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Yearly Archives: 2018

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Thomas Matthew Miloscia’s father Joe, above, drops Bright Spot bags off at NYU Winthrop Hospital in Mineola. Photo from Michelle Milano

A few years after succumbing to cancer, a young Poquott resident’s acts of kindness still inspire those he touched in his lifetime and beyond.

Thomas and Christine Miloscia. Photo from Michelle Milano

Thomas Matthew Miloscia died Oct. 15, 2015, a few days before his 19th birthday. In March 2016, family friends Michelle and Gregory Milano were inspired to create the Thomas Matthew Miloscia Foundation.

“He was really some special kind of kid,” said Michelle Milano, the foundation’s president. “I have four of my own children, but Thomas felt like one of my children, too. He was the sweetest boy. He would always hold open the door. He would give you a kiss, hello or goodbye. If you came home with groceries, he would run right out and help you bring in the groceries.”

When Milano approached Miloscia’s mother, Christine, about starting the nonprofit, the mother said she was honored.

“My son was a tremendous person,” Miloscia said. “He was always about others. He was so selfless.”

During his senior year at Chaminade High School, a private Catholic school in Mineola, Miloscia experienced pain in his hip, which at first was thought to be an injury from running track. Doctors later diagnosed him with a cancer similar to Ewing’s sarcoma. At first, Miloscia was able to attend school, go on the senior trip to Disney World, attend his prom and graduation, according to Milano, but a few months after graduating in 2015 his condition worsened.

His mother said it’s been difficult for her husband, Joe, and their five children, ranging in age from 14 to 24, since her son’s passing, but they try their best to participate in the foundation’s activities.

“It’s such a good feeling to see all those people who truly care about others and just really want to help,” Christine Miloscia said.

“He was always about others. He was so selfless.”

— Christine Miloscia

The foundation immediately set up a scholarship fund to aid future Chaminade students. The board members’ goal is to raise $300,000 for perpetuity, and they have already collected $30,000 toward it. Chaminade has awarded two scholarships in Miloscia’s name, according to Brother Thomas Cleary, the high school’s president.

Cleary said he remembers Thomas Miloscia always having a smile on his face and never feeling sorry for himself. He said the school was happy to work with the foundation and family to create the scholarship fund.

“The best thing about it is not only assisting other families to send their sons here, but it keeps Thomas’ name very current and very much alive in this school,” he said.

Michelle Milano said the foundation didn’t have a clearly defined mission at first, but recently the board members have narrowed their goal to helping cancer patients between the ages of 15 to 39. There is no other organization on Long Island that helps this age group specifically, according to Milano. People in the age group have lower survival rates than pediatric and older patients and are referred to as AYA, which means adolescent and young adults, according to Dr. Laura Hogan of Stony Brook Medicine.

Thomas Matthew Miloscia

“AYA cancer patients are often late to care, late to diagnosis, less likely to enroll in clinical trials and have delayed start of cancer therapy,” Hogan said, which leads to the lower survival rates.

Hogan said acts of kindness could be a big boost to AYA patients. The doctor said many services are geared toward younger children or older adults, but not AYA patients who may be in college or living with parents or have young children, and have different needs than younger or older patients.

“At Stony Brook, we are building our dedicated AYA services to help meet their needs better and our collaboration with the Thomas Matthew Miloscia Foundation is helping us meet these needs,” she said.

In addition to the Chaminade scholarship fund, the foundation offers six programs. The group assembles welcome bags that they have given to Stony Brook Medicine and NYU Winthrop Hospital in Mineola. The reusable bags are filled with items like travel pillow blanket combos, socks, notebooks, pens, essential oils, bottled water and inspirational messages. Milano said the bags are imprinted with the logo Bright Spot, which was inspired by a message Miloscia recorded about Patient AirLift Services, of Farmingdale, which provides free air transportation for individuals requiring medical treatment, where he called the organization a “bright spot.”

“We try to carry on that bright spot,” Milano said.

The organization also offers grants to cancer patients up to $1,000 to offset costs such as travel, gas, deductibles and copays. It sponsors summer camp attendance every year for 10 children at Camp Kesem at Stony Brook University for patients or their family members; hands out Thanksgiving cards; and during the holiday season runs an adopt-a-family drive where foundation members will buy items on a family’s holiday list for a total of $1,000 per family. In the past, its gift-in-kind program has allowed the board members to present Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New Hyde Park with Xbox gaming consoles and they hope to do something similar for Stony Brook Medicine in the near future.

