A scene from the 16th annual Halloweekend at Hoyt Farm. Photo from Town of Smithtown
A scene from the 16th annual Halloweekend at Hoyt Farm. Photo from Town of Smithtown
A scene from the 16th annual Halloweekend at Hoyt Farm. Photo from Town of Smithtown
A scene from the 16th annual Halloweekend at Hoyt Farm. Photo from Town of Smithtown
A scene from the 16th annual Halloweekend at Hoyt Farm. Photo from Town of Smithtown
Hoyt Farm Nature Preserve hosted its 16th annual Halloweekend on Saturday, Oct. 16, and Sunday, Oct. 17. The sold out event attracted roughly 1200 residents, between both days.
Families enjoyed touring the preserve and playing games, going on hay rides, picking pumpkin, face painting, drinking hot apple cider and piping hot chocolate and more.
“I am so grateful for the team at Hoyt Farm and our Parks Department,” Town of Smithtown Superintendent Ed Wehrheim (R) said. “This is one of those events I refuse to miss every year. My grandkids have the time of their lives … and honestly so do I. Jeff, Sheryl, Kate, Dominick and the team at Hoyt Farm put so much passion and thoughtfulness into planning and orchestrating this event. It is truly indicative of how much they all love what they do and the community they do it for.”
The staff enjoyed preparing for the annual festival, according to Jeff Gurmin, director of Hoyt Farm Nature Preserve.
“We love to be able to transform Hoyt Farm from one of Smithtown’s hidden gems into a timeless world of dreams and fantasies,” Gurmin said.
Smithtown West junior Kaitlyn Singleton maneuvers mid-field in a home game against Sachem East Oct 19. Credit: Bill Landon
Smithtown West junior Kaitlyn Singleton pushes up-field in a home game against Sachem East Oct 19. Credit: Bill Landon
Kaitlyn Singleton presses to the outside for Smithtown West in a home game against Sachem East. Credit: Bill Landon
Smithtown West mid-fielder Isabella Zullo (r) passes the ball through a defender’s legs in a Div I matchup Oct 19. Bill Landon photo
Smithtown West mid-fielder Isabella Zullo challenges a Sachem forward in a Div I matchup Oct 19. Bill Landon photo
Senior midfielder Gillian DiCostanzo advances the ball for the Bulls in a Div 1 home game Oct 19. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown West junior Eve Goldman draws a crowd in a Div I matchup against Sachem East. Bill Landon photo
Smithtown West senior Alison Tom presses up-field for the Bulls in a home game against Sachem East. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown West senior Alison Tom battles a Sachem East defender Oct 19. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown West (5-7) had their hands full when Sachem East (11-1) came to visit in a Division I matchup where the Bulls struggled to find traction falling to the Flaming Arrows, 5-0, Oct 19. Smithtown West goalie made 10 saves on the day.
The loss all but extinguishes the Bulls from a post-season appearance with one game remaining. Smithtown West will host Pat-Med (7-5) Oct. 21 with a 4:30 start.
View show cars likes this 1954 GMC Sedan Delivery.
Photo by Phyllis Aquino/Long Island Cars
Save the date! Long Island Cars will present a Fall Harvest Car Show & Swap Meet at Flowerfields Fairgrounds, Route 25A in Saint James on Oct. 24 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. featuring classic and collectible automobiles including show cars from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s, one-of-a-kind custom cars, antiques, exotics, muscle cars and imports. Show cars will compete in classed judging; trophies will be granted in more than fifty categories. The event will also feature vendors, free pumpkins for the kids, live music, food and cars for sale in the “Car Corral.” Rain date is Oct. 31. Admission is $10 adults; children under age 12 are free. Call 631-567-5898 or visit LongIslandCars.com for further information.
Suffolk County Legislator Nick Caracappa (R-Selden) hosted a “Rally for Freedom” event last weekend in Selden to support the essential workers in healthcare, education and other professions who are at risk of losing their jobs for choosing not to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
On Saturday, Oct. 16, over 250 people were in attendance, and testimony was given by teachers, nurses, first responders, elected officials including State Senator Mario Mattera (R-St. James) and Assemblywoman, Jodi Giglio (R-Riverhead), along with those who lost loved ones from COVID-19.
The goal was to implore Governor Kathy Hochul (D) to listen to our communities and try to find some middle ground so that people don’t lose their jobs as a result of these restrictive mandates.
