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Yearly Archives: 2023

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Catch a screening of 'Lilo & Stitch' at the Cinema Arts Centre on May 21.
PROGRAMS

Spring Wildflower Walk

Caleb Smith State Park Preserve, 581 W. Jericho Turnpike, Smithtown offers a Spring Wildflower Walk on May 20 from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Join a nature educator to explore the grounds of Caleb Smith State Park Preserve in search of early blooming wildflowers. See if you can identify these spring treasures with the help of a field guide during this family event. $4 per person. Reservations are required by calling 631-265-1054.

All Hands on Deck! 

All aboard! You are invited to celebrate National Maritime Weekend at the Whaling Museum, 301 W. Main St., Cold Spring Harbor on May 20 at noon and again at 2 p.m. Discover the fascinating ways crews from Long Island worked together to sail the world. Find out what life was like aboard a whaleship, see artifacts from our collection, and learn the words to a sea shanty, a musical trick to help sailors work to the same beat! Design a ship-in-a-jar craft to take home with you. Admission fee + $10 per participant. Visit www.cshwhalingmuseum.org to register. For more information, call 631-367-3418.

Picture Books & Poetry

Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum, 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport will present Picture Books & Poetry with author Linda Trott-Dickman on May 21 at 6 p.m. in the Reichert Planetarium Theater. Watch your favorite bedtime storybooks come to life and create something special inspired by the reading. Wear your favorite pajamas, bring your favorite stuffed animal and settle in to hear lyrical stories about dreams. Tickets are $10 per person, $8 members at www.vanderbiltmuseum.org.

Books in the Barn

Smithtown Historical Society’s new Books in the Barn program for ages 3 to 5 with parent/caregiver continues on May 22 from 10 to 10:45 a.m. Meet at the newly refurbished Franklin O. Arthur Farm, 239 E. Main St., Smithtown to listen to stories about farms, barns and animals. Then visit with the chickens, bunnies, sheep, ponies and barn cats that call the farm home. Free. Open to all. To register, visit www.smithlib.org/children, call 631-360-2480, ext. 140 