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Eye on the Street: Father’sDay

American DreamMay 26, 2024

Honoring heroes: past, presentand future

CentereachMay 9, 2024

Eye on the Street: Mother’sDay

CommunityApril 21, 2024

Perspective: Passover — Freedomto, not from, responsibility

CommunityDecember 24, 2023

Dawnwood Middle School’sNational Junior Honor Societyspreads holiday cheer

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The holiday season prevailsDown Port

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Rain or shine, Holtsville’sannual Christmas Tree Lightingspreads joy

CommunityDecember 8, 2023

Flames can’t halt Tesla ScienceCenter’s annual Holiday Lighting

Traffic advisory issued for Sunken Meadow State Park on July 4

by Press Release - July 1, 2025

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{pht}Sunken Meadow{pht}1701965467228 — Photo courtesy New York State Parks Department

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) is advising motorists
to be prepared for heavy traffic on Friday, July 4, between the hours of 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. near
Governor Alfred E. Smith/Sunken Meadow State Park in Suffolk County.

Motor vehicle traffic on the following state parkways and state and local roadways in close proximity to the site may be affected, including:

• Northern State Parkway
• Sagtikos Parkway
• Southern State Parkway
• Sunken Meadow Parkway

Attendance at Sunken Meadow State Park for past Fourth of July holidays have caused morning and afternoon gridlock and serious traffic disruptions on the aforementioned roadways and tributaries. If possible, avoid Sunken Meadow and Sagtikos Parkways. Possible closings may occur at these locations due to heavy traffic.

Drivers wishing to avoid delays and possible road closures should avoid the Sunken Meadow
Parkway interchanges from mid-morning through late afternoon. Sunken Meadow State Park often fills to capacity. Park visitors may want to consider Heckscher State Park in East Islip as an alternative.

Fourth of July safety tips for your pets

by Press Release - July 1, 2025

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0-13 — Photo courtesy of America's VetDogs

As Independence Day celebrations begin by breaking out the grills, lawn chairs and festive food, America’s VetDogs of Smithtown wants to remind pet owners that fireworks can be scary to your four legged friends and can send them into a panic. With a little planning and the below tips, you can ensure your pets can enjoy the holiday, just as much as you do.

Create a safe place for your pet indoors by finding a room or area they are tucked away from loud booms of fireworks, preferably without windows can be helpful. Playing soft music or putting on the TV can help muffle the sounds of fireworks. Draw any blinds or shades to reduce the amount of bright flashes into the room. Remove any items in the room that your pet could chew or ingest, as animals can become destructive when frightened or stressed.
Exercise your pet earlier in the day before any planned celebrations. By getting the energy out, they’ll have less to exert if they become anxious during fireworks.
Feed your pet their meal an hour or two prior to the firework celebration. This could help them feel relaxed before celebrations begin.
Provide appropriate and pet safe distractions by cuddling or playing with them during fireworks. Stuffing a Nylabone or KONG with peanut butter, kibble or pumpkin and freezing it can help divert their attention and focus on licking the toy over the celebrations in the background.
Make sure your pet has proper ID. To prevent your pet from going missing, make sure your pet always wears an ID tag with your up-to-date contact information.
As a reminder, fireworks can be stressful on veterans suffering from PTSD in your area. Please be considerate of your neighbors by not setting them off late at night or close to their homes.

For more pet care tips, visit vetdogs.org

Eye on the Street: Father’s Day memories

by TBR Staff - June 19, 2025

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By Luciana Hayes

This Father’s Day locals reflect on the special moments they shared with their fathers throughout their lives.

TBR News Media asked community members, “What is your favorite memory with your father?”

Andrew Handel

Andrew recalls one on one breakfast with his dad before school. He referred to it as a “kind of special treat” that he cherishes to this day.

Katie Heuzey, Huntington

Katie’s favorite memory with her father was going out to her favorite restaurant, Pancho Villas in Huntington. She remembers her usual order, a burrito with melted cheese, like it was yesterday.

Jeremy Flint, East Setauket

Jeremy shares that his best memory with his father was when he and his brother helped their dad build a shed and clubhouse in their backyard. But the best part was when they got to sign their names next to their hand prints in the cement. Jeremy reflects by saying, “It stuck with me from the time I was a little kid.”

Mary Mantia, Holbrook

Mary remembers the hugs she shared with her father more than anything else. She describes the memories by noting, “He wasn’t a lovable man, but every once in a while we would listen to some music and he would give me a hug and it was just really nice.”

