which can be downloaded through the App Store or Google Play by searching P3 Tips, or online at www.P3Tips.com. All calls, text messages and emails will be kept confidential.

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Gurwin Jewish Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Commack hosted a drive-thru Hanukkah lights festival Dec. 14 and Dec. 15. Photo by Lina Weingarten
Gurwin Jewish Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Commack hosted a drive-thru Hanukkah lights festival Dec. 14 and Dec. 15. Photo by Lina Weingarten
Gurwin Jewish Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Commack hosted a drive-thru Hanukkah lights festival Dec. 14 and Dec. 15. Photo by Lina Weingarten
Gurwin Jewish Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Commack hosted a drive-thru Hanukkah lights festival Dec. 14 and Dec. 15. Photo by Lina Weingarten
Gurwin Jewish Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Commack hosted a drive-thru Hanukkah lights festival Dec. 14 and Dec. 15. Photo by Lina Weingarten
Gurwin Jewish Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Commack hosted a drive-thru Hanukkah lights festival Dec. 14 and Dec. 15. Photo by Lina Weingarten

Gurwin Jewish Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Commack turned into a festival of lights Dec. 14 and Dec. 15.

At its Commack Road location, the center hosted its first Festival of Lights drive-through event that included thousands of blue, gold and white lights arranged in a variety of scenes as well as inflatable menorahs, dreidels and more displayed.

Visitors had the opportunity to drive through and the lights free of charge. The event also gave spectators the opportunity to donate unwrapped gifts, including puzzle books and pens, fuzzy holiday socks and other personal gifts, for the nursing home residents.

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Patients line up outside the CityMD Urgent Care in Commack. Facilities have seen more patients than usual in recent weeks due to COVID testing. Photo by Lina Weingarten

Over the last few weeks, a popular conversation among residents is the length of the lines outside CityMD Urgent Care walk-in clinics.

Patients wait in line at the CityMD in Lake Grove. Photo by Rita J. Egan

With many seeking COVID-19 tests to spend time with family members over the holidays, for upcoming surgeries or to meet college testing requirements, residents over the last few weeks have seen nearly two dozen or more people standing outside of the urgent care offices, in most cases, socially distanced and wearing masks. Several have commented that they have visited CityMD and have waited for hours in line where patients who are not being tested for COVID, but for other illnesses are also waiting. The urgent care doesn’t bifurcate the line into COVID-related and non-COVID concerns.

One Smithtown woman, who asked not to be named for privacy reasons, said her husband went to one urgent care location for stitches when his hand was bleeding, and he didn’t want to go to a hospital emergency room, not wishing to take away precious time from health care personnel. Once he found out he would have to wait three hours at the urgent care, he wound up going to St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center.

On Sunday, Nesconset resident Mary Jo Orr said she waited in line with her daughter who needed a rapid test because she was starting in a new school. She noticed the line wasn’t that long when they got there at a little before 11 a.m.

“Apparently, early in the morning one of the workers decided to make a list of the first 100 people,” she said. “They were all given a number and were told to wait in their cars and they would be texted when it was their turn.”

However, management squashed the idea and others who didn’t make the list had to stand outside in line.

“We were there for 3 1/2 hours,” Orr said.

She added that she was prepared to wait, even though she wished the visit went quicker. To deal with the cold weather, she and her daughter took turns waiting in their car.

A spokesperson for CityMD said the locations are all walk-ins and do not take appointments, but the company’s goal is to treat as many people as possible. The urgent care centers offer three forms of COVID-19 testing: the rapid test; polymerase chain reaction, most commonly known as PCR test and needs to be sent to a laboratory; and serum antibody IgG blood test.

“Demand for COVID-related visits, including testing, remains consistently high,” the spokesperson said. “This is creating long lines at almost all our 130-plus walk-in CityMD Urgent Care centers, so we ask patients to please plan accordingly.”

Many have asked why CityMD doesn’t split the line into two or allow patients to wait in cars until they are called into the building.

“Wherever possible, our team members walk the lines and triage patients who need to be seen urgently,” the CityMD spokesperson said. “But, there are potential HIPAA issues with asking patients in line to disclose their condition in front of others.”

She added that CityMD is “piloting a queue system with hopes of a broad rollout.”

“Our goal is to see as many patients as we can in the safest way possible — whether it is for typical urgent care needs or for medical evaluation and a COVID-19 test.”

Many community members have said they have gone to Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care centers instead. The locations require an appointment for COVID-testing. Northwell offers both COVID-19 testing and antibody testing.

Dr. Betsy Koickel, associate medical director of Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care, said the appointments for COVID-related visits were necessary so the staff could better prepare for such visits.

“While we always welcome walk-ins for illness and injury care, we require a spot to be saved for COVID-19 testing in our centers so that we can safely prepare for each patient’s visit,” she said. “During the surge in the need for testing, our teams are working diligently to see all ill and injured patients while also increasing availability for COVID testing.”

The doctor said some walk-in patients may have to wait during peak times as staff members are safely preparing rooms. Even though there are no significant lines outside, patients are asked to wear masks while socially distancing or wait in their cars.

