Just in time for the holidays, Fathom Events and the Autism Society of America will bring a first-of-its-kind sensory-friendly cinema event featuring the Bolshoi Ballet’s 2014 production of “The Nutcracker,” captured from the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia, to select cinemas nationwide on Monday, Dec. 19 at 6 p.m.
Danced by the Bolshoi’s principals, E.T.A. Hoffmann’s fairy tale staged by Russian ballet master Yuri Grigorovich will transport children and adults alike to a world of magic and wonder for the holiday season. In this special cinema presentation audience members are encouraged to be themselves; the lights will be turned up, the sound will be turned down and you can get up, dance, walk, shout or sing!
Participating theaters in our neck of the woods include AMC Loews 17 in Stony Brook, Farmingdale Multiplex Cinemas and Island 16: Cinema de Lux in Holtsville. For more information, visit www.fathomevents.com.
Jim Molloy will be one of the featured artists at the Reboli Center on Dec. 16.
Doug Reina will be one of the featured artists at the Reboli Center on Dec. 16.
Pam Brown will be one of the featured artists at the Reboli Center on Dec. 16.
Robin Clonts will be one of the featured artists at the Reboli Center on Dec. 16.
David Ebner will be one of the featured artists at the Reboli Center on Dec. 16.
The recently opened Reboli Center for Art and History, located at 64 Main Street in Stony Brook Village, is inaugurating a new monthly program called Third Friday at the Reboli. Third Friday is modeled after a number of nationally successful events sponsored by art centers that bring communities together with artists, speakers, authors, performers and other special guests to offer programs that will allow the visitor to experience these institutions in an entirely different way.
“Our goal at the Reboli Center is to involve the community in our programs and be an inspiration for artistic and historical interpretations. We have had such an overwhelmingly positive response to our opening and we want to continue with offering exciting free programs like Third Friday at the Reboli,” said Reboli Center President Lois Reboli. “Our hope is that Third Friday will become a community tradition.”
The first Third Friday program will be held on Friday, Dec. 16 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Reboli Center. The initial program will feature a panel of artists who are currently exhibiting in the Design Shop at the Reboli Center. The artists Pam Brown, Robin Clonts, David Ebner, Jim Molloy and Doug Reina create in a variety of mediums, and the evening will allow the audience members to hear about the philosophies underlying their work and about the practical, artistic and other quirky processes at work in their studios. The audience will have the opportunity to join the discussion. In addition, visitors can get a sneak peak at the gallery’s upcoming exhibit, Joseph Reboli: A Sense of Place, which will be on view from Dec. 18 to Jan. 29, and shop for unique holiday gifts from local artists at the Design Shop.
Future Third Friday programs will discuss historical topics, introduce other artists, offer sketching events, present musical performers, hear local authors and offer other engaging programming that will bring new connections and fresh perspectives. Third Friday programs are free to the public and do not require a reservation. For more information call 631-751-7707 or visit the Reboli Center website at www.ReboliCenter.org.
In medieval times, armies needed to understand the structure of the castles they were about to attack. Enough information could enable a leader to find a weakness and exploit it, giving his troops a plan to take over the castle. Today, researchers use advanced tools to study the molecular structure of everything from tumors to the protein plaques involved in neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s disease.
Recently, William Van Nostrand and Steven Smith, scientists at Stony Brook University who have worked together for over 10 years, discovered subtle differences in amyloid fibril structures that surround blood vessels and neurons. Many forms of the structures likely have some contributory effect to cognitive declines, although researchers debate the extent of that contribution, Van Nostrand said.
Above, William Van Nostrand completes a triathlon this past September in Lake George. Photo courtesy of William Van Nostrand
Amyloid fibrils in plaques in the space between neurons have subunits lined up side by side in a head-to-head manner. Van Nostrand and Smith’s new work, which was published in Nature Communications, showed that vascular amyloid subunits, which are on the vessel’s surface, have a different configuration, lining up side by side in an alternating head-to-toe pattern.
This structural difference generates a new set of questions that might provide insight into ways to diagnose or treat diseases or cognitive declines. The structural difference in the vascular forms may provide a way to determine how they uniquely contribute to cognitive decline, which could have implications for diagnostic and therapeutic intervention.
