Arts & Entertainment

The recently opened Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF) in Stony Brook hosted the Smithtown High School East Chamber Choir which performed festive holiday music on Sunday, Dec. 11 . The choir is audition-based and consists of students who have a passion for performing vocal music. The choir is led by music teacher, Mark Hegreness.

Since opening on November 25 of this year, LIMEHOF has hosted a variety of LIVE performances from local bands including Quarter Horse, Jack’s Waterfall American Roots, Richie Cannata and Mark Newman and Kerry Kearney. It also hosted a Conversation and Book signing event by Liberty Devitto and Joe Rock.

The first exhibit features replicas of clubs, with videos of artists performing, ads, posters, instruments, and an exact replica of a typical 1960’s stage, with vintage equipment and sound system. There is also a permanent “Hall of Fame” with plaques and exhibits recognizing over 120 inductees, as well as areas for a library, classrooms for educational programs and master classes, a surround -sound theater and a gift shop with music and entertainment themed memorabilia.

There are a wide range of compelling visual elements and rare artifacts on display throughout the building. Inducted artists who have donated their memorabilia include Billy Joel, Joan Jett, Debbie Gibson, Blue Öyster Cult, Twisted Sister, and families and estates of Harry Chapin, Guy Lombardo, John Coltrane, and so many more. Donations include various musical instruments, performance outfits, vintage automobiles and motorcycles, rare posters and photos, handwritten lyrics, and much more.

Located at 97 Main Street in Stony Brook Village, the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame is open Wednesdays-Sundays from 12 noon through 5pm. Admission prices are: Adult $19.50, Seniors (65+) and Veterans $17.00, Students (w/ID) $15.00. Children under 12 are free. Tickets can be purchased online at the LIMEHOF.org website and at the door.

 

Approximately 200 members of the Suffolk County “HOG” (Harley Owners Group) made the 40 mile ride from Oakdale to New Hyde Park on their 4th Annual Holiday Motorcycle Ride to bring toys and cheer to families staying at the Ronald McDonald House on Dec. 12.

The ride delivered dozens of toys that were given out by Santa Claus and raised more than $6,000 for the construction of a new Ronald McDonald House to be located in Suffolk County to serve families there.

The event is the biggest of the year for the Suffolk County HOG group.

“These kids in the hospital are very sick and their families are under a lot of stress,” said Nicholas Nigro, Organizer of the Annual HOG ride. “They should be able to celebrate for a day. If it brings a smile to their face for one day, that’s all we want to do.”

The event started with a gathering of the riders at the Suffolk County Harley Davidson, located at 4020 Sunrise Hwy, Oakdale. Members packed the toys on a three-wheeled motorcycle “sleigh” and in a group of Jeeps and the convoy of riders departed at approximately 11 a.m.

The group traveled along Sunrise Highway and Ocean Parkway, with a scenic view of the beach, before turning north toward the Ronald McDonald House, located at 267-07 76th Ave, Queens, arriving at approximately noon.

Riders disembarked and distributed toys to the families staying at the Ronald McDonald House.

“Events like today put smiles on the faces of the families that stay here and it’s just so special,” said Matt Campo, CEO of RMHC NYM. “We will collect enough toys in the last 30 days of the year to last us all of next year. Every time a child comes back to their room there’s something waiting for them.”

From left, Patricia Wright with Pamela Reed Sanchez, President and CEO of the Seneca Park Zoo Society with the Warrior Award, a depiction of a tree growing out of rock, designed and created by artists at the Corning Museum of Glass. Photo courtesy of Amanda Lindley

By Daniel Dunaief

For only a short period of time, Patricia Wright was just a primatologist who studies the charming lemurs of Madagascar.

Now the Herrnstein Professor of Conservation Biology and Distinguished Service Professor at Stony Brook University, Wright first trekked to the island nation off the southwest coast of the African continent in 1986 to understand and study these unique primates.

Within a year, she realized she wouldn’t have much to observe and understand in a perilously short time if she didn’t also work to protect them, their habitat, and many other threatened and endangered animals and plants.

With the help of the government of Madagascar, Wright created a protected area known as Ranomafana National Park, which includes 41,500 hectares of space, keeping loggers, poachers and others from threatening to eradicate animals and plants that are unique to the country.

Between the original effort to create the national park and today, Wright has collected numerous honors and distinctions. She has won three Medals of Honor from the Malagasy government and become the first female recipient of the coveted Indianapolis Zoo Prize in 2014.