Josette Bianchi, East Setauket

Josette’s fondest memories with her father were Saturday morning hikes at Webster Park in Webster, New York. She recalls there being a tree that fell across a creek and she would treat the tree like a balance beam as she embraced her inner gymnast. She later mentioned, “My dad always encouraged me to try new things and to take chances and not just with that, but in life in general.”

Sevilla Lebowitz, East Setauket

Sevilla’s favorite memories with her father are the weekend beach trips. She recalls learning to fish, swimming, and a lot of unforgettable memories in the sand.

Fun ways to celebrate Father’s Day on the North Shore

by Heidi Sutton - June 12, 2025

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By Heidi Sutton

It’s easy for families to fall into a routine when it comes to celebrating Father’s Day. Certainly dinner, cards and gift-giving is traditional, but there are additional ways to provide Dad with the day he deserves. Here are some fun ways to spend the holiday on Long Island. See more calendar events on page B22.

Father’s Day at the LIM

Take Dad on a historic adventure exploring the Long Island Museum, 1200 Route 25A, Stony Brook on Sunday, June 15 from noon to 5 p.m. Visit their latest exhibition, The Triumph of Nature: Art Nouveau from the Chrysler Museum of Art, the state of the art Carriage Museum, and enjoy the beautiful grounds dotted with art installations, gardens and historic buildings. Free admission for fathers and grandfathers all day! 631-751-0066

Open Weekend at Benner’s Farm

Benner’s Farm, 56 Gnarled Hollow Road, East Setauket celebrates Father’s Day weekend on Saturday, June 14 and Sunday, June 15 from noon to 4 p.m. See sheep, goats, and chickens, ride the Big Swing and see the new babies born this spring. Live music on Saturday. Admission is $12 adults, $10 seniors and children. 631-689-8172

Father’s Day at the TVHS

Dads get free admission to the Three Village Historical Society, 93 North Country Road, Setauket on Sunday, June 15 from noon to 4 p.m. Visit the SPIES! exhibit with hands-on activities including writing with invisible ink and decoding spy letters, explore the new history art gallery, and check out the beautiful new gardens by ReWild Long Island on the grounds. 631-751-3730

Father’s Day at the Whaling Museum

Treat Dad to a special day at the Whaling Museum, 301 Main St., Cold Spring Harbor with free admission with a paid ticket on Saturday, June 14 and Sunday, June 15 from 11a.m. to 4 p.m. Plus, kids can enjoy a weekend of self-serve Father’s Day crafts — a perfect heartfelt gift! 631-367-3418

Father’s Day at The Hatchery

Celebrate Father’s Day, Sunday, June 15, at the Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery & Aquarium, 1660 Route 25A, Cold Spring Harbor from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. featuring the largest living collection of New York State freshwater reptiles, fishes and amphibians. Free admission for Dads when accompanied by their children. 516-692-6768

Father’s Day Festival

Harbes Family Farm, 715 Sound Ave., Mattituck will hold their annual Father’s Day Festival on Saturday, June 14 and Sunday, June 15. Dads get half-price admission to the Barnyard Adventure, an eight-acre family friendly experience which includes a musical hayride, Sports Zone, farm animals, play areas, live music and more. 631-482-7641

Mattituck Strawberry Festival

Dads get free entry with a paid child admission at the 70th annual Mattituck Lions Club Strawberry Festival, 1105 North Road, Mattituck on Sunday, June 15 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Highlights include strawberry shortcake, strawberries dipped in chocolate, live music, over 100 arts and craft vendors, carnival rides, food and fireworks (weather permitting). www.mattituckstrawberryfestival.com

Long Island Fun Fest at SCCC

Suffolk County Community College, 478 Wicks Road, Brentwood hosts the Long Island Fun Fest on Saturday, June 14 and Sunday, June 15 from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. featuring rides, games, carnival food, dinosaur experience, circus, BMX stunt show, and petting zoo. $5 admission includes shows, extra fee for rides. www.longislandfunfest.com

Why we celebrate Father’s Day on the third Sunday in June

by Heidi Sutton - June 12, 2025

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Each year, the third Sunday in June is a time to pay homage to fathers and the millions of other men who have stepped into the role of father. While it may seem as though Father’s Day has been around forever, it didn’t become a nationally recognized holiday in the United States until 1972.

