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Town of Smithtown

The Town of Smithtown Horizons Counseling and Education Center will mark International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Recovery Month by holding a Narcan training event for the community. On Thursday, August 31 from noon to 1 p.m.  there will be a free Narcan training seminar in the Community Room of Horizons Counseling and Education Center, located at 161 E. Main Street in Smithtown.

“Our communities are living in a time that fatal and non-fatal overdose has affected each individual directly or in-directly. Everyone knows someone who has overdosed either personally or through a friend, family member, co-worker or acquaintance. With Fentanyl infecting our communities; awareness, prevention, treatment, policy and stigma relevant to loss of life involving the drug, are all examples of the importance of International Overdose Awareness Day and what the campaign targets throughout the world. At Horizons, we understand the effect overdose has on the person and their loved ones. Narcan is a lifesaving drug that can reverse opioid overdose and training like the one we are offering is valuable to the public in recognizing the signs and symptoms of and responding to overdose. Narcan administration is a simple method of emergency response that carries an immense lifesaving result,” said  Joe Bieniewicz, Director of Drug and Alcohol Counseling Services’

On International Overdose Awareness Day, people and communities come together to raise awareness of one of the world’s most urgent public health crises – one that, unfortunately, is only getting worse. Having an outpatient drug and alcohol agency right in the township is an asset for the community. Additionally, learning the signs of an overdose can help save a life. The IOAD 2023 theme of “Recognizing those people who go unseen” is about acknowledging people in our communities who are affected by overdose but might go unseen in the crisis.

Narcan kits will be provided for free. Horizons Counseling and Education Center resource tables will be set up around the training area, filled with information about recovery services, the outpatient program and substance misuse prevention education. All are welcome to attend to get trained and to hear about the drug and alcohol treatment and prevention services that Horizons provides.

Space is limited and on a first come first serve basis. Residents can reserve space by scanning the QR code on the flier, contacting Horizons Counseling and Education Center at (631) 360-7578, via email at [email protected], or by registering online at https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07ejw82n5fab29a8f3&oseq=&c=&ch=.

By Leah Chiappino 

[email protected]

Photo by Kelly DeVito

Horizons Counseling and Education Center, a nonprofit organization run through the Town of Smithtown that provides drug- and alcohol-related counseling and prevention services, is launching a new workshop series for LGBTQ+ youth. The curriculum comes from the nationwide Proud and Empowered program, which according to its website is an “intervention designed to help empower LGBTQ+ youth and improve school climate.”

Kelly DeVito, the Youth Services coordinator at Horizons, said the idea was born from a focus group through Smithtown’s Youth and Community Alliance in March 2022, with participants from Horizons along with​​ the Smithtown Youth Bureau. The consensus from the youth group was that the town was lacking a space for the LGBTQ+ community to gather for discussions.

The NYS Office of Addiction Services and Supports, one of Horizons funding agencies, provided the name of Proud and Empowered on a list of programs. DeVito saw it as a perfect fit to meet the needs of the local LGBTQ+ youth in the surrounding community.

“I had emailed the developers of Proud and Empowered, and they had sent it over to us and showed us how to work it and all that kind of stuff,” she said. “And so now we’re going to try and emulate it.”

The program is geared toward middle school and high school students. It consists primarily of open discussion, paired with small group activities and education, to help youth learn different coping skills and how to deal with social issues that may surround them.

Photo by Kelly DeVito

One of the goals of the program is to teach youth how to cope with stressors unique to the LGBTQ+ community, such as social marginalization, family rejection, internalized homonegativity, identity management, homonegative climates, intersectionality, negative disclosure experiences, negative expectancies and homonegative communication. These stressors, which can occur at school, home or within the youth’s community, are shown to increase the risk of behavioral health issues such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicide and substance abuse. The program aims to teach coping skills and avoidance strategies to help reduce these risks, the website said. 

“We just want it to be something that they can come to and feel safe, not stressed, and learn about these topics,” DeVito said. “There is open discussion, and then there’s some activity as well just to keep them moving along and there’s video clips and all that kind of stuff, but generally it’s for us, for them just to be able to talk to us.”

Some of the topics discussed are friendships, family, stress, health, spirituality, coping skills and social justice. Coming out, decision making and resilience are also mentioned.

“It’s all related to teens in general because these are all topics that any teen should have stronger skills on,” DeVito said. “But then it also focuses on their community as well.”