“New Yorkers, particularly those in Suffolk County and within my district, have worked hard to keep us safe during Covid by risking their lives and putting their families second for those who needed them,” Caracappa said. “Now, they feel deserted and desperate to have a voice. I want them to know that I am here to listen and stand with them against these irresponsible, unjustified and unwarranted mandates. They rallied for us when we were in need. Now we must rally for them.”
Caracappa said the event was not an “anti-vaccine” rally.
“Nothing could be further from the truth,” he said. “I personally chose to get vaccinated. And I respect those who choose not to. This isn’t a dispute about a COVID-19 vaccine. It’s about keeping our constitutional right of freedom that our Founding Fathers fought and died for. Thank you so much for the support from all of our speakers, members of the SCPD and the Selden, Farmingville, Centereach and Coram Fire Departments, DJ Top Entertainment, and for local businesses who donated food, like Slice’s Pizza, Duck Donuts and Chick-Fil-A. As I always say, you can’t spell Community without UNITY!”
Leg. Kara Hahn lighting a candle. Photo by Julianne Mosher
To honor of National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day, one local woman has spearheaded a county-wide event to honor and remember the little lives lost.
Elizabeth Kennedy, of Rocky Point, shared her story nearly two years ago with Legislator Sarah Anker (D-Mount Sinai), sparking the Suffolk County Legislature to unanimously approve a resolution, and designate Oct. 15 as “Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Awareness Day” back in 2020.
Sponsored by Anker, it was introduced to increase awareness of the causes and impacts surrounding pregnancy and infant loss and to improve understanding, support and potential resources for those who grieve the loss of a pregnancy or an infant.
Kennedy lost her second child, who was named Grace, when she was 26 weeks and six days pregnant on Feb. 25, 2018.
Struck with grief she felt that she needed to find an outlet to help her cope with her loss, so she began researching different infant loss support groups. Through her online search, she found the Star Legacy Foundation — a national organization whose mission is to increase awareness, support research, promote education and encourage advocacy and family support regarding stillbirth, pregnancy loss, and neonatal death.
After helping to organize a virtual candle lighting — called the “Wave of Light” — on Zoom to show respect for families and loved ones who have experienced loss last year, she and her fellow organizers decided to finally host an in-person event for 2021 at Heritage Park on Friday, Oct. 15.
At 6:45 p.m. nearly a dozen people came together to mourn and share their stories for one of the county’s first Wave of Light events at the park.
“I think it’s important to have advocates like Elizabeth Kennedy to provide these types of events to help people understand that they’re not the only ones dealing with these challenges,” Anker said. “There are so many women, and even men, that need to understand they are not the only ones that have that have experienced the sense of tremendous loss.”
According to the Star Foundation, thousands of families in the United States experience pregnancy and infant loss each year. In the United States there are approximately 24,000 stillbirths, or 1 out of 160 births, a year. In addition to stillbirths, current research suggests that between 10% and 20% of medically confirmed pregnancies end in miscarriage.
While 2020 was the first year Suffolk County acknowledged the day, the month of October was proclaimed as “Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month” by President Ronald Reagan in 1988.2021 was special to Kennedy and her family, because they were able to stand together in-person.
“Compared to last year, this was so much better and it’s nice to have everybody here with us,” she said at the event.
County Legislator Kara Hahn (D-Setauket) also visited the ceremony and helped light candles, too.
“No one can understand the loss of a child, but we can certainly together try to educate others and try to share our love and our support and empathy and compassion to try to help,” she said.
As for Gracie, the Kennedy family knows she’s looking down smiling.
“She continues to inspire,” Anker said.
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Leg. Kara Hahn, Elizabeth Kennedy and Leg. Sarah Anker. Photo by Julianne Mosher
Photo by Julianne Mosher
Photo by Julianne Mosher
Photo by Julianne Mosher
Leg. Kara Hahn lighting a candle. Photo by Julianne Mosher
The Jazz loft will be presenting the following events in November 2021:
Wednesday 11/3 Young at Heart: The Music of Burt Bacharach. 1 PM
Young at Heart is a monthly themed afternoon jazz series. This month The Jazz Loft Trio
will present the music of Bert Bacharach.
Tickets: $10
Wednesday 11/3 Jazz Loft Trio and Jam 7 PM
The Jazz Loft Trio performs at 7 PM followed by a jazz jam at 8 PM
Tickets: Arrive at 7 PM $10, Arrive at 8 PM $5
Thursday 11/4 Marilyn Maye with The Jazz Loft Big Band 7 PM
The 17 member Jazz Loft Big Band performs jazz standards and original compositions and arrangements written by band members. Marilyn Maye is a highly praised singer, actress, director and Grammy nominated recording artist.