One account says Grace Golden Clayton came up with the idea in 1908 in Fairmont, West Virginia. Clayton was inspired to celebrate fathers after 362 men died in an explosion at the Fairmont Coal Company mines in Monongah in the previous December, described as the worst mining disaster in America, but it was a one-time commemoration and not an annual holiday.

The next year, a Spokane, Washington woman named Sonora Smart Dodd tried to establish an official equivalent to Mother’s Day for male parents. In 1909, while attending a Mother’s Day sermon in church, she felt fathers were equally deserving of praise.

To honor her own father, William Smart, a Civil War veteran and widower who raised six children alone, initially petitioned for the holiday to fall on his birthday, June 5. However, the Spokane Ministerial Alliance chose the third Sunday to give ministers more time to prepare their sermons. Washington State celebrated the nation’s first statewide Father’s Day on June 19, 1910.

Slowly, the holiday began to spread. In 1916, President Wilson honored the day by using telegraph signals to unfurl a flag in Spokane when he pressed a button in Washington, D.C. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge urged state governments to observe Father’s Day.

By the 1930s, advertisers and retailers began promoting Father’s Day as a commercial holiday, encouraging people to buy gifts and cards. The National Council for the Promotion of Father’s Day helped push the holiday into wider public acceptance through marketing campaigns.

The breakthrough came when President Lyndon B. Johnson issued America’s first presidential Father’s Day proclamation in 1966, acknowledging that the third Sunday in June had for many years been observed as Father’s Day.

“In the homes of our Nation, we look to the fathers to provide the strength and stability which characterize the successful family. If the father’s responsibilities are many, his rewards are also great—the love, appreciation, and respect of children and spouse,” he said at the signing.

In 1972, when Sonora Smart Dodd was 92 years old, President Richard Nixon signed it into law as an official national observance.

Let’s Eat: Grill up a memorable Father’s Day feast this Sunday

by Heidi Sutton - June 12, 2025

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greek-cheeseburgers_1400x2000 — Greek Cheeseburger

By Heidi Sutton

While Father’s Day is for honoring dads, it’s also a great opportunity to honor the men who have been father figures to us — stepfathers, grandfathers, uncles, even friends who have played that role in our lives.

This year, take some extra time to tell those men how much they’ve meant to you. A card or letter, a phone call … or have them over for a special dinner. Grill up Greek Cheeseburgers or Curried Turkey Sliders to make them feel really special. Serve with fries or a pasta salad. And don’t forget dessert!

Greek Cheeseburgers

Recipe courtesy Marcia Stanley

YIELD: Makes 5 servings

INGREDIENTS:

Garlic Mint Sauce

3/4 cup cottage cheese, any type

1/2 cup (2 oz.) cheese, crumbled feta

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped red onion

1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint leaves

Sandwiches

1 cup cottage cheese, any type

2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano, or 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 pound lean ground beef

5 hamburger buns

1 1/4 cups baby Arugula

10 thin slices tomato

1/2 cup thinly sliced cucumber

DIRECTIONS:

In large bowl combine 1 cup cottage cheese, bread crumbs, oregano, salt and cayenne pepper. Add ground beef and mix well. Shape into five 1/2-inch-thick patties. Grill directly over medium heat for 10 to 13 minutes or until done (160°F), turning once.

Line bun bottoms with arugula. Top with burgers, tomato slices, cucumber slices, Garlic Mint Sauce and bun tops and serve.

Curried Turkey Sliders

Recipe courtesy of Culinary.net

YIELD: Makes 6 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound lean ground turkey

1/4 cup finely diced onion

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

12 mini burger or small dinner rolls split and toasted

Chutney:

2 green kiwifruit peeled, finely diced

1 tablespoon golden raisins

2 teaspoons sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

Combine kiwifruit, raisins, sugar and salt in small bowl and mix. Make chutney just prior to serving. Preheat grill to medium. Combine turkey, onions, cilantro, curry powder, salt and pepper in medium bowl. Shape into 12 2-inch mini burger patties. Grill patties for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, turning once, until cooked through. Place on buns; top with chutney before serving.

Port Jefferson remembers the fallen on Memorial Day

by TBR Staff - May 31, 2025

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By Greg Catalano

Port Jefferson celebrates Memorial Day on May 26 with a ceremony at Port Jefferson Memorial Park at 10 a.m.

Suffolk County Legislator Steve Englebright (D-Setauket), Village of Port Jefferson Mayor Lauren Sheprow, NYS Assemblywoman Rebecca Kassay (D-Port Jefferson) and Brookhaven Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook) spoke of the many sacrifices given by those who served their country.