The program is designed to be held for 10 weeks and in approximately 45-minute sessions, but Horizons has chosen to conduct two sessions in one day, shortening the program to five weeks for an hour and a half, as it can be difficult for students to get transportation during the summer.

The Proud and Empowered curriculum was developed by “scholars, advocates, practitioners, methodologists and lifelong learners” at universities throughout the country, who are “dedicated to performing high quality research” relating to “behavioral health outcomes for LGBTQ+ youth.” The program also aims to gain an understanding of the stress LGBTQ+ youth face in schools and how to adequately address it from a research standpoint.

The program hasn’t had any teen sign-ups as at press time but Horizons would push the start date forward a week from July 17. Despite the negative turnout to date, DeVito still believes there is space and a need for the program in the community.

“Unfortunately we did not get any registrants,” she said. “We will extend the program though if we have some interested participants.”

The students at the focus group “said they did feel it was something that was lacking in this area, and that’s why we wanted to run it because we want to give them another alternative for people to go to,” DeVito said. “And this particular program has been shown to help young people with various different mental health struggles they may be having if they’re feeling depressed or anything like that. This program has been shown to help them.”

The sessions are free of charge and open to students 13 to 17. Up to 15 students can participate. To register, contact the center at 161 E. Main St., Smithtown, or call 631-360-7578. 

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Photo by Raymond Janis

What on the surface may have seemed a minor name change has struck a nerve with several longtime anti-bias advocates in the Town of Smithtown.

During a general meeting Tuesday afternoon, July 11, the Smithtown Town Board voted unanimously to rename the town’s Anti-Bias Task Force as Town of Smithtown Unity Council, a maneuver garnering the ire of task force members and prompting the resignation of at least one of its founding members.

Assistant town attorney Janice Hansen outlined the purpose of the proposed name change during a June 6 public hearing on the matter, stating that the Unity Council would expand upon the objectives of its predecessor organization.

“In addition to the name change, the codified purpose of the group would be expanded to also give the Unity Council the authority to plan and implement programs to promote intergroup harmony and foster respect and tolerance within the town, as well as to make recommendations to the Town Board to ensure that the rights of all Smithtown residents are protected and respected,” she said.

Despite this aspirational rationale, the name change drew considerable opposition from within ABTF ranks.

The Town Board created ABTF in 1994 as a nonpartisan agency “to identify and respond to all forms of discrimination through a program of education, conversation and support,” ABTF member Maria LaMalfa told the board during the June 6 public hearing.

LaMalfa, a resident of St. James, noted that the task force formed following an incident of “horrific graffiti-invoking bias” at Commack High School, maintaining that “this history should not be erased.”

Kings Park resident Richard Palker, a founding ABTF member, had told the board during the June 6 public hearing that bias lingers within the township.

“We do have a problem here in Smithtown,” he said. “The Smithtown Anti-Bias Task Force has as its mission proactive responses as well as educational programs to unify all the people of Smithtown,” adding, “Our program and efforts are directly related to educating and eliminating bias in Smithtown.”

Although he did not object to the proposed goals of the Unity Council, Palker suggested the change in terminology undermines the primary objectives of the task force.

“I believe that it obfuscates the main mission of eliminating bias, hate and intolerance,” he said.

In the face of resident objections, the board voted unanimously to approve the name change Tuesday afternoon. LaMalfa returned to the boardroom, conveying the sentiments of two ABTF members, Chaplain Sanaa Nadim and founding member Ben Piskorz. 

LaMalfa also announced Piskorz’s decision to resign due to the name change.

As the community approaches the 30th anniversary since the inception of ABTF, LaMalfa encouraged the board to celebrate the occasion.

“I would personally like to see the town honor the 30th anniversary of the Anti-Bias Task Force, regardless of the name, next year by hosting a community event,” she said.

The Town Board will reconvene Tuesday, Aug. 8, at 2 p.m. To learn more about ABTF, visit: www.smithtownny.gov/594/Anti-Bias-Task-Force.

Members of Smithtown’s Town Board listened to concerns regarding the Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement, Summer Nights event on Lake Avenue and the special exemption removal for assisted living facilities. Photo by Daniel Febrizio

At the May 2 Smithtown Town Board meeting, local residents came to speak, raising issues and concerns to the board members.

Comprehensive plan concerns

Local resident William Holst spoke, addressing his statement to a resolution passed on May 2 that read: “Town Board to accept as complete for purposes of SEQRA review the Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement prepared by the firm of H2M Architects & Engineers for the Town of Smithtown 2020 Comprehensive Plan, and to authorize the town clerk to advertise same with a public comment period to close at 5p.m. on Friday, June 23.”