When it comes to the foundation’s work, Milano thinks Miloscia would be thrilled.

“This is exactly the kind of thing he would be doing,” she said.

His mother agrees. “He was like the closest thing to Jesus — he really was — he was like a saint,” she said. “So, he would love this, helping others, doing nice things, and helping people during a hard time  — just lift up their spirits a little bit.”

For more information about the Thomas Matthew Miloscia Foundation, visit www.thomasmiloscia.com. The organization has also set up a link for anyone interested in donating on Giving Tuesday, Nov. 27.

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The cast of 'A Christmas Carol' 2018
A scene from 'A Christmas Carol'
A scene from 'A Christmas Carol'
A scene from 'A Christmas Carol'
A scene from 'A Christmas Carol'
A scene from 'A Christmas Carol'
A scene from 'A Christmas Carol'
A scene from 'A Christmas Carol'
A scene from 'A Christmas Carol'

By Heidi Sutton

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, especially at Theatre Three in Port Jefferson. Beautifully decorated for the holidays, the historic theater is currently presenting its annual production of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” a community treasure that is celebrating its 35th season. 

Based on Charles Dickens’ 1843 novel of the same name, the story is a familiar one that needs to be retold often as a reminder to keep the spirit of Christmas in our hearts all year round. 

Adapted for the stage by Theatre Three’s Executive Artistic Director Jeffrey Sanzel, it tells the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge (Sanzel), a man who has allowed himself to succumb to the mighty dollar and lives in the world of business. When we meet Scrooge for the first time, he is a bitter and stingy and feared man who has a particular abhorrence for Christmas and charity. He considers the poor and needy to be lazy. “I cannot afford to make idle people merry,” he sneers.

It is only when he is visited by the ghost of his business partner Jacob Marley (Andrew Lenahan) on Christmas Eve that he is given a shot at redemption. Enveloped in the chains he has forged in life, Marley tells Scrooge he will be visited by three spirits — the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, who eventually help him discover the true meaning of Christmas and save his immortal soul.

With the Ghost of Christmas Past (Michelle LaBozzetta) we visit Scrooge as a young boy, left alone at boarding school for Christmas; as an apprentice at Fezziwig’s where he falls in love with Belle; and the exact point when he meets Marley (“and so it began”) and his life begins to unravel.

A “cheeky” Ghost of Christmas Present (Stephen Wangner) brings Scrooge to his clerk Bob Cratchit’s (Douglas Quattrock) home where he sees an ailing Tiny Tim and to his nephew Fred Halliwell’s (Steven Uihlein) home to understand how his late sister’s son feels about him.

Finally, the daunting Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come (Steven Uihlein) shows Scrooge the shadows of what is yet to come, including his own death and how those around him are affected. The harrowing experience is exactly what the miser needs to turn his life around. 

The Victorian set and costumes designed by Randall Parsons, lighting by Robert W. Henderson Jr., musical direction by Brad Frey and the many special effects produce a beautifully executed well-oiled machine with powerful performances from the entire cast. 

Arrive a little early and be treated to a selection of Christmas carols by the actors in the lobby and stay afterward for a photo keepsake with Scrooge. The $5 fee goes to support the theater’s scholarship fund.

Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson will present Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” through Dec. 29. Please note all evening shows begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 per person through November; $35 adults, $28 seniors and students in December. For more information or to order tickets, call 631-928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com.

All photos by Brian Hoerger

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Since Oct. 29 the Town of Smithtown has been piling up residents’ recyclables at its Municipal Services Facility in Kings Park. File Photo by Kyle Barr

Smithtown residents will soon be asked once again to separate their recyclables as town officials have chosen to return to dual-stream recycling in January 2019.

Town of Smithtown officials held a special meeting Nov. 20 where they announced their finalized bids for its recycling contracts. The town board tapped West Babylon-based Winters Bros. Waste Systems of Long Island, who have agreed to take the town’s unprocessed newspaper and cardboard in exchange for paying $30 per ton, or approximately $177,000 a year to the town. Another company, Islandia-based Trinity
Transportation, will be handling the town’s unprocessed curbside metals and plastics, with $68 per ton being paid by the town, costing approximately $104,000 per year in expenses, according to the final documents.