Boy scouts laid wreaths at the memorial. Taps played to close out the ceremony, which was held by the American Legion Wilson Ritch Post 432.

–Photos by Greg Catalano

Setauket honors the fallen with Memorial Day Parade and service

by TBR Staff - May 31, 2025

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By Greg Catalano

Hosted by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2054, the Setauket Memorial parade on May 26 honored those who lost their lives fighting in our country’s armed services. Girl and boy scouts, the Setauket Fire Department and the Three Village Patriot Marching band were present.

After a ceremony at the Village Green, the procession started at the corner of Main Street and Route 25A and contended to Memorial park for the closing ceremony. Legislator Steve Englebright (D-Setaukey), Assemblywoman Rebecca Kassay (D-Port Jefferson) and Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook) were in attendance and placed wreathes in honor of those lost.

Chaplin Michael Russell led a prayer to the veterans, families, community members and politicians in attendance. Leon Schoemmell hosted the event and delivered a speech asking those present on the sunny day to reflect with gratitude on the sacrifices made by all our fallen men and women military heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice. He urged everyone to keep their memories alive.

— Photos by Greg Catalano

Father’s Day Painting Workshop

by Heidi Sutton - May 31, 2025

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Painting workshop — Image courtesy of The Atelier at Flowerfield

The Atelier at Flowerfield, 2 Flowerfield, Suite 6 & 9, St. James presents an in-studio Father’s Day workshop for children ages 6 to 12 on Saturday, June 14 from 10 a.m. to noon. Learn how to paint this awesome monster truck painting for Dad or that special Dad in your life with step-by-step instruction from Miss Linda.

$55 per child includes an 11″ by 14″ canvas and all art supplies.

To register, visit theatelieratflowerfield.org or click here. For more information, please call 631-250-9009.

Kings Park remembers our patriots with Memorial Day parade and ceremony

by TBR Staff - May 30, 2025

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By Michael Scro

Kings Park American Legion Post 944 hosted a Memorial Day parade and ceremony May 26 honoring all U.S. military members who have died serving their country. The patriotic parade of local veterans, police, fire department, Boys and Girls Scouts, Kings Park school district students and friends and families began at the corner of Church Street and Old Dock Road to Main Street and assembled at Veterans Plaza for an emotional and solemn ceremony.

Hosted by American Legion Post 944 Commander Hans Richter, the ceremony featured an opening prayer by Father Peter Dugandzic from St. Joseph’s Church in Kings Park; speeches by Vietnam War Veteran and Town of Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R), U.S. Marine Corps veteran and commander of VFW Post 5796 Eric Burnett, New York State Senator Mario Mattera (R, C, St. James), and a keynote speech by Pastor of CenterPoint Church and Coast Guard veteran Tom Walsh. Over 15 wreaths were laid around the plaza memorial site, and closing prayer by American Legion Post 944 Chaplin John Carman.

Richter read aloud tallies provided by the U.S. government of how many American soldiers have been killed in wars since the American Revolution, including the names of those from Kings Park. Walsh read aloud the world famous Gettysburg Address given by President Abraham Lincoln. Burnett and Mattera both spoke of the importance of Memorial Day for the community and younger generation, and Wehrheim spoke about Daniel Flynn, a close personal friend of his who was killed in the Vietnam War and has Daniel J. Flynn Memorial Park dedicated to his memory and service.

Among those in attendance for the parade and ceremony were past Suffolk County American Legion Commander Ken Dolan, Town of Islip Councilwoman Lisa Inzerillo, Smithtown Superintendent of Highways Robert Murphy, Smithtown Parks Department Director Joseph Arico, Kings Park Fire Department Chief Philip Carroll, Suffolk County Legislator Trotta and New York State Assemblyman Michael Fitzpatrick.

— All photos by Michael Scro/Media Origin

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Traffic advisory issued for Sunken Meadow State Park on July 4

Fourth of July safety tips for your pets

Eye on the Street: Father’s Day memories

Fun ways to celebrate Father’s Day on the North Shore

Why we celebrate Father’s Day on the third Sunday in June

Let’s Eat: Grill up a memorable Father’s Day feast this Sunday

Port Jefferson remembers the fallen on Memorial Day

Setauket honors the fallen with Memorial Day Parade and service

Father’s Day Painting Workshop

Kings Park remembers our patriots with Memorial Day parade and ceremony

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