“I do have questions as to whether or not people who aren’t comfortable making written comments are going to have an opportunity to speak regarding the Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement,” Holst said. “I hope you give the chance for the public to make comments not necessarily in written form.”

He added, “We’re in a very different place the last time there was a comprehensive review of planning the future of Smithtown.” Because of this, he intends to make written comments after he gets a chance to look through the environmental impact statement. 

He concluded by saying, “I hope that when you review the comprehensive plan that foremost in your mind is what is good for the majority of residential homeowners in the Town of Smithtown.”

Summer Nights worries

The next speaker was Meg Shutka, representing Eddie’s Power Equipment, located at 553 Lake Ave., St. James. She expressed concerns with the Summer Nights event which is held once every month on Wednesday evenings in June, July and August. The event closes down Lake Avenue.

Shutka said their business commonly stays open until 7 p.m. on these nights, and that the shutting down of Lake Avenue negatively affects operation of their business. “Closing the road hinders people being able to pick up or drop off their equipment after their own work hours,” she said.

According to her, in the prior year the Town Board attempted to help in moving the event to a new location, but resistance came from the Community Association of Greater St. James — the Summer Nights organizers. A compromise was to move the start time back to 6 p.m. This year it is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.

“All we are asking of the town is to require that the road closure occurs no earlier than 6 p.m. and that the event set up not occurs before 5 p.m.,” Shutka said. “I think that is more than reasonable.” 

Bull Run Farm confirmation

As the town meeting concluded, the subject was broached regarding the special exception removal for assisted living facilities in residential zoning areas. A resident wanted to know if it was official that there was no way that an assisted living facility could go up on the Bull Run Farm property located on Mills Pond Road.

Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R) confirmed that “the local law has been adopted — that use will not be permitted on residential development properties.”

Holst queried whether the developer had withdrawn the application but the town attorney, Matthew Jakubowski, confirmed the application is “no longer a permitted use.”

The next Town Board meeting will take place at 2 p.m. on Thursday, May 18, at Smithtown Town Hall.

Photo courtesy of Town of Smithtown

This spring, the Town of Smithtown Stream Team kicked off an annual stream cleaning of the Northeast Branch of the Nissequogue River. This project began on the morning of Tuesday, April 11, and continued through Friday, April 14. Multiple levels of government worked together to conduct a thorough and efficient cleanup of our town’s waterways for the second year in a row.

Crews started working on sections of the East Branch from Route 347 to Stump Pond in Blydenburgh Park by removing fallen branches and debris that had accumulated, slowed the flow and created stagnant water. Other regions focused on included near Harrison Pond in Kings Park and near Hunts Pond in Hauppauge. Many areas that were cleaned as part of the 2022 stream cleaning were checked and cleaned again as needed.

There are multiple environmental benefits to stream cleaning. Removing debris prevents standing water that attracts more mosquitoes to the area. Additionally, with reduced flow of the stream, water cannot flow away, so potential flooding by surface or groundwater can be reduced with cleaning.

Workers from the Town of Smithtown Parks Department, Town of Smithtown Municipal Services Facility, Suffolk County Vector Control, Suffolk County Parks, Village of the Branch, and Town of Smithtown Highway Department participated in this effort. The cleanup was organized by the Town of Smithtown Department of Environment and Waterways and Environmental Protection Director David Barnes.

About the Stream Team:

In search of proactive measures to address flooding, high water table issues and reducing pollution caused by stormwater runoff, the Highway Department teamed up with department experts in Environment and Waterways, Engineering and Parks to create a Stream Team. This group works together to study and inspect the small streams beneath us for blockages, sediment and invasive species. The team will create a database, mapping out areas where water struggles to flow through, and will create a plan to remove harmful debris, invasive species and other blockages, which prevent the natural filtration and movement of water. This is a game changer for our local ecosystem and water quality.

The Stream Team engages with various neighborhoods, residents and each other to clean and maintain areas where sediment buildup and poor water flow causes flooding issues for residents. The plan moving forward is to maintain these clean streams through proper management and partnership, giving local residents peace of mind during significant rain events.

This program is spearheaded by department leadership; Parks Director Joe Arico, Assistant Town Park Maintenance Director Tom Heester, Environmental Protection Director David Barnes, Town Engineer Mark Riley, Highway Superintendent Robert Murphy and Deputy Superintendent Jim Deutsch.