Tickets: Adults $40, Seniors $35, Students $30, Children $25
Friday 11/5 Marilyn Maye and Her Trio 7 PM
Marilyn Maye is a highly praised singer, actress, director and Grammy nominated recording artist.
Tickets: Adults $35, Seniors $30, Students $25, Children $20
Wednesday 11/10 Jazz Loft Trio and Jam 7 PM
The Jazz Loft Trio performs at 7 Pm followed by a jam at 8 PM.
Tickets: Arrive at 7 PM $10, Arrive at 8 PM $5
Wednesday 11/17 Jazz Loft Trio and Jam 7 PM
The Jazz Loft Trio performs at 7 PM followed by a jam at 8 PM.
Tickets: Arrive at 7 Pm $10, Arrive at 8 PM $5
Thursday 11/18 Bad Little Big Band 7 PM
The 12 member Bad Little Big Band, led by pianist Rich Iacona, performs music of the Great American Song Book and original compositions and arrangements written by band members. Vocalist Madeline Kole accompanies the band.
Tickets: Adults $25, Seniors $20, Students $15, Children $10
Friday 11/19 Drumming Legends 7 PM
Drummers Ronnie Zito, Jackie Wilson, Darrell Smith and Chris Smith will be featured. Houston Person
tenor saxophone, Steve Salerno guitar and Tom Manuel cornet form the rest of the band.
Tickets: Adults $30, Seniors $25, $20 Students, $15 Children
Wednesday 11/24 Jazz Loft Trio and Jam 7 PM
The Jazz Loft Trio performs at 7 PM followed by a jam at 8 PM.
Tickets: Arrive at 7 PM $10, Arrive at 8 Pm $5
The Jazz Loft is located at 275 Christian Ave in Stony Brook Village phone 631 751-1895
Tickets can be purchased at www.thejazzloft.org and subject to availability, before events.
Much like Christmas, Halloween is no longer relegated to a single day. A number of Halloween enthusiasts now begin decorating at the start of October. Hijinks and autumn revelry fill the air as individuals eagerly count down to the end of the month. Though the lightheartedness of Halloween festivities, such as costumes and candy, garner the bulk of celebrants’ attention, it’s important to take safety into consideration as well.
According to the Mayo Clinic, children are twice as likely to be hit by a car on Halloween as other nights of the year. Cuts and burns also are more common on October 31. A good Halloween scare should come from costumes, not accidents or injuries. This Halloween, consider these safety measures, courtesy of Safe Kids Worldwide, the Mayo Clinic, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• Make sure you’re visible when trick-or-treating. Reflective tape, glow sticks, flashlights, or camping lanterns can make pedestrians more visible to motorists.
• Pedestrians should walk on sidewalks if they are available. When sidewalks are not available, walk facing traffic and do so as far off to the side of the road as you can get.
• Drivers should be especially alert to pedestrians on Halloween. Drive slowly, as many kids scurry from house to house in search of Halloween candy.
• Pedestrians and drivers should follow the rules of the road, stopping at intersections and crossing in crosswalks.
• Consider alternatives to carving pumpkins, since the risk of being cut while carving is high. If you want to carve, leave the carving to adults. Utilize battery-operated flameless candles or glow sticks to illuminate jack-o’-lanterns.
• All costumes, wigs and accessories should be fire-resistant. Make sure that costumes do not impede your ability to walk or see.
• Test makeup to check for skin irritation before application. Remove it promptly after returning home.
• Set up a buddy system so that no one is going it alone. Agree on a specific time children should return home. Adults should chaperone young children.
• While incidences of candy tampering may be minimal, no one should snack on candy until it has been inspected. Inspections also protect against food allergies.
• The candy bounty should be rationed so no one overindulges and feels ill later on. Halloween season is a fun time of year, but safety should go hand in hand with all the celebrating on this special day.
Fall is about cooler weather, football, sweaters and warm, delicious food. It’s about gathering around the table with loved ones to enjoy a snack or meal and making memories that will last a lifetime. As the weather changes, there are few better places to be than the kitchen, whipping up something amazing for all who are gathered.
This season, when you’re craving something sweet, try this Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips. It’s rich with lots of semi-sweet chocolate chips but also has a prominent pumpkin flavor that is hard to resist.
This recipe is easy to make and provides an opportunity to get the little ones involved in the kitchen. For example, they can stir and pour those yummy chocolate chips into the batter.