“We want to know if these different structures cause different responses,” said Van Nostrand, who was the co-lead investigator in the study with Smith and is a professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at Stony Brook. The research came from a close structural analysis of the amyloid buildup in mouse models of the disease. Van Nostrand provided the animal models and did the vascular amyloid isolation, while Smith, a professor and the director of structural biology in the Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, conducted the structural study.
“The more we understand about how these peptides assemble (and which components and structural motifs actually are toxic to neurons), the easier it is to target” the problem, Smith explained in an email. While the mouse models the scientists studied may have some differences from the human forms of the disease, Van Nostrand said the group also conducted some preliminary studies that showed that vascular amyloid from human vessels has the same structure as the vascular amyloid in isolated vessels from the mice.
Van Nostrand and Smith have “investigated the structure of vascular amyloid in one case of a transgenic mouse and from vessels isolated from the brain of one human patient that had spontaneous cerebral amyloid angiopathy,” Smith said. “In both cases, the structure was anti-parallel, which provides some confidence when we start investigating additional mouse and human samples, we will also find the structure is anti-parallel.”
Van Nostrand’s lab studies pathogenic mechanisms in neurodegenerative diseases, including cerebral amyloid angiopathy. In Alzheimer’s disease, patients have these amyloid or protein plaques around neurons. In about 90 percent of these, people also have protein buildup around blood vessels, where the amount can vary.
Amyloid plaques on the surface of blood vessels are “a lot more common than previously thought,” Van Nostrand said. The consequences of these amyloid fibrils on blood vessels can affect other conditions and treatments for medical challenges including an ischemic stroke. Typically, doctors can prescribe a tissue plasminogen activator. While the drug works to break up the blood clot in the brain, it can cause amyloid blood vessels, if they are present, to bleed, which is a serious side effect.
It would be particularly helpful for doctors and their patients if they knew with certainty before doctors gave any drugs whether the patient had any of these plaques around their blood vessels. The current state of the art in searching for these plaques around blood vessels is to look for any signs of bleeding.
Van Nostrand and Smith are searching for biomarkers that could indicate the presence of specific types of amyloids. “If you had a probe that would recognize a structure, can you also use that for imaging?” Van Nostrand asked. Such a probe might be able to distinguish between the parallel and anti-parallel orientation of the proteins in the plaques.
Van Nostrand said there are rare mutations that create blood vessel amyloids, without the plaque between the neurons. People with only blood vessel amyloids have cognitive impairments, Van Nostrand said, but it’s not the same as Alzheimer’s pathology. In addition to partnering with Smith, Van Nostrand works with Lisa Miller, a biophysical chemist at Brookhaven National Laboratory and collaborators in the Netherlands.
A resident of Poquott, Van Nostrand competes in triathlons and iron man events. During the offseason, when the weather isn’t particularly warm, he still does some training. Van Nostrand’s oldest son, Joffrey, who earned his undergraduate degree at Stony Brook, graduated from law school and is now working at a law firm in Wisconsin. His younger son, Kellen, is applying to graduate school to study psychology. Van Nostrand has an 11-year old daughter, Waela, with his wife Judianne Davis. Waela has done two triathlons and “puts me to shame in 100 yards swimming,” Van Nostrand proudly confessed.
As for his work, Van Nostrand, Smith and their collaborators are focused on understanding how to exploit any differences in the plaques, so they can make progress in the battle against neurodegenerative diseases. “We are interested in understanding structure and pathological functions” of different states of the subunits of amyloid fibrils, Van Nostrand said.
Putting one foot in front of the other never looked so inspiring.
A freak sledding accident in Vermont in 2009 left Greg Durso, 31, of Stony Brook unable to use his lower body from his stomach muscles down. With the help of St. Charles Hospital’s rehabilitation center, he stood and walked across a room Dec. 13 in front of his family and dozens of hospital personnel for the first time since his accident.
Greg Durso, who is paraplegic, walks at St. Charles Hospital Dec. 13 with help from an Indego exoskeleton. Photo by Alex Petroski
Durso was aided by a clinical trial product called the Indego exoskeleton, which is a wearable robotic frame. St. Charles is one of nine hospitals in the United States conducting the clinical trial, and the only one on Long Island. Durso is the first patient at the hospital to take the technology for a spin.