In addition to concerns over a proposal to build a house of worship and school on the grounds of Timothy House, village residents have had other issues with the monastery that owns the property, including a storage container that has been outside the historic house for months. Photo by Rita J. Egan

Many St. James residents as well as those in surrounding communities are breathing a sigh of relief after a recent update from the Town of Smithtown regarding a proposed assisted living facility. However, homeowners living near Route 25A in Head of the Harbor and St. James are growing concerned and impatient about a proposed church on the corridor.

Bull Run Farm

Town Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R) said in a statement that the Town Board would not move forward with a special exception for a proposed assisted living facility on the former Bull Run Farm parcel on Mills Pond Road.

“We as a board demanded community outreach by the applicant, prior to bringing this application to the board for a public hearing,” he said. “This is something we insist on when large development is proposed in an area that abuts up to residential zoning, and to provide total transparency to the community. In the end, there was insufficient support from the Town Board to proceed with a special exception.” 

Earlier this month residents crowded the second floor of the St. James Firehouse on North Country Road to air their concerns about the possible development of former farmland. An informational meeting was headed up by attorneys for Frank Amicizia. The Fort Salonga developer had proposed a two-story, 97-bed facility on 9.02 acres of property on Mills Pond Road that is zoned residential. The facility would have needed a special exception from the Town of Smithtown.

Residents’ concerns included the proximity to the Gyrodyne property on Route 25A which also faces potential development; 24-hour lighting on the property; increased traffic; and the building not fitting the community aesthetics. Others were concerned about a sewage treatment plant that is proposed for the property, ranging from how it would affect local waterways due to the disposal of pharmaceuticals in the facility to the noise it would make.

Judy Ogden, a Head of the Harbor trustee and spokesperson for the Saint James-Head of the Harbor Neighborhood Preservation Coalition, said, “This is exactly the kind of leadership that residents hope for in their elected officials.” The coalition along with the Facebook group Save Bull Run Farm headed up the opposition against the proposed development citing the plans were not in line with the town’s Draft Comprehensive Plan.

“The supervisor’s comments about the need to protect the bucolic nature of this portion of Mills Pond Road is especially encouraging,” Ogden said.

Timothy House

Less than 2 miles down the road, residents of Head of the Harbor and those surrounding the historic Timothy House on Route 25A were prepared to attend a public hearing Wednesday, March 15, to air their concerns about a proposed house of worship to be built on the property. The day before the meeting, Village of Head of the Harbor officials posted on its website that it was canceled.

According to an email from Head of the Harbor Mayor Douglas Dahlgard, the monastery monks originally submitted an application to the village’s Planning Board in 2021. The application, which included constructing a house of worship and school, was delayed when the monastery decided to change counsel and amend the plan.

Dahlgard said the amended plan will require a special use permit and will also involve a time-consuming process.

“Prior to last week’s scheduled trustees meeting, we decided to delay to give us more time to prepare to properly represent our village,” Dahlgard said.

The mayor added they will be checking with the monastery’s counsel to see what date works for him for a public meeting.

The Russian Orthodox Monastery of the Glorious Ascension, also known as the Monastery of Saint Dionysios the Areopagite, purchased Timothy House in 2018.

The amendments to the proposed 3,341-square-foot building include being situated farther from Route 25A than originally presented and moving planned parking spots from the front of the building to the back.

Head of the Harbor historian Leighton Coleman III said in an email that local residents have concerns about multiple issues regarding the proposed house of worship and school, including the parking lot for 35 cars being situated close to neighbors’ properties.

Among the residents’ concerns are also the impact the construction will have on the historic property, lighting from the parking lot and increased traffic on Route 25A. Many have had issues before the application, including a huge metal storage container on the property that has become an eyesore.

Timothy House, constructed in the 1800s, was once the home of former Head of the Harbor historian and architectural preservationist Barbara Van Liew, who died in 2005. The house was built by a descendant of Smithtown founder Richard Smith.

Map included with the petition submitted to the independent federal agency Surface Transportation Board by Townline Rail Terminal, LLC to construct and operate a line of railroad. Blue lines show proposed tracks.

Community members are voicing their opposition to a proposed rail yard in Kings Park.

A petition titled “We Oppose Townline Rail Terminal” started by Keegan Harris, has already received more than 1,600 signatures on Change.org to stop the proposed construction of a rail spur that would extend approximately 5,000 feet off the Long Island Rail Road Port Jefferson Branch line and be located near Pulaski and Town Line roads.