Made start to finish in less than an hour, this dessert gives you more time to rake leaves, carve pumpkins and cuddle up by the fireplace.
It can be a perfect treat for get-togethers from parties and events to just a couple friends enjoying each other’s company.
It’s light and moist with a crisp exterior. The signature pumpkin taste blends with the sweet chocolate to create a unique taste perfect for fall.
Find more seasonal dessert recipes at Culinary.net.
Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 45-50 minutes
Servings: 12
Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray 8-by-4-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment paper. Set aside. In large bowl, whisk flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and pumpkin spice. Set aside. In medium bowl, combine canned pumpkin, brown sugar, granulated sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla extract. Stir together. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients; mix until combined. Fold in chocolate chips.Pour batter into loaf pan. Bake 45 to 50 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool at least 10 minutes in pan before removing to wire rack to finish cooling.
Stony Brook Trauma Center, Suffolk County’s only Level I Trauma Center, earns Safe States Alliance's Injury and Violence Prevention Program Achievement Award for 2020.
The Safe States Alliance awarded the StonyBrookTrauma Center, Suffolk County’s only Level I Trauma Center, an Injury and Violence Prevention Program Achievement Award for 2020. The award recognizes StonyBrook’s ability to pivot and make many of its injury prevention programs available to the community despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
James A,. Vosswinkel, MD, Assistant Professor of Surgery, Chief, Trauma, Emergency Surgery, and Surgical Critical Care, Medical Director, Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU), Medical Director, Trauma Center
“This award is a thank you to the team here that works tirelessly to reach the community and provide the care they need no matter the circumstances,” says James A. Vosswinkel, MD, FACS, Trauma Medical Director and Chief of the Division of Trauma, Emergency Surgery, and Surgical Critical Care in the Department of Surgery at StonyBrook Medicine. “This is a reminder that every idea can make an impact. These programs can and will save lives.”
The StonyBrookTrauma Center offers free in-person injury prevention programs to the public, educating local communities on best practices in safety to prevent a trip to the emergency room and help save lives. In March 2020, that came to a halt when in-person injury prevention programs were cancelled due to the pandemic. Kristi Ladowski, MPH, Injury Prevention and Outreach Coordinator at StonyBrook Medicine, together with volunteers, staff, and community partners, quickly pivoted and made sure their programs could still be accessible to the community by moving to virtual programming.
“The strength of our partnerships, everyone’s willingness to quickly adapt, and our passion for injury prevention ensured that this transition was accomplished quickly and seamlessly,” says Ladowski. “We developed win-win partnerships that harmonize organizational goals, student experiential learning, and most importantly served our community needs.”
StonyBrook’s highly effective “Tai Chi for Arthritis,” a Fall Prevention workshop, immediately began a virtual schedule that allowed the team to hold more than 40 eight-week workshops, reaching over 1,000 participants. The availability of easily accessible recorded segments helped participants practice longer, more often and helped reduce attrition. Other programs such as “A Matter of Balance and Stepping On” also moved to virtual programming with great success.
School-based programs were also pivoted to virtual platforms. Programs such as Impact Teen Driver and the extremely popular Teddy Bear Clinic both promote road safety. In an effort to reach even more schools and students, the StonyBrookInjury Prevention team created a Teddy Bear Clinic video utilizing a “Blues Clues” approach to appeal to children and get more classroom participation than ever before possible. The video will reach thousands of students and potentially hundreds of classrooms every year helping keep the community safe, informed and become a great tool for parents and teachers in preventing major trauma injuries in children.
To make sure clinical students at StonyBrook could still fulfill their learning requirements, the Trauma Center expanded their undergraduate and graduate experiential learning opportunities by offering student participation in virtual programs. Occupational therapy students created multiple one-hour fall prevention workshops that helped fill a need for more accessible, shorter, informational workshops. These workshops were so well received that they are being continued indefinitely along with multiple practicum opportunities for master’s in public health students.
StonyBrook University Hospital (SBUH) is Long Island’s premier academic medical center. With 624 beds, SBUH serves as the region’s only tertiary care center and Regional Trauma Center, and is home to the StonyBrook University Heart Institute, StonyBrook University Cancer Center, StonyBrook Children’s Hospital and StonyBrook University Neurosciences Institute. SBUH also encompasses Suffolk County’s only Level 4 Regional Perinatal Center, state-designated AIDS Center, state-designated Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program, state-designated Burn Center, the Christopher Pendergast ALS Center of Excellence, and Kidney Transplant Center. It is home of the nation’s first Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Center. To learn more, visit www.stonybrookmedicine.edu/sbuh.