Recently, the Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, New York named Wright its inaugural “Conservation Warrior,” providing her with a $20,000 prize in recognition for conservation work that has had a lasting, meaningful impact on species survival.

Patricia Wright with her Warrior Award from the Seneca Park Zoo.

“Dr. Wright’s early years were spent in Rochester, New York and it is fitting that the inaugural Conservation Warrior award be bestowed upon arguably the most influential conservationist to come out of the Finger Lakes region,” Pamela Reed Sanchez, President and CEO of the Seneca Park Zoo Society, explained in an email.

The newly anointed conservation warrior recently traveled to Montreal as a member of the Madagascar delegation at the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, or COP-15.

While she’s in Montreal, she plans to meet with conservation donors in an all-out effort to save wildlife on Madagascar, where almost all the reptiles and amphibians, half of its birds and all of its lemurs are only found on the island nation.

Wright hopes to raise $250 million for the country and $50 million for Centre ValBio (CVB), the research station she created in Ranomafana in 2003 and that employs 80 Malagasy staff. CVB has developed a conservation network around CVB that includes work with 75 villages.

Drew Fellman, who directed and wrote the Island of Lemurs documentary, encouraged donors to support Wright’s efforts. Wright and CVB are at the “front line of defense and anyone who cares [about] wildlife and endangered species should lend them a hand,” Fellman wrote in an email. He described how some species of lemurs are down to fewer than 10 individuals and “without conservation, there will be nothing left to research.”

In areas where conservation isn’t a priority, the region has lost habitat and biodiversity. In the northern areas of Madagascar, loggers and timber exporters reduced rainforest areas to grasslands, she said.

In the bigger picture, Wright said Madagascar needs funding immediately as the country is “closer to the brink of extinction with so many more species.” Saving plants and animals in Madagascar extends beyond committing to the protection and stewardship of vulnerable creatures. It also could provide benefits for people.

“So many lemur species are close relatives [to humans] and contain genetic information” about Alzheimer’s, diabetes and other conditions, she said. Additionally, creatures like bamboo lemurs regularly eat large quantities of cyanide, which would kill humans. Understanding how they can tolerate such high quantities of cyanide could provide an antidote.

The forests in the national park, which might otherwise attract loggers, prevent erosion, silting and landslides, she explained.

The benefit of a research stations like CVB extend beyond gathering information and conducting experiments.

In a recent correspondence in Nature Communications, lead author Timothy Eppley, a postdoctoral fellow at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance along with three other scientists including Wright, argues that field research stations “are on the front line of biodiversity conservation, acting as no-take zones that rewild surrounding ecosystems.”

In the correspondence, Eppley and his colleagues said that these stations are “invisible” in global environmental policy, despite their importance in conservation.

“Our point in the paper is that this has not been given any conservation attention,” said Wright. “Nobody is funding us for doing conservation” even though these sites are “conservation engines. We should be given recognition and more conservation money.”

Eppley, who leads SDZWA’s lemur conservation program, added that the Nature correspondence didn’t include any of the data the group collected.

While Eppley cautioned in an email sent from Madagascar that it’s difficult to generalize about conservation efforts at field stations, he said many have some conservation initiatives or projects, or that some element of their research includes a strong conservation component.

“Without the conservation piece, all other research will eventually disappear: we need the ecosystem and animals to exist in the first place,” he explained.

Eppley suggested that scientists often approach conservation initiatives that they can test on a small scale and then, if they are effective, find the best way of scaling up those initiatives for entire protected areas, landscapes, countries or broader geographic regions.

As for the honor Wright received from the Seneca Park Zoo, Eppley believes such recognition dovetails with their recent correspondence piece in Nature Communications.

Wright “founded CVB and has been tirelessly building it into a globally recognized field research station,” he wrote.

Bringing international recognition to the work being done at CVB “highlights the overall importance of field research stations and why they need to be included in global environmental policy frameworks,” Eppley added.

Carolann Maroney

King Kullen Grocery Co., Inc. has hired Carolann Maroney of Sound Beach as Director of Human Resources. Maroney, a human resources veteran with decades of experience, is proficient in union and non-unionized environments. The announcement was made by King Kullen Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer and Secretary Bernard P. Kennedy.

“We are very pleased to welcome Carolann and look forward to her many contributions to our human resources department and workforce,” said Kennedy. “Carolann is a seasoned professional with a diverse background that includes employee relations, talent acquisition and management, benefits and compensation, strategic planning, safety programs, and leave management. I know everyone at King Kullen joins me in welcoming her and looks forward to meeting Carolann as she visits our stores to engage with our team and associates.”