The petition was posted after The Smithtown News published several articles by managing editor David Ambro, with editorials during January. Townline Rail Terminal LLC, an affiliate of CarlsonCorp. with property on Meadow Glen Road in Kings Park, made a proposal to the Surface Transportation Board — an independent federal agency — that asks for the tracks to be used for commercial use. Among the uses would be the disposal of incinerated ash and construction debris using diesel freight trains. The incinerated ash would then be trucked between the rail terminal and the Covanta waste facility on Town Line Road in East Northport. The proposal from Townline also said “that the line would provide freight transportation to CarlsonCorp’s transloading facility and could serve other local shippers, including Covanta Energy, Kings Park Ready Mix Corp., Kings Park Materials and Pelkowski Precast.”

Currently, ash is transported to the Town of Brookhaven Yaphank landfill, which will close in 2024.

Petitioners feel that if the project is approved, it will negatively affect Kings Park, Fort Salonga, East Northport and Commack. Harris stated on the petition, “Our concern with this project is that this is to be built bordering a residential area of a neighborhood where children live and play.” Other concerns listed were health risks associated with diesel exhaust and incinerated ash; rail spurs being close to homes; diesel trains operating between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.; the impact on the quality of life; noise and possible water pollution; negative impact on home values; and the lack of notice provided to residents about the project.

Members of the Commack Community Association have also stated their concerns on their website and at a Jan. 19 CCA meeting.

Comments from the Town of Smithtown

The Town of Smithtown is currently preparing a FAQ for its website regarding the proposal to answer questions they have received from residents.

According to the town, while Townline Rail Terminal has submitted its petition to the federal agency STB, it will be “the first of many steps in a multi-year-long process.”

Once federal approval is received for the rail spur, proposed buildings and site work will be subject to town approval. “These include a change of zone, amendments to the town’s zoning ordinance, Special Exceptions to the TB and BZA, and site plan approval, and would be subject to a full SEQRA review, including Environmental Impact Statement.”

Smithtown’s draft FAQ states that Covanta “is permitted to process non-hazardous residential, commercial and industrial wastes. Air emissions are monitored to ensure they are below permitted levels (emissions data is available on Covanta’s website) and ash residue is tested per state environmental regulations to ensure it is a non-hazardous waste.”

While Townline in its petition to the STB and in preliminary discussions with town staff and officials “expressed an interest in importing commodities for the local industrial area that are currently trucked to the area” the company would need an amendment “to the town’s zoning ordinance, including the requisite public hearing and SEQRA requirements.”

According to the town, the company plans to run one train per day, five days a week: “Per Townline and its engineer, HDR Inc., the proposed yard has been designed to handle one inbound and one outbound freight train of up to 27 cars daily. The storage tracks have the capacity to store approximately three days of excess storage (up to 79 cars) in the event of rail service outage.”

In a letter to the STB dated Oct. 28, 2022, Town of Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R) wrote in support of the project.

“The town is supportive of Townline’s petition because there is mounting pressure on towns and villages due to the anticipated 2024 closing of the Town of Brookhaven’s Yaphank landfill facility,” he wrote. “Smithtown’s residential and commercial solid waste and residential construction debris (“C&D”) is currently disposed of at the Brookhaven landfill. Smithtown’s solid waste is converted to ash at the Covanta waste-to-energy facility which then delivers the ash to the Brookhaven landfill. Alternative means of disposal and carting of C&D and ash off of Long Island will be mandatory soon for municipal and non-municipal waste facilities.”

According to a STB Jan. 12 decision, the federal agency will address the issues presented in a subsequent decision. 

Tender Years Treasury event on Dec. 3, 2022. Photo from Town of Smithtown

On Saturday, December 3rd, the Town of Smithtown Recreation, Senior Citizens and Youth Bureau Departments hosted a packed house for the annual Tender Years Treasury. Well over 120 young residents independently shopped for holiday gifts at the Eugene Cannataro Senior Citizens Center. All of the gifts were priced at $5 or less, and handcrafted by approximately 35 Smithtown resident vendors, over the age of 60.

“I am so deeply grateful for the talented artists and crafters, our team at the Senior Citizens Center, the Recreation Department, and student volunteers organized by our incredible Youth Bureau. They really outdid themselves this year. This is always such a special occasion. It is truly remarkable to witness so many generations of Smithtown residents come together to experience the giving season, bringing joy and building memories to countless local families,” said Smithtown Town Supervisor Ed Wehrheim.