Others in the community have also recommended CVS Pharmacy locations and Stony Brook University Hospital’s testing. Both require an appointment and require the patient to fill out an assessment.

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Carolers entertain guests with holiday songs at Smithtown Historical Society’s Heritage Country Christmas Dec 6. Photo by Rita J. Egan
A woman stays warm by the fire at the Heritage Country Christmas on the grounds of the Smithtown Historical Society Dec. 6. Photo by Rita J. Egan
Children ask Santa for gifts from a distance at the Heritage Country Christmas Dec. 6. Photo by Rita J. Egan

The cold, rain and even COVID were no match for the Smithtown Historical Society’s annual Heritage Country Christmas. Despite changes due to the pandemic, local families still had a chance to welcome the festive season on the society’s grounds.

Every year the historical society hosts its holiday festival that includes tours of its historic homes, live music, carolers, costumed volunteers, crafts, a shadow puppet show in the Frank Brush Barn, raffles and more.

In the past, attendees were able to visit at any time and stay as long as they liked. This year, the historical society sold tickets online and limited the hour-long sessions to 50 guests to help ensure social distancing. Also, all activities were held outdoors.

Originally planned for Dec. 5, the event had to be postponed to Sunday, Dec. 6, due to the rain Saturday. Families found many of the usual activities including caroling, a winter hayride and a visit with Santa Claus. Helping Santa were elves sent over from the Smithtown Center for Performing Arts who invited children to take photos on a stage decorated for the holidays. Visitors also had the chance to enjoy s’mores over the fire, sip cocoa and watch historic cooking.

One guest during the 4 to 5 p.m. timeslot could be heard saying she wanted to thank the historical society for organizing the event because she was looking forward to celebrating the holidays at a community event, even if it meant doing so in the cold.

Priya Kapoor, executive director of the historical society, said in an email Monday that the event was a success. “We saw families enjoying, and kids having fun on the grounds,” she said.

Kapoor said the historical society was grateful for all the volunteers, board members, local elected officials and the Suffolk County Police Department for their help.

“Special thanks to Michael Mucciolo from Smithtown Performing Art Center for helping us decorate our grounds,” she said. “We are grateful to our sponsors for always supporting us, and special thanks to PSEG Long Island for energy-efficient LED lighting.”

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Santa stopped by Stony Brook Dec. 6. Photo by Rita J. Egan

While the Ward Melville Heritage Organization had to hold its annual Christmas festival and tree lighting virtually this year Dec. 6, a few of the board members and their friends gathered on the Village Green at the Stony Brook Village Center, not just to see the festive lights, but also for an announcement.

Visitors to the Village Green take a photo in front of the lit spruce. Photo by Rita J. Egan

Richard Rugen, WMHO chairman, said the Village Green in the center would be renamed in honor of Jennie Melville, the mother of philanthropist Ward Melville, founder and planner of Stony Brook Village Center. Rugen said she was the one with the idea to change the then “kind of down-at-the-heels Schooner town” into what it is today, including the two-acre Village Green, even though she didn’t live to see it. 

“It’s been used now for 80 years, much more so this year with COVID,” Rugen said. “People have been able to come down and have a ball game or a card game or a sunset, whatever their little hearts desired.”

The WMHO chairman said despite the Village Green being used more than usual this past year, visitors have been respectful of the grounds.

“The trustees and the staff of the Ward Melville Heritage Organization worked very hard to keep it beautiful, and you have cooperated very well,” he said.

Rugen said after seeing so many residents enjoying the green, the board of trustees decided to name it the Jennie Melville Village Green, and in the spring, they plan to install a plaque with the new name and some history about both Melville and the open space.

Also on hand was Chris Damianos, chairman of the board and CEO of Damianos Realty Group, one of the sponsors of the tree lighting, and his family. The Norway Spruce that was lit to commemorate the holiday season Sunday is dedicated to his mother Virginia, who passed away in 2009.

“She was a strong woman,” he said. “This tree has too grown strong, tall and resolute.”

He called it a symbol of hope.

“Another symbol of hope and joy is Santa,” he said, adding that the man in red was on his way.

To the delight of attendees, Santa, who had just spent a few hours speaking to local children via Zoom in a virtual event organized by WMHO, stopped by to help light the Stony Brook Village Center tree.

During the Zoom call with Santa, children were able to request holiday presents. A mailbox has also been set up in front of the Stony Brook Post Office to send him letters this season.

In past years, hundreds of residents would line up by the post office to have their children take photos with Santa as part of WMHO’s Holiday Festival, which the pandemic made impossible this year.

The past two years the festival also featured the Legends and Spies Puppets Procession led by a New Orleans-style brass band. The puppets paid homage to former notable Three Village residents such as Ward Melville and his wife, Dorothy.

This year WMHO continues its Holiday Tree Competition. Throughout the shopping center visitors will find decorated trees.

Ballots can be obtained from businesses throughout Stony Brook village, and shoppers can vote for their favorite tree until Dec. 21.

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