“Working together with our fellow municipalities and villages is, for us, a win-win opportunity.”

— Ed Wehrheim

The bids are part of a partnership with the towns of Brookhaven and Southold. Brookhaven will use its own contractor to ship its recyclables to Smithtown’s Municipal Services Facility in Kings Park. Brookhaven will pay the town $5 per ton, or $130,000 a year for its expected tonnage. Smithtown estimates there will be 45 of deliveries per week from Brookhaven, totaling approximately 500 tons of material. Brookhaven announced it will be moving back to dual-stream as of Nov. 28 and has already been issuing notices to its residents.

“Smithtown has always had a phenomenal relationship with the Town of Brookhaven and Supervisor [Ed] Romaine,” Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R) said. “Working together with our fellow municipalities and villages is, for us, a win-win opportunity. We help our neighbors who have helped us for so many years and we avail ourselves to favorable pricing which alleviates any burden on the taxpayer.”

Smithtown moved away from dual-stream in 2014 when it finalized a recycling contract with Brookhaven and has been left without a recycling-service provider since Oct. 29 when Green Stream Recycling, Brookhaven’s recycling contractor, voided its contract with the town. Smithtown, among numerous other local municipalities, had an agreement to sell all its recyclables through Green Stream for a $180,000 annual profit.

The new contracts approved Nov. 20, including the money from Brookhaven, will deliver $178,517 in revenue for Smithtown per year, according to town officials.

Under the new intermunicipal agreement, the townships will no longer be collecting glass for recycling. If Smithtown residents wish to recycle glass bottles or containers, they will be asked to take it to one of three locations: the Municipal Services Facility building at 85 Old Northport Road in Kings Park; the town Highway Department building at 758 Smithtown Bypass in Nesconset; or Town Hall, located at 99 W. Main St. in Smithtown. The town estimates that it will cost $23,850 annually to dispose of this glass

Russell Barnett, the town’s recycling coordinator, previously told TBR News Media that glass is a major contaminate to other recyclables when it is mixed in with other materials in single-stream. Not only does broken glass wear on processing machinery, it is difficult to remove should it become entangled in a soft product like paper.

“The recycling market changes constantly, and we have to be prepared.”

— Nicole Garguilo

The town signed a six-month contract with these two companies, including an option to renew for an additional six months, according to Smithtown spokeswoman Nicole Garguilo. This was intentionally done in case the recycling market changes in the future.

“The recycling market changes constantly, and we have to be prepared,” she said.

Starting immediately, the two garbage carting companies will begin taking the recyclables that have been accumulating since Oct. 29 at Smithtown’s Municipal Services Facility, sorting it for the town, and processing it.

The town plans to begin a public information blitz before the new recycling system goes into effect, according to Garguilo, including social media spots, informational mailing flyers and information on the official Smithtown phone app to inform residents on the details of what recyclables they can put out on which days.

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Bridget McCormick, above, recently retired as business manager from St. James R.C. Church. Photo from Bill McCormick

When Bridget McCormick recently retired from her position as business manager at St. James R.C. Church in Setauket, she wanted to keep things low key. But her family felt after 31 years of service, the news was worth spreading.

Bridget McCormick, right, with her daughter, Kenzie, and granddaughter, Addy. Photo from Bill McCormick

McCormick and her husband, Bill, moved to Stony Brook in 1975 and a few years later to Setauket. Her husband said after he was laid off from a job, his wife took on the business manager position at the church. Even though they would have been OK financially, McCormick’s husband said his wife stepped up to the plate, something he said she always does when anything needs to be done.

The Rev. Robert Smith, who worked with Bridget McCormick for 12 years until 2015, said the business manager took on a wide variety of tasks in addition to being in charge of the church’s financial matters. Smith said she taught religious education for a few years, helped to create the church’s annual 5K run and was always willing to help whenever it was needed. The reverend said McCormick’s attentiveness helped the church to be in a healthy financial state, and she is a warm, generous person with a good sense of humor.