Approximately 25 student volunteers, organized by the Smithtown Youth Bureau Department chaperoned children so that they may independently pick out holiday gifts for family and friends. The Recreation Department and the Senior Citizens Center team organized the entire event, which included an upscale boutique, cookie decorating station, holiday crafts, a homemade quilt raffle, balloon sculptures, free gift wrapping and refreshments, courtesy of the PTA. Adults had the option of enjoying some rest and relaxation in a waiting area while kids independently choose their holiday gift. Additionally, children were able to drop off letters to Santa Claus, to receive a return letter from the North Pole.

The Senior Center’s Monday Needlecraft club, donated a surplus of handmade hats, bags, and scarfs to Saint Vincent de Paul/St. Joseph’s Church – Food Distribution Center in Kings Park for families in need. An additional two bags loaded with handmade needlecraft hats and scarfs were donated to a staffer to distribute to Smithtown parishioners in need. The Tender Years Treasury is an annual event for Smithtown children, grades K-5, to independently shop for handcrafted gifts made by local senior citizens during the holidays.

To learn more about events and programing at the Eugene Cannataro Senior Citizens Center, call 631-360-7616 or visit the Town of Smithtown Website at SmithtownNY.gov.

The Town of Smithtown Recreation & Senior Citizens Departments will host the annual Tender Years Treasury, a holiday shopping experience where kids can independently shop for family gifts. The unique independent shopping experience for children will be held on Saturday, December 3 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Eugene Cannataro Senior Citizens Center, 420 Middle Country Road, Smithtown.

“This is a crowd favorite! Kids enjoy surprising mom, dad, siblings, grandparents and good school friends with a special present they hand picked with allowance money. All of the gifts are handmade with care, by local and very talented senior citizens, all reasonably priced at $5 or less. The team at Smithtown Recreation & Senior Citizens Department love putting this annual event together and it shows on the faces of every family member participating,” said Smithtown Town Supervisor Ed Wehrheim.

The festivities include an upscale boutique, cookie decorating, holiday crafts, a homemade quilt raffle, balloon sculptures, free gift wrapping and refreshments courtesy of the PTA. Adults can rest and relax in a waiting area while kids independently choose their holiday gifts for family and friends. Additionally, children can bring a letter to Santa Claus with return address information to receive a letter from the North Pole in return.

Children, grades K-5, are chaperoned by Smithtown Senior Center & Recreation Department staff as they make their own decisions on purchasing handcrafted gifts made by local senior citizens. The gift items are all priced at five dollars and under. Parents and/or older siblings may walk little shoppers around after 12:45PM. For more details, residents can call Smithtown Recreation at 631-360-7644.

Hoyt Farm Nature Preserve hosted its 17th Annual Halloweekend on Saturday, October 15, and Sunday, October 16. The popular annual event traditionally sells out without much advertising. This year was no different, with roughly 1500 residents, between both days, participating in the festival weekend. Families enjoyed touring the festive preserve playing games, winning prizes, engaging in the entertainment and Fall fare, and enjoying the food.

“Each year, I take my grandkids to this event and each year I’m more and more impressed with the attention to detail, TLC and thought that goes into delivering such a memorable experience for the community. I’d like to thank and acknowledge Jeff Gumin, our Director of Hoyt Farm Nature Preserve, Sheryl, Kate, Dominick, Kellie and the entire Hoyt Farm team… they really knocked it out of the park,” said Supervisor Ed Wehrheim.

Each year, the team at Hoyt Farm Nature Preserve plan an elaborate and memorable Halloween festival for Smithtown families to enjoy. They try to create an atmosphere of good old-fashioned Fall fun mixed with kid-friendly Halloween enjoyment. They devote countless hours to orchestrating the whole weekend of fun which includes hay rides, pumpkin picking and decorating, spooky fun games, face painting, crafts, scavenger hunts and an unforgettable haunted house. The staff joins in the fun, dressed in unforgettable costumes to greet kids and parents who are dressed in Halloween costumes as well. The team at Hoyt Farm believes that a successful festival is one in which adults become kids and children become superheroes, and mythical beings inside a magical and unforgettable atmosphere.

“This is an event that we put our hearts and souls into at Hoyt Farm. We try to make everything from scratch to spark that nostalgic country festival feel. It is an extremely popular event and each year it provides smiles to about 1500 Smithtown residents. We already started planning for next year,” said Jeff Gumin, Director of Hoyt Farm Nature Preserve.

For more information about Hoyt Farm, visit them online or call at 631-543-7804. Hoyt Farm Nature Preserve is located at 200 New Highway in Commack.