Maroney comes to King Kullen from Clare Rose Beverage where she served as Human Resources Director. 

Photo by Heidi Sutton

Restauranter Terry Scarlatos has teamed up with Chef Scott Andriani to open Revival by Toast in Port Jefferson Village. Located in the former Toast Coffeehouse at 242 East Main Street, the new upscale restaurant will offer farm forward cuisine.

“Inspired by the season and artisan’s best, our progressive small plate and tasting menu style will be an ever evolving culinary adventure … in an elegant, relaxed and natural atmosphere. Our goal is to introduce you to new flavors, foods and experiences. Together we hope to reawaken Long Island cuisine,” said Scarlatos and Andriani in a press release.

Operating hours are 5 to 10 p.m. Thursday to Saturday. For more information, call 631-480-8700.

Randolph G. Howard

Randolph G. Howard, Jr., MHA, FACHE, has been named Chief Operating Officer at Catholic Health’s St. Catherine of Siena Hospital (SCSH). A retired army officer, Mr. Howard has 20 years of experience in healthcare administration.

In his new role, Mr. Howard will oversee SCSH’s daily hospital operational and administrative functions; design and implement business strategies; set comprehensive goals for performance and growth across all clinical services lines; and continue to ensure patient safety and patient satisfaction. 

“We are very fortunate to have Mr. Howard part of St. Catherine’s senior leadership team,” said SCSH President James O’Connor. “With extensive experience in hospital operations, system integration and facilities management, Mr. Howard has proven his steadfast leadership, strategic capital planning and keen decision-making skills in addressing various operational issues. As St. Catherine’s COO, Mr. Howard will further enhance our hospital’s mission in providing the highest quality of care to our patients.”

Prior to joining Catholic Health, the Centerport resident served as Northwell Health’s Senior Vice President, Corporate Facilities Services where he oversaw property management for 18 million square feet for all Northwell-affiliated hospitals, as well as over 800 non-hospital properties. 

Walking improves bone health and brain volume

By David Dunaief, M.D.

Dr. David Dunaief

What does it take to get Americans off the sofa? We know that exercise is good for our long-term physical and mental health, but it’s still elusive for the majority of us. It’s just too tempting to let the next episode of our new favorite series autoplay or to answer those last 12 emails.

As kids, many of us tried to get out of gym class, and as adults, we “want” to exercise, but we “don’t have time.” I once heard that the couch is as bad as the worst deep-fried food. It perpetuates inactivity. Even sleeping burns more calories than sitting watching TV, for example.

I think part of the problem might be that we don’t know what type of exercise is best and how long and frequently to do it. 

I have good news. There is an easy way to get tremendous benefit with very little time involved. You don’t need expensive equipment, and you don’t have to join a gym. You can sharpen your wits with your feet.

Jane Brody has written in The New York Times’ Science Times about Esther Tuttle. Esther was 99 years old, sharp as a tack and was independently mobile, with no aids needed. She continued to stay active by walking in the morning for 30 minutes and then walking again in the afternoon. The skeptic might say that this is a nice story, but its value is anecdotal at best. 

Well, evidence-based medicine backs up her claim that walking is a rudimentary and simple way to get exercise that shows incredible benefits. One mile of walking a day will help keep the doctor away. 

Walking has a powerful effect on preserving brain function and even growing certain areas of the brain (1). Walking between six and nine miles a week, or just one mile a day, reduced the risk of cognitive impairment over 13 years and actually increased the amount of gray matter tissue in the brain over nine years.

Participants who had an increase in brain tissue volume also had a substantially reduced risk of developing cognitive impairment. Interestingly, the parts of the brain that grew included the hippocampus, involved with memory, and the frontal cortex, involved with short-term memory and executive decision making. There were 299 participants who had a mean age of 78 and were dementia free at the start of the trial. Imagine if you started earlier?

In yet another study, moderate exercise reduced the risk of mild cognitive impairment with exercise begun in mid-to-late life (2).

Even better news is that, if you’re pressed for time or if you’re building up your stamina, you can split a mile into two half-mile increments. How long does it take you to walk a half-mile? You’ll be surprised at how much better you will feel — and how much sharper your thinking is.

This is a terrific strategy to get you off the couch or away from your computer. Set an alarm for specific points throughout the day and use that as a prompt to get up and walk, even if it’s only for 15 minutes. The miles will add up quickly. In addition to the mental acuity benefits, this may also help with your psychological health, giving you a mental break from endless Zoom calls and your eyes a break from endless screens.