“It’s just an incredible feeling to be up there and be walking again — putting weight on your legs,” Durso said after his groundbreaking stroll. “Each step is kind of like a leap of faith … a month ago I probably couldn’t have told you I’d be here today, so when I heard about this, I was so happy to have the opportunity to do this.”
Indego is the second FDA-approved exoskeleton device used for lower limbs. The device weighs about 26 pounds, and requires no backpack or external wires, as other similar devices have in the past. Currently the machine is operated by Durso’s chest muscles, but future incarnations of the device will allow electrical stimulation in the muscles so that a patient’s own legs will make the machine work, according to St. Charles Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Medical Director Jennifer Semel. The FDA gave the machine clearance in March.
“The future is really limitless,” Semel said in an interview. “It’s really exciting to see people who haven’t been able to stand up in several years not only to be at the same height as their peers, but to be able to walk. It’s really uplifting.”
Semel said Durso has been using the device for about a month, and last week required a walker in addition to the exoskeleton to get around. He progressed to crutches for his Dec. 13 walk. Semel said the plan is for Durso to continue using the device for several months to gain a better understanding of the health benefits and the impact it has on a patient’s gait.
“I think I was a little skeptical because you realize people always tell you there’s going to be advances, there’s going to be this and that in the future,” Durso said. “But when you see this — I actually get up, I actually walk, I gave my sister a hug for the first time in eight years face to face — it’s pretty emotional and empowering, and it’s just exciting to see where the future is going to go with this technology.”
It was an emotional day for the members of the Durso family in attendance. Durso’s older sister, Jessica Giovan, fought back tears trying to describe seeing her brother walk again for the first time in eight years.
‘It’s just an incredible feeling to be up there and be walking again — putting weight on your legs … each step is kind of like a leap of faith.’
— Greg Durso
“I just saw him look so proud and happy,” she said. “He works so hard at everything he does, so to see him put one foot in front of the other, literally, was just unbelievable … the person you see now is the person he has always been. He has not, for one second, wavered in his personality since the accident. In fact, he has only increased his perseverance and his humor, and he lives everyday to make everyone around him feel like it’s okay.”
His dad, Richard Durso, said he couldn’t have imagined he’d be sitting where he was, watching his son walk, when he heard the news of the accident eight years ago. He credited his son’s positive attitude for keeping him on track. His mom, Jean Durso, called what she saw “unbelievable.”
Durso has competed in Iron Man races and marathons in his life — the former both pre and post accident — and said he hopes to be able to regain some of that lifestyle in the future.
“I love to do athletic things. I mean, it could be anything. I just want to be out there, have fun and live my life the way I want to do it,” he said. “For me that’s enough.”
The Seiskaya Ballet’s “The Nutcracker,” a perennial holiday favorite on Long Island, returns to Stony Brook University’s Staller Center for the Arts for a six-performance run from Friday, Dec. 16 to Monday, Dec. 19. This classical ballet rendition has earned praise from critics and audiences alike. Hailed in its 1995 debut as Long Island’s most lavish “Nutcracker,” the Seiskaya Ballet production of the classic holiday ballet is a truly international collaboration, choreographed by world-renowned Russian-born choreographer Valia Seiskaya.
This year’s cast will be led by guest artist Nick Coppula (pictured above), formerly with the Pittsburgh Ballet, who will play the role of Cavalier, and Seiskaya’s award-winning principal dancers Jenna Lee, Diana Atoian and Brianna Jimenez (pictured above) along with first soloists Max Lippman, Jamie Bergold, Amber Donnelly and Lara Caraiani.
Performances will be held on Friday, Dec. 16 at 7 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 17 at 2 and 7 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 18 at 1 and 6 p.m. and Monday, Dec. 19 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $40 adults, $34 children and seniors, and $30 for groups of 20 or more; on sale now at the Staller Center Box Office at 631-632-ARTS and at www.nutcrackerballet.com. (Box office hours are noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and one hour prior to all performances. Online seat selection is available for all shows.)
Newfield's Paul Vonvoight drives to the hoop. Photo by Bill Landon
By Bill Landon
Newfield eighth-grader Ziggy Hoe’s first points were game-winning, literally.