“She was quite skilled in her area of expertise,” he said. “I trusted her completely and had no worries about the financial goings-on of the parish because they were in her good and capable hands.”

Bill McCormick said his wife always was appreciative of her job, and he said he feels in some ways God put her there.

“That may sound a little silly, but I really believe that, because she’s so passionate,” he said. “Every day she enjoyed going to work. Even when there were problems, she loved going to work and helping that church.”

The parish celebrated McCormick’s retirement in October with a gathering in the church’s community center. McCormick’s son, Ryan, said her retirement party was emotional with many of her present and former co-workers in attendance.

The McCormicks currently live in Port Jefferson Station. Bill McCormick said his wife plans to travel and visit family and friends more often, including their daughter, Kenzie, and granddaughter, Addy, in Maryland.

Smith was unable to attend McCormick’s send-off but wishes her well.

“I hope she enjoys that well-deserved family time and well-deserved rest and relaxation after so many years of service to St. James,” he said. “I believe very strongly that the parish will always be in her debt, and the parish’s well-being is greatly due to her service there over the years.”

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Outlined in yellow above is land recently acquired by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Photo from DEC

A local family is doing their part to preserve open spaces.

At a press conference held Nov. 20, it was announced 6.8 acres of private land belonging to Harvey Besunder in the Conscience Bay Watershed area was sold to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition provides a buffer area to filter out contaminants, protects wildlife habitat and increases the region’s resilience to coastal storms. This will provide greater protection to the bay and Long Island Sound, according to DEC Region 1 Director Carrie Meek Gallagher.

The boulder plaque honoring the Besunder family who sold the property to New York State Department of Conservation. Photo from DEC

“These types of acquisitions are a priority for the agency right now where we already have an existing landholding, and we’re adding on to existing holdings that protect watersheds, protect habitat and buffer coastal resiliency,” Gallagher said before the Nov. 20 press conference, where a boulder plaque honoring the family was unveiled.

The property is an addition to the existing 52-acre Conscience Bay-Little Bay State Tidal Wetland, which was purchased from multiple property owners by the DEC in the late 1970s. It doubles the size of the marsh and upland portion of the state property.

Besunder and his wife, Arline, purchased the property located at the intersection of Dyke and North roads in Setauket in 1991 from a family member, according to the husband. He said originally the hope was to build a new house for the family. However, after purchasing, Arline was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis while going to law school, and with so much going on, plans for building never came to fruition. From the beginning, the Besunders’ children, Alison and Eric, recognized the environmental value of the land.

“When I took the kids to see it — they were obviously much younger — and both of them said the same thing, ‘You shouldn’t build on this. It’s too beautiful. Just let it be the way it was,’” Harvey Besunder said. “That’s the way it turned out, and we’re all thrilled that it’s going to be preserved.”

Arline Besunder died eight years ago, and her husband and children decided to sell the property to the state and preserve the land to honor her. Harvey Besunder said the family was thrilled the state was interested, and the process began two years ago when he met with a DEC representative and told her he would rather sell it to the state than to a developer.

Alison Besunder, who now lives in Brooklyn Heights, said she has memories of walking around the property and remembered it being a beautiful and relaxing place to be, epitomizing the area for her.

“It’s very meaningful for me personally that my family could give back to have that land preserved, given it’s so rich in history and environmental-wise as it’s part of the wetlands — a big part of the property is wetlands,” she said.

State Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket) praised all involved.

“The goal of protecting the chemistry and ecological integrity of the Setauket Harbor is greatly advanced by this land purchase at the core of this complex estuary,” Englebright said. “Governor Cuomo [D} deserves our appreciation for enabling the DEC to make such wise use of Environmental Protection Fund resources that were placed into the state budget. Additional congratulations and thanks go to the Besunder family and the Stewardship Initiative of the Long Island Sound Study.”

The acquisition of the Besunder property extends the waterfront along Conscience Bay where there is a walking path, freshwater wetlands, red cedar forest, osprey nest and nearly pristine mudflats and shellfish beds, according to Gallagher.