If you ratchet up the exercise to running, a study showed that mood also improves, mollifying anger (3). The act of running actually increases your serotonin levels, a hormone that, when low, can make people agitated or angry. So, exercise may actually help you get your aggressions out.

Walking has other benefits as well. We’ve all heard about the importance of doing weight-bearing exercise to prevent osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures. Sadly, if you don’t use them, bones weaken and break. Walking is a weight-bearing exercise that helps strengthen your joints, bones and muscles. 

So, remember, use your feet to keep your mind sharp and yourself even-tempered. Activities like walking will help you keep a positive attitude, preserve your bones and help increase the plasticity of your brain.

References: 

(1) Neurology Oct 2010, 75 (16) 1415-1422. (2) Arch Neurol. 2010;67(1):80-86. (3) J Sport Exerc Psychol. 2010 Apr;32(2):253-261.

Dr. David Dunaief is a speaker, author and local lifestyle medicine physician focusing on the integration of medicine, nutrition, fitness and stress management. For further information, visit www.medicalcompassmd.com.

Children hold up menorahs they made at the Chanukah on Main Street event Dec. 3. Photo by Seth Berman

Happy Hanukkah! Celebrate the Festival of Lights at the following events:

File photo by Peter DiLauro

Commack

Multiple synagogues in the area and the Suffolk Y JCC will sponsor a community menorah lighting event at the Commack Corner Shopping Center parking lot, southeast corner of Jericho Turnpike and Commack Road, in Commack on Monday, Dec. 19 at 7 p.m. There will be entertainment, live music, dreidels, chocolate gelt,  latkes and giveaways. 631-462-9800

Dix Hills

The Chai Center, 501 Vanderbilt Parkway, Dix Hills will hold its annual outdoor grand menorah lighting ceremony on Sunday, Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. Enjoy latkes, donuts, dreidels, chocolate gelt, music and more. RSVP by calling 631-351-8672.

Farmingville

Join the Town of Brookhaven for a menorah lighting at Town Hall, One Independence Hill, Farmingville on Tuesday, Dec. 20 at 6 p.m. followed by entertainment, hot latkes and donuts. 631-451-6100

Greenlawn

The Greenlawn Civic Association will host a Menorah lighting ceremony and Hanukkah celebration at Harborfields Public Library, 31 Broadway, Greenlawn on Dec. 20 at 6 p.m. www.greenlawncivic.org

Huntington 

Grand Menorah Lighting by Chabad of Huntington Village will host a Grand Menorah Lighting at the Huntington Village Winter Wonderland at Main Street and Wall Street on Monday, Dec. 19 at 5 p.m. with juggling and fire entertainment. 

Kings Park

The Kings Park Chamber of Commerce will host a menorah lighting at Veterans Plaza, 1 Church St., Kings Park on Sunday, Dec. 18 at 11 a.m. Enjoy holiday music selections followed by Rabbi Abe as he retells the story of the meaning of Hanukkah. Gelt and dreidels for the kids. www.kingsparkli.com

Lake Ronkonkoma

Take part in a menorah lighting at Raynor Park, 174 Ronkonkoma Ave., Lake Ronkonkoma at Sunday, Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. Hosted by the Ronkonkoma Chamber of Commerce. 631-963-2796

Port Jefferson Station

The Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Chamber of Commerce will host its annual menorah lighting at the Chamber Train Car, corner of Route 112 and Nesconset Highway, on Sunday, Dec. 18 at 4 p.m. Rabbi Aaron Benson of North Shore Jewish Center will perform the blessings/prayer for the first night of Hanukkah. 631-821-1313.

St. James

The community is invited to the St. James menorah lighting ceremony at The Triangle, Route 25A and Lake Ave., St. James on Dec. 18 at 5:30 p.m. 631-584-8510

Setauket

Village Chabad, 360 Nicolls Road, East Setauket will host a Grand Menorah Lighting and Chocolate Gelt Drop on Sunday, Dec. 18 at 4 p.m. with latkes, donuts, music, a fire juggling show and more. $5 per person in advance at MyVillageChabad.com/NightOne, $10 at the door. 631-585-0521

Smithtown

The Town of Smithtown will hold its annual Menorah Lighting Ceremony at Town Hall, 99 West Main St., Smithtown on Tuesday, Dec. 20 at 5:30 p.m. with music, latkes, donuts and a special gelt drop. 631-360-7512

Provolone cheese. Pixabay photo

By Bob Lipinski

Bob Lipinski

Provolone cheese has been enjoyed for decades by not only Italian-Americans, but the vast majority of the population. Regardless of whether it is imported from Italy (mainly from the south) or made domestically (mostly in Wisconsin), Provolone is enjoyed by itself or in a multitude of food recipes. 