About StonyBrook University Trauma Center:
As Suffolk County’s only Level I Trauma Center, StonyBrook provides the highest possible level of adult and pediatric trauma care. We are state designated as the only Regional Trauma Center in Suffolk County, treating 1,800 trauma patients annually, including 200 children. For children, we provide a dedicated 24/7 Pediatric Emergency Department adjacent to the main Emergency Department, staffed by board-certified Pediatric Emergency Medicine physicians. The eight-bed Suffolk County Volunteer Firefighters Burn Center is Suffolk County’s only state-designated regional Burn Center. To learn more, visit www.trauma.stonybrookmedicine.edu.
About Safe States Alliance:
A national non-profit organization formed in 1993, comprised of public health and injury and violence prevention professionals. Their mission, to strengthen the practice of injury and violence prevention. To learn more visit, https://www.safestates.org/page/InnovativeInitiative.
A Walmart customer donates to Stan Feltman’s fundraising efforts for fellow veterans. Photo by Rita J. Egan
Stanley Feltman of Coram, a 2019 TBR News Media Brookhaven Person of the Year and World War II veteran, died Sept. 23. He was 95.
Stan Feltman was a B-29 tail gunner in the United States Army Air Corps.
Feltman was known to many as the veteran who sold poppies at the Middle Island Walmart to raise money for his fellow veterans. Often he would have a shopping cart filled with articles and wartime photos. Some days he would take a break from his regular location and collect money at the Walmart in Centereach or East Setauket.
In a 2019 TBR News Media interview, Feltman said he had met so many generous people through the years. He usually would collect between $80 and $100 after standing there for two hours. One day a gentleman shook his hand and noticed he was cold and bought him a jacket from the store. One woman gave him a $20 bill one day saying it was for him to keep.
“I took the $20, and when she left, I threw it in the pot,” he said. “I don’t need the money.”
A member of the Jewish War Veterans of the USA Col. Mickey Marcus Post 336, Feltman would bring the donations to the post’s monthly meetings where he and his fellow members decided where the money should go. Post Comdr. Norman Weitz said over a few years they have been able to donate more than $21,000 thanks to Feltman’s fundraising efforts. The post is a regular contributor to many veterans causes, including the Long Island State Veterans Home at Stony Brook University.
“My father was more proud of what he did with selling poppies for the veterans than anything he did in the war,” his son Richard said in a recent phone interview. “That was to him most important — selling poppies was his lifeline.”
His son said he and his brother Scott were proud of his father not only because he was a WW II vet but also because he gave back to other veterans.
“The fact that he was giving back to other veterans who might need help and providing them money to be able to give them things that they may have needed — especially those vets coming back from the War on Terrorism and not necessarily getting what World War II vets got when they returned — I couldn’t be happier with my father,” Richard Feltman said.
Stanley Feltman, who was born April 5, 1926, in Flatbush, Brooklyn, was a B-29 tail gunner and double ace in the U.S. Army Air Corps, which he joined after he graduated from high school in 1944. Feltman one time after being shot down had to escape on a raft. When a fellow soldier slipped off the raft into shark-infested waters, Feltman dove down to save him and grabbed him by the collar. Feltman earned the Bronze Star Medal for saving the man’s life. The medal wasn’t the only one earned during his service, as he gained more medals in total throughout his time in the Air Corps, even though they were no longer in his possession.
Richard Feltman said local elected officials helped the family reissue many of his father’s medals when he was inducted into the Four Chaplains Society in 2020 for the work he had done selling poppies.
During this time in the Army Air Corps, he became an amateur boxer. One day when he was being bullied by another soldier for being Jewish, he punched him. When a drill sergeant witnessed the fight and Feltman’s skill, he encouraged Feltman to take up boxing where he was undefeated. After his time in the service, Feltman went on to become a carpet salesperson.
In addition to raising money for veterans, Feltman participated in lectures at schools and senior groups, including Erasmus Hall High School where he attended while growing up in Brooklyn. He also was interviewed for the Library of Congress Veterans History Project, an initiative established to collect and preserve firsthand remembrances of wartime veterans.
Feltman was predeceased by his wife, Marilyn. He leaves behind his two sons Richard and Scott and five grandchildren. Funeral services were held Sept. 24 at New Montefiore Cemetery in West Babylon.
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