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The Patriots take the field at Stony Brook’s LaValle Stadium in the Suffolk County Division I title game Nov. 17. Photo by Bill Landon
Ward Melville senior Trey Berry fires downfield in the Suffolk County Division I title game Nov. 17 at LaValle Stadium. Photo by Bill Landon
Ward Melville senior wide receiver Marcus Velez attempts to catch a pass in double coverage in the Suffolk County Division I title game at LaValle Stadium Nov.17. Photo by Bill Landon
Ward Melville senior wide receiver Marcus Velez attempts to catch a pass in double coverage in the Suffolk County Division I title game at LaValle Stadium Nov. 17. Photo by Bill Landon
Ward Melville senior wide receiver JJ Laap catches a pass in the Suffolk County Division I title game at LaValle Stadium Nov. 17. Photo by Bill Landon
Ward Melville senior wide receiver JJ Laap lays out for a pass in the Suffolk County Division I title game at LaValle Stadium Nov. 17. Photo by Bill Landon
Ward Melville senior wide receiver JJ Laap lays out for a pass in the Suffolk County Division I title game at LaValle Stadium Nov. 17. Photo by Bill Landon
Senior wide receiver JJ Laap makes a leaping catch. Photo by Bill Landon
Ward Melville senior wide receiver JJ Laap goes up for and end zone pass in the Suffolk County Division I title game Nov. 17. Photo by Bill Landon
Junior wide receiver Jack Gillen drives for the corner of the end zone for a touchdown Nov. 17. Photo by Bill Landon
Ward Melville junior wide receiver Jack Gillen jets down the sideline on his touchdown run in the Suffolk County Division I title game Nov. 17. Photo by Bill Landon
Ward Melville cheerleaders perform at Stony Brook’s LaValle Stadium in the Suffolk County Division I title game Nov. 17. Photo by Bill Landon

Despite some impressive plays against William Floyd at LaValle Stadium, Stony Brook University Nov. 17, Ward Melville Patriots football team did not walk away the winners of the Suffolk County Division I title game. The final score was 34-17.

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L.I. Pour House on Route 112 in Port Jefferson Station will host a free Thanksgiving dinner for those in need Nov. 22, and is prepared to feed up to 500 people, according to owner Anthony Pallino. Photo from L.I. Pour House Facebook

A restaurant and bar on Route 112 in Port Jefferson Station will be open Thanksgiving Day, but those seeking a burger or beer will have to wait until they reopen Friday.

L.I. Pour House, located at 650 Route 112, will for the second consecutive year hold a free Thanksgiving Day meal for those without a place to go for the holidays, from noon to 3 p.m. Last year the event fed about 100 people, according to owner Anthony Pallino, though he said he expects at least double the crowd this year, and he’s prepared to feed as many as 500.

“We have the platform to do it so it’s kind of selfish not to,” Pallino said. “It’s a time for people not only that are homeless, but also that just don’t have families and stuff like that to have a place to go. I’ve never felt that before — I‘ve always had a place to go on the holidays. I’m very lucky.”

Pallino said all of the food — turkey, stuffing, pasta, desserts and more — will be made in-house by the restaurant’s chefs. Many of those who take up the L.I. Pour House offer will likely be regular patrons of Welcome Friends Soup Kitchen based in Port Jefferson Village, which for nearly 30 years has served a hot, fresh meal homemade by volunteers at several area churches free of charge for those in need Sunday through Wednesday, as well as Friday, including at First Presbyterian Church on Main Street. The soup kitchen does not have Thursday offerings and while it offers turkey dinners repeatedly around Thanksgiving, it is closed on the actual day. The organization’s president, Marge Tumilowicz, said she’s been directing her regular guests to go to L.I. Pour House for a hot, home-cooked turkey dinner Nov. 22. She said Welcome Friends made up invitations for the event and distributed them to their guests prior to Thanksgiving.

“It’s wonderful,” she said of the event. “It should be a time of warmth and community, that’s what Thanksgiving is all about. Everybody says it’s for the family. Well, guess what, it was for more than family at the beginning. The whole community came together to celebrate.”

The statement on L.I. Pour House’s Facebook page summed up the thinking behind hosting the event.

“This Thanksgiving we at L.I. Pour House will be giving back to the community that has supported us for four years,” the post said. “So if you know of any family down on their luck or have no place to be this Thanksgiving tell them to come to L.I. Pour House. … We wish everyone a great holiday season.”