Auricchio is the best-known brand of Provolone on both sides of the Atlantic. Gennaro Auricchio founded the Auricchio Cheese Company in San Giuseppe Vesuviano, near Naples, Italy, in 1877. In 1979, Gennaro’s great-grandson, Errico Auricchio, moved his family to the United States, and they settled in Wisconsin for the abundance of top-quality milk.

Provolone is classified in Italy as a pasta filata (plastic curd) cheese, which translates as “spun paste.” The curd is heated in hot whey, then kneaded or spun in long threads (similar to string cheese) until it is transformed into a soft and pliable ball suitable for shaping that can be hard or soft. Other examples are caciocavallo, mozzarella, and burrata.

Provolone, a cow’s milk cheese (once made from water buffalo milk), is light golden yellow in color, with a waxed exterior and creamy ivory interior. It is made in various shapes and sizes, including rectangular, ball, oval, round, wheels, and a giant salami (known as gigante). Depending on the age of the cheese, it is smooth to hard in texture with a mild to quite tangy and even sharp flavor. 

Provolone is good for grating when hard. It is available in three styles — dolce (sweet) with a sweet and delicate flavor, which is aged for two to three months; piccante (piquant), sharp and slightly salty, which is aged longer; and affumicato, which is smoked for one week, then aged for two months.

Provolone cheese. Pixabay photo

Provolone cheese is made in several of Italy’s regions. Some examples are:

Provolone del Monaco: A semi-hard, provolone cheese made in Campania, has a russet exterior and hazelnut color interior. It is cylinder-shaped with a pleasing, sweet, buttery flavor and a light, pleasant taste.

Provolone Lombardo: A provolone cheese made in the provinces of Brescia and Cremona in Lombardy.

Provolone Valpadana: A provolone aged several months, which is made in the regions of Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy, Trentino-Aldo Adige, and Veneto. It has a firm texture and mild aroma, which sharpens with age.

Provolone pairs well with many red and white wines, including reds: Dolcetto, Merlot, Primitivo, Valpolicella, Zinfandel; and whites: Orvieto, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Soave. It is also wonderful paired with a dry sherry wine.

Bob Lipinski is the author of 10 books, including “101: Everything You Need To Know About Whiskey” and “Italian Wine & Cheese Made Simple” (available on Amazon.com). He consults and conducts training seminars on Wine, Spirits, and Food and is available for speaking engagements. He can be reached at www.boblipinski.com OR [email protected].

From left, principal dancers Maya Butkevich as Sugar Plum and Madeleine Martufi as Clara in a scene from the show.

The Seiskaya Ballet’s The Nutcracker, a perennial holiday favorite on Long Island, returns to Stony Brook University’s Staller Center for the Arts Main Stage, 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook for a five-performance run from Dec. 17 to 19. This classical ballet rendition has earned praise from critics and audiences alike. 

 Hailed as Long Island’s most lavish “Nutcracker,” the Seiskaya Ballet production of the classic holiday ballet is truly an international collaboration beginning with Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s most famous score. Sets and several costumes were designed by Poland’s Margaret Piotrowska whose highly respected work in Polish television and stage productions has garnered wide praise. 

Directed by founder Joseph Forbes, scenery was executed by Scenic Art Studios which has been credited with painting over 300 Broadway shows. The imaginative and unusual sculptures utilized in the Seiskaya Ballet’s production were the brainchild of creative artist Matt Targon. Choreographed by celebrated Russian-born Valia Seiskaya, this acclaimed production is imbued with bravura dancing, energy and endearing charisma.

The cast will be led by leading dancer of Orlando’s United Ballet Theatre and Butler University graduate standout, guest artist, Max Lippman (Cavalier) and Seiskaya Ballet’s award winning principal dancers Maya Butkevich, Vivian Ye and Madeleine Martufi plus returning principal dancers Brianna Jimenez, Diana Atoian and Eva Pyrros.

Performances will be held on Saturday, Dec. 17 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. Dec. 18 at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. and Monday, Dec. 19 at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $40 for adults, $34 children and seniors. To order, call 631-632-ARTS (2787) or visit www.nutcrackerballet.com.