The guard, making his debut at the varsity level, swished a three-pointer with less than a minute left to give his team a 58-56 advantage, and ultimately the win, for the Wolverines. Newfield edged out Comsewogue, 59-56, in the physical and foul-riddled nonleague game Dec. 13.
“They were very aggressive; they can make plays,” Newfield head coach Anthony Agostino said of Comsewogue. “I have two freshman and an eighth-grader. I’m real proud of my guys because they played so hard.”
It was a slow start, as neither team scored in the first three minutes of play. Comsewogue junior David Heller broke the ice when he hit a three-pointer, and after three unanswered field goals by Newfield, Heller tacked on another three-pointer to tie the game.
Newfield’s Justin Ottenwalder scores a layup. Photo by Bill Landon
The Warriors’ defense put on an aerial show, blocking several shots, which forced the Wolverines to shoot from outside the paint. As a result, Comsewogue went on a run that helped it edge ahead 14-8 two minutes into the second quarter.
The teams traded points, and Comsewogue junior guard Tyler Petruzzi hit a long distance three-pointer with just under three minutes left until halftime that put his Warriors out front 21-12. Newfield rallied with a pair of defensive steals, and made it a four-point game by the break, 23-19.
Newfield’s Paul Vonvoight had the hot hand in the third, as the junior guard banked three field goals to put his team out front for the first time, 24-23, with 6:40 left in the quarter. The Warriors countered to retake the lead, 25-24, but Vonvoight drained a three-pointer to make it a three-point game, 33-30, with less than three minutes left in the third.
“We knew they’re a great team — we had to come out and fight for every point,” Vonvoight said. “We had to keep our cool, be humble and focus on every possession.”
Comsewogue went on a 8-1 run, and junior Dylan Morris Gray took to the floor after the Warriors’ starting point guard fouled out.
“We caught a break when [Joey] Carillo fouled out,” Agostino said.
But the team didn’t miss a beat. Morris Gray drove the lane and fought his way to the rim for two points and was fouled in the process. He completed the three-point play from the charity stripe to give his team a 40-34 lead, and both teams added a field goal to end the third with Comsewogue up 42-36.
The teams opened the final stanza trading points again, but this time, at the charity stripe. Then, Newfield senior forward Justin Ottenwalder hit a long distance trey to trail by three with just under five minutes left. Next, Ottenwalder stole the ball and drove the baseline, where he was fouled. He went to the line shooting once, and scored to tie the game 52-52 with 2:17 left in regulation.
“The first game was going to be hard because you’re not used to the speed of the game,” Ottenwalder said. “Effort and energy won the game for us today.”
Comsewogue’s Alan Smith shoots over a defender. Photo by Bill Landon
Comsewogue junior guard Alan Smith spoke next with a shot from three-point land, only to have Ottenwalder counter, tying the game at 55-55.
After Comsewogue junior guard Tom McGuire split his chances at the free-throw line, Hoe dropped his three-pointer with 41 seconds on the clock, for the 58-56 lead.
“We were taking quick shots when we had the lead — we could’ve taken our time, taken all 35 seconds off the shot clock,” Heller said. “But we didn’t do that, and it cost us the game.”
Newfield’s defense made a stand and denied Comsewogue with a turnover, and drew a foul on a play with 5.4 seconds left. Vonvoight, shooting for two points, hit the front end but missed the back, for the point that gave the game its final score.
“The turnovers were a big thing — but I thought our rebounding was a lot better than our last game,” Comsewogue junior forward and center Patrick Billings said. “We can’t have the kind of mistakes we had today. We’ve just got to play better next game.”
Ottenwalder finished with 17 points for Newfield, and Vonvoight added 15.
Heller led Comsewogue with 18 points.
Comsewogue head coach Joel Sutherland told his team that the loss will serve as a wake-up call.
“I thought we came out strong, but we have to get better taking care of the ball,” Sutherland said. “This game will make us better, and it’ll make us stronger.”
Newfield hits the road to open league play Dec. 20 at Copiague, with tipoff scheduled for 4 p.m. Comsewogue will host Harborfields the same day at 5:45 p.m.
‘Rush’s Lancers’ by Winslow Homer, 1886; Courtesy of the Mort Kunstler Collection. Image from The Heckscher Museum of Art
By Ellen Barcel
Two related exhibits have opened at the Heckscher Museum of Art in Huntington: Normal Rockwell and Friends: American Illustrations from the Mort Künstler Collection (through March 5, 2017) and Mort Künstler: The New Nation (through April 2, 2017). Related in theme (American artists and subjects), related in exhibit time and related through American artist Mort Künstler himself, the duel exhibits complement each other perfectly.
Norman Rockwell and Friends
Norman Rockwell’s ‘A merry Christmas to everybody! A happy New Year to all the world!’ (aka ‘World of Charles Dickens’), 1937; Mort Künstler Collection. Courtesy Norman Rockwell Family Agency. Image from The Heckscher Museum of Art
Mort Künstler, an American artist himself, has long collected the works of late 19th century and early 20th century artists/illustrators. The current exhibit at the Heckscher (Norman Rockwell and Friends) highlights Künstler’s collection and is unique because this is the first time these works are being shown to the public. The 75 pieces on display, such a broad variety of artists, represent 39 artists including Edwin Austin Abbey, Howard Chandler Christy, Dean Cornwell, Charles Dana Gibson, George Gross, Winslow Homer, J.C. Leyendecker, Thomas Lovell, Maxfield Parrish, Howard Pyle and, of course, Norman Rockwell.
In a recent phone interview, Künstler remarked that of the many artists he collected, he knew several personally. Thomas Lovell was “almost like a mentor” to him and George Gross “really was my mentor,” adding, “I did have the pleasure of talking to Norman Rockwell on the phone.”
Künstler’s collecting goes back to at least 1972 “or earlier,” he commented, over four decades of seeking out the best illustrators of the early 20th century. Why these particular artists? “I liked the work,” he said, from when he was in art school. Künstler stated that many of the artists were members of the Society of Illustrators, a professional organization founded in 1901. Gibson was one of its early presidents. Included in the nine founding artists were N.C. Wyeth and Howard Pyle, both in the current exhibit. The heyday of the society’s art shows was during the Roaring Twenties and Great Depression of the 1930s.
“All were illustrators,” said Künstler. “There was no TV (back when they were working). The only visuals that people got were out of magazines and newspapers. Visually, they were the ones who created the fashions. Charles Dana Gibson was the creator of the Gibson girl.” She was recognized as the personification of feminine beauty in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. “The illustrators were idolized like movie stars. They reached out to thousands of people. They were the superstars of that era.”
Why the exhibit now? “I got to know Michael Schantz, executive director at the Heckscher Museum, well. He came to lunch, visited, loved the collection. … It was time to let it go out,” said Künstler.
“One of the extraordinary things about this is that both the Künstlers allowed us to take everything off their walls, from the house. It was just an extraordinary gesture. It speaks so well of the relationship between this museum and the Küntslers,” said Schantz. “I met with him quite a few times. I recorded him for hours and hours — a record of the interesting stories, the hunt for the works, where he found them and how he found them.” He added that some of these stories are related in the information cards in the exhibit.
Mort Künstler: The New Nation
The museum also has a related exhibit, Mort Künstler: The New Nation, featuring Küntsler’s most recent work including his paintings of the early years of the United States. Künstler, who is particularly known for his Civil War paintings, reflected that his interest in American history came about because “almost all of my work was commissioned,” and frequently those commissions related to American history.
Above, ‘Washington’s Crossing: McKonkey’s Ferry, Dec. 26, 1776,’ by Mort Künstler, 2011; oil on canvas, 33 × 50 in., from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Suozzi. Image courtesy of The Heckscher Museum
“My book, ‘The New Nation’ [‘The New Nation, The Creation of the United States in Paintings and Eyewitness Accounts’] will act as the catalogue of the show,” said Künstler. “I did some of the work for the bicentennial in 1976,” then did additional paintings, he said. The book, with text by American military historian Edward G. Lengel and David H. Fischer, will be available at the museum. Künstler, who has published 10 books of his art work, now also has a children’s book series as well, “based on my paintings.” Themes of the four books include the American Revolution, the Civil War, the Wild West and World War II. The works are written by well-known historians (particularly James “Bud” Robertson) for children ages 10 to 15.
Howard Shaw, president and director of the Hammer Galleries in Manhattan, has known and worked with Künstler for more than 25 years. “Mort is considered the country’s leading historical artist,” said Shaw. “Not only has he incredible technique but he does enormous research so that even the smallest detail is accurate.” Shaw went on to relate an incident where Künstler was researching information with a number of historians for a painting he was doing. Only one was able to get back to him “one or two hours before the opening of the show. With the painting on the gallery wall, Mort repainted that particular part of an insignia,” so that it would be historically correct.
Shaw observed the joy that goes into Künstler’s work. “He told me if it ever feels like work, ‘I’ll stop doing it.’ Over 70 years he hasn’t felt he’s had a job.”
A gallery tour and talk with Mort Künstler will be held on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the museum (inclement weather date is Jan. 19). Members are invited to attend free, for nonmembers there is a $5 charge.
The Heckscher Museum of Art, is located at 2 Prime Ave., Huntington. The museum is open Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day). For further information, visit www.heckscher.org or call 631-351-3250.
We took to the streets of the North Shore to find out what everyone’s favorite holiday movie was and why.
Bella Ayer
Bella Ayer, Setauket I watch a lot of the old ones like “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” and “Frosty the Snowman” and those types of movies. “The Year Without a Santa Claus” is one of my favorite Christmas movies because it’s such a classic and whoever made the movie put so much time and effort in animating it … it’s just so well put together and such a good story. Even though it was made like 30 or 40 years ago, I still loved it as a kid and still love it now.
Bill Herrmann
Bill Herrmann, Port Jefferson I would definitely say “A Christmas Story.” I can’t get enough of it and I think the father makes the whole movie, how he hates the dogs next door and just all of his mannerisms. I love the narration by Jean Shephard too … it’s like an outsider looking in but also like a firsthand recap of what he went through. It’s one of those staples where you gotta expect it to be on 12 times in a row every year. I’d watch it with my family, by myself, or even trick someone into watching it with me.
Rebecca Unno
Rebecca Zunno, Huntington I love “A Christmas Story” because it really reminds me of how my parents were raised, and I love watching it with them because they just laugh the whole way through and it’s one of my dad’s favorite films. I also like Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” because it has the best soundtrack, but “Elf” is definitely my favorite overall. I just love it because it’s funny and goofy and warm, and it kind of brings that sentimental teariness that we love as audience members. I think it’s important to have Christmas films that just make you feel like you’re a kid again. And I love Zooey Deschanel and I remember that was the first time I ever heard her sing [in the shower scene] and she has a beautiful voice. And Will Ferrell just cracks me up and he’s adorable in that. He’s just a big kid and it makes me laugh.
Vera Wilde
Vera Wilde, Port Jefferson Well, I love “It’s a Wonderful Life.” I always have to watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” because it just makes it seem like Christmas to me and my family. I have to watch it every year, even more than once. It’s just the whole feeling of Christmas, family, generosity, a whole community coming together … it’s a wonderful movie.
Christina Urso and family
Christina Urso, Port Jefferson I think our family’s favorite holiday movie is “A Christmas Story” because I think it just reminds everybody of their own little crazy family. We pull the DVD out and watch it every year. I’ve watched it since I was a kid and teenagers and it’s just something that’s been passed down and now our children like it. They were actually a little afraid of the bully [Skut Farkus] for the first few years and didn’t watch it for a while, so it took them a little time. It’s just a funny, silly movie but again I think it reminds everybody of their own family.
Scott Walsh
Scott Walsh, Hauppauge It would have to be “Die Hard.” It is a Christmas movie; it’s based around Christmas, he’s trying to go home to see his daughter, it’s a great movie. Yeah, “Die Hard” is the best Christmas movie of all time. Bruce Willis is in it and I love Bruce Willis and it’s a great action movie, has Christmas music in it … it’s a classic.
Amanda Damone and Jacob Ward
Amanda Damone, Sound Beach I watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” every year. I watch it twice [in early December and Christmas Eve] in full with my dad. Everyone in the family thinks it’s really boring and annoying, but I’m the only family member who watches it with him.
Jacob Ward, Port Jefferson I really like “The Polar Express.” I love Tom Hanks’ acting in all five of his roles in that movie and I loved it as a kid and seeing it on the big screen was really cool.
Nancy Sanks, Steven Guild, Joanna Guild, Coram
Joanna Guild, Steven Guild and Nancy Sanks
Joanna Guild: I like “The Holiday” a lot and remember seeing it when it came out. I like the mellow romantic ones.
Nancy Sanks: “While You Were Sleeping” [with Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman] is one of my favorite ones, because I have three daughters and we started watching those because it puts you in the Christmas mood and it’s friendly and it’s light romance and cozy “hot chocolate” kind of movie. And I’ve always liked “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” with Chevy Chase and all the lights.
Panera Bread Regional Training Manager Lauren Trotter, second from left, and Panera Bread Vice President of Operations Greg George, center, accept a Certificate of Congratulations on the store’s behalf from Brookhaven Town Clerk Donna Lent, far left, Councilman Kevin LaValle, second from right, and Supervisor Ed Romaine, far right. Photo from Town of Brookhaven
Panera Bread opens in Selden
Panera Bread in Selden celebrated a “bread breaking” grand opening ceremony on Dec. 5. Town of Brookhaven’s Supervisor Ed Romaine (R), Councilman Kevin LaValle (R-Selden) and Town Clerk Donna Lent (R) attended the event to wish them well and presented the store with a Certificate of Congratulations. The restaurant, located at 1 College Plaza (in the same shopping center as Bob’s Stores and ShopRite) on Middle Country Road, is owned and operated by Panera Bread franchisee Doherty Enterprises and will be the chain’s 33rd Long Island location. The new location has a drive-thru window, one of only three Panera Bread locations on Long Island to have the feature, and hiring is currently underway to fill the 60 jobs at the new Selden location, according to a company statement. Call 631-698-1780 for more information.
Job Lot comes to Centereach
Rhode Island-based discount retailer Ocean State Job Lot recently celebrated the grand opening of its Centereach store. Located at 2134 Middle Country Road in part of the former Pathmark Supermarket space, the 40,000-square-foot store is the chain’s second Long Island store along with North Babylon. Ocean State Job Lot first opened for business in North Kingstown, R.I., in 1977. The chain now has 124 stores in eight states, each with between 30 and 40 employees. Using the slogan, “A Lot More for a Lot Less,” the chain asserts that it sells quality brand name merchandise at close out prices. Customers can shop for a variety of goods including clothing, housewares, food, beauty supplies and holiday items. Hours are 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. For more information, call 631-467-7578 or visit www.oceanstatejoblot.com.
Project Warmth
Project Warmth, United Way’s emergency energy one-time fuel and fuel-related assistance program to help families and individuals with heat-related crises during the winter months, is currently underway. For more information, contact United Way by dialing 211 or call the Huntington Opportunity Resource Center at 631-385-2305.
On Saturday, Dec. 3, the Smithtown Historical Society decked its halls and walls for its annual Heritage Country Christmas. At the center of the festivities was the popular Community Wreath Contest. Guests had the opportunity to view and vote on a selection of 23 unique entries. Designers were able to choose from any type of material with a minimum size restriction of 12 inches and maximum size of 24 inches in diameter. At the end of the evening each wreath was auctioned off in a drawing to raise funds for the Smithtown Historical Society.
The Best in Show Community Choice was awarded to Smithtown’s Maureen Smilow’s evergreen with berries wreath. Honorable mentions were Marti McMahon of St. James and Angela Della Croce of Bethpage.
The Smithtown Historical Society wishes to thank all the participants and contributing community members and to extend a happy holiday to the Smithtown community and thank them for their continued support. For more information on the society’s programs and events, call 631-265-6768 or visit www.smithtownhistorical.org.
The Seiskaya Ballet’s “The Nutcracker,” a perennial holiday favorite on Long Island, returns to Stony Brook University’s Staller Center for the Arts for a six-performance run from Friday, Dec. 16 to Monday, Dec. 19. This classical ballet rendition has earned praise from critics and audiences alike. Hailed in its 1995 debut as Long Island’s most lavish “Nutcracker,” the Seiskaya Ballet production of the classic holiday ballet is a truly international collaboration, choreographed by world-renowned Russian-born choreographer Valia Seiskaya.
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