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The cast of 'Elf'
Christianne Tisdale, Zachary Podair and Erik Gratton
Erike Gratton and Ensemble
Zachary Podair and Erik Gratton in a scene from the show.
Christianne Tisdale, Zachary Podair and Erik Gratton
Caitlin Gallogly and Erik Gratton
Gordon Gray as Santa

By Melissa Arnold

Whether you’ve been playing carols for weeks or are just now contemplating putting up the tree, the end of Thanksgiving signals the official arrival of the holiday season. If this is the most wonderful time of the year in your house, there’s no better way to enjoy it than by catching “Elf`The Musical” at the John W. Engeman Theater in Northport.

Based on the beloved 2003 film starring Will Ferrell, “Elf” tells the story of a little boy who crawls into Santa’s gift bag and ends up at the North Pole. Raised as an elf, the ever-growing Buddy has no idea he’s really human, even though he’s a terrible toymaker. When Buddy learns the truth about his identity, he sets out on a journey to New York City to reconnect with his roots and find his family.

Insulated by the always cheery atmosphere of Christmastown, it’s an understatement to say Buddy faces culture shock upon arriving in the Big Apple. But it will take a lot to keep Buddy from spreading Christmas cheer, especially to the person that needs it most: his Scrooge-y father.

“Elf” made its Broadway debut in 2010 with book by Bob Martin and Thomas Meehan and music by Michael Sklar and Chad Beguelin. Devoted fans of the film will appreciate the show’s faithfulness to the original script, including Buddy’s classic one-liners that make it so iconic. The musical numbers aren’t especially memorable and feel unnecessary at points, but they do open up the opportunity for some great dance routines.

The production begins with Santa (Gordon Gray) inviting the audience to join him as he reads the story of Buddy the Elf. There’s something so fun about these moments that allow actors to interact with the crowd and draw viewers in. And the little details in Santa’s scenes (his oversized chair with a bag of Doritos and the remote control stuffed in the cushion) feel genuine and cozy. Gray’s portrayal of Santa is effortless, funny and truly believable — his belly laughs will make you wonder if he’s the real deal.

Erik Gratton is no stranger to the role of Buddy. He also starred in the national tour of “Elf” and last year’s Madison Square Garden production. While it’s hard to shake off the image of Will Ferrell in that famous green hat, Gratton leaves it all on the stage with tons of energy and all the zany enthusiasm Buddy deserves. His first experience and subsequent obsession with a paper shredder will have you in stitches. It’s also worth noting that he approaches the show’s rare emotional moments with surprising tenderness. Gratton will break your heart at the end of the first act during “World’s Greatest Dad (Reprise).”

After fantasizing endlessly about what life with his dad will be like, Buddy meets his overworked, agitated publisher father, Walter Hobbs (Joe Gately). Tension rolls off Gately in waves, and when Hobbs loses his temper, Gately fills the theater with powerful, roaring tirades. He’s a wonderful foil to Christianne Tisdale and Zachary Podair, who play Hobbs’s wife Emily and young son Michael. Tisdale and Podair have great chemistry as mother and son, and their duets in “I’ll Believe in You” and “There Is a Santa Claus” were personal favorites.

Of course, Buddy’s life is further turned upside down when he finds himself smitten with a beautiful, yet world-weary Macy’s employee, Jovie (Caitlin Gallogly). Gallogly is delightfully edgy and jaded for the majority of the show, making her character’s eventual thawing that much more enjoyable. She also has one of the strongest voices in the cast, and her vocals in “A Christmas Song” and “Never Fall in Love With an Elf” are a treat for the ears.

The ensemble in “Elf” has several different roles to play, from elves in Santa’s workshop to retail employees and bitter mall Santas. They deserve major props for their elf scenes — since elves are tiny, the actors perform on their knees. It’s no small feat to sing and dance to “Christmastown” from that position!

Choreographer Mara Newbery Greer and associate choreographer Tiger Brown are to be applauded for their hard work with the cast. The intense tap dancing in “Nobody Cares About Santa” is another impressive surprise.

Set designer Nate Bertone creates a whimsical backdrop for the show, grounded by huge arches covered in snowflakes. The giant logos for Macy’s and Greenway Press are eye-catching, as are the creative use of props and background silhouettes to show scene changes in real time. While musical director Charlie Reuter and the small orchestra are tucked out of sight in the pit, they provide the perfect, almost cartoonish, accompaniment to this silly show.

All told, director Matt Kunkel has led the Engeman’s cast of “Elf” in a production that’s loads of fun for the whole family — a perfect fit for the holiday season.

A note on content: “Elf” does contain some brief mild language and lighthearted innuendo that most children won’t notice. The show is generally appropriate for all ages.

If you have some extra money to spare, consider making a donation after the show to the Ecumenical Lay Council Food Pantry, which supports more than 150 local families each week. Cast members will collect donations as you leave. For more information, call 631- 261-4357.

See “Elf The Musical” now through Dec. 30 at the John W. Engeman Theater, 250 Main St., Northport. Tickets range from $73 to $78 with free valet parking. For more information or to order, call 631-261-2900 or visit www.engemantheater.com.

Photos by Michael DeCristofaro

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Members of the bus trip pose for a photo between the statues of Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr with dueling pistols.

By Elizabeth Kahn Kaplan

Twenty-seven enthusiastic day trippers boarded a chartered bus at the headquarters of the Three Village Historical Society at dawn on Nov. 3. Led by TVHS historian Bev Tyler, they arrived in comfort before 10 a.m. at Philadelphia’s newest tribute to the founding of our nation, the Museum of the American Revolution. There, the drama of the American Revolution and the ideas that inspired it came to life through the personal stories of the people who were there, from the early stirrings of unrest in Boston to the opening shots of the War of Independence and beyond, to the creation of the American Republic.

A must see was the recently opened exhibit, Hamilton Was Here: Rising Up in Revolutionary Philadelphia, on display through March 17, 2019. While New York City, our nation’s first capital, is the focus of attention in the Broadway hit “Hamilton: An American Musical,” it was in Philadelphia, the second national capital, that many of the major events in the life and work of Alexander Hamilton took place.

Museum visitors prepare to load and fire a cannon

The exhibition highlights different aspects of Hamilton’s contributions: his role as an artillery officer in Washington’s army and, later, as adviser to President Washington; his writings that persuaded states to accept the United States Constitution; creator of the U.S. Coast Guard; and first Secretary of the Treasury who envisioned the financial future of the nation.

Through interactive displays, hands-on activities and wall texts, the museum presents the struggles by Hamilton, who favored a strong central government, with Jefferson and Madison, who believed that power should lie with each state. These are questions that we still struggle with today: How do we achieve a proper balance between the rights of each state to act independently and  the need for federal oversight?

Other permanent exhibits are exceptional as well. The museum proudly displays Washington’s war tent, in which he worked and slept alongside Continental Army battlefields. Another remarkably stirring exhibit is housed in a small amphitheater containing life-size, three-dimensional representations of members of the Oneida Indian Nation. Each one “speaks” in turn, presenting arguments for and against sending their warriors to take part in the Saratoga Campaign in the autumn of 1777. Should they support the Patriot cause and fight alongside the Americans, or should they side with the British Army? The Oneidas wrestle with their decision and decide to fight with the Continental Army. The Saratoga Campaign became a turning point of the war.  

A scene from the Oneida Indian Nation exhibit at the museum.

Is this an appropriate museum for children? Yes, bring a child to see Washington’s war tent, or follow the 10 steps it takes to load and fire a cannon, or design a coin or paper currency for the new nation, or dress up in reproduction 1790s clothing to attend one of Martha Washington’s “levees.” All can sit in comfort to see excellent, informative short films.

That said, the museum’s exhibits appear to be designed primarily for high school and college students and adults. They pose serious questions — questions that the nation still struggles to answer. At the end of the day I asked one of the knowledgeable participants among the group to share his impression. “It was good,” he said, “but not great.”  When asked why the lower rating, he said, “Too politically correct.”

Hmm. Yes, the museum has expanded upon the history many of us learned about our country’s origins, mostly told from the perspective of affluent white Protestant males. Little was said in most textbooks or high school class discussions about the impact of the American Revolution on Native Americans, enslaved Africans, women, Catholics and other religious minorities and French and Spanish occupants of the land. For them, the revolution offered promise and peril. Some chose the cause of independence and others sided with the British.

Storybook touch screens called Finding Freedom introduce the African-American London Pleasants, who ran away from slavery in Virginia in 1781 and joined the British Army as a trumpeter. We hear about Eve, owned by the Randolph family of Williamsburg, Virginia, who fled to the British when they occupied the city. She and her son George enjoyed a period of freedom, working under the British, until she was recaptured at Yorktown in 1781. We learn of Elizabeth Freeman, who sued her owner for freedom based on the 1780 Massachusetts Constitution — and won.

The museum focuses attention on the most revolutionary legacies — personal liberty, citizenship, the right to vote and social equality. Is the museum “Politically Correct,” or simply “Correct”?

On the bus ride back to Setauket, the participants from the Three Village Historical Society were treated to a screening of the TBR News Media film about Nathan Hale, “One Life to Give.” They also had time to think about what they’d learned at the Museum of the American Revolution. If that was the goal of its designers, they accomplished their purpose.

The author is the former director of education at the Three Village Historical Society and an educator, writer and lecturer on art, artists and American history.

All photos by Elizabeth Kahn Kaplan

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By Lisa Scott

In New York State, we’ve truly had a landmark election. We had record-breaking rates of voter participation statewide with nearly 50 percent of voters turning out to vote.

Nationwide, in the face of suppression attempts, long lines, broken machines and partisan gerrymandering, voters turned out in huge numbers. They demanded better from our leaders. More women were elected to office than ever before, including the first Muslim and Native American women, the first black woman from New England and the first Latina women from Texas — all elected to Congress. Voting rights were expanded, with redistricting reforms and expanded registration passed in at least six states.

We are so proud of young voters who showed up, increasing the national youth turnout by roughly 50 percent over 2014. Early estimates signaled this could be the highest turnout for 18- to 29-year-olds since 18-year-olds were first granted the right to vote in 1971. Their votes helped to elect one of the most diverse slates of federal candidates, decided thousands of elections up and down the ballot and impacted progressive ballot measures across the country. By 2020, young people will comprise nearly 40 percent of voters, including nearly 9 million who turn 18 between now and the 2020 election. The League of Women Voters will continue and expand its programs to engage, educate and encourage youth to register and vote; they are our future.

In New York State strong voter turnout also highlighted the vulnerabilities and problems with our NY election laws. Separate primaries — federal offices held in June and state and local held in September — resulted in ballots not being certified until 3 weeks before Election Day and a significant delay in absentee ballots being mailed out. This resulted in confusion, mistrust and voters feeling disenfranchised. Yet there were increased absentee ballots submitted, indicating the importance of early voting options to our fellow NYS voters. Not having early voting also created long lines and extra problems on Election Day for voters, poll workers and the BOE.

The good news is that there is a way to solve these problems as early as next year. Early voting in NYS does not require a constitutional amendment but can be achieved through legislation in Albany. It will require electronic poll books, which have been used successfully in pilot projects in two NYS counties; the technology exists and is already being used in many states. Consolidating primaries does not need a constitutional amendment but needs agreement among lawmakers of both parties. Establishing only one primary date, earlier than September, would save NYS considerable money, which could offset the cost of early voting. Consolidated primaries would also end the problem of delayed mailing of absentee ballots.

Now that the election is behind us, it’s time to look ahead. The NYS Senate will now have a majority of Democratic members, many of whom have voiced support for league voting reform efforts in the past. The NYS Assembly passes voting reforms each year. We feel confident that we will finally see passage of early voting and other voting reforms in New York State during the January-June 2019 legislative session, with approval by the governor (and including funding in his budget).

The league will also continue its work registering more new voters, providing more nonpartisan information on candidates, hosting more debates and forums and advocating for legislation on critical issues, in an effort to create a more perfect democracy so that ALL Americans enjoy the same liberties and freedoms. Our democracy is truly strongest when everyone participates and has their voices heard. On Nov. 6, voters made huge steps toward full participation. But we still have so far to go. With your help and participation, the league can make a difference in your communities, Suffolk County, New York State and the nation. Call or email us to find out how you can get involved.

Lisa Scott is president of the League of Women Voters of Suffolk County, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government and influences public policy through education and advocacy. For more information, visit https://www.lwv-suffolkcounty.org, email [email protected] or call 631-862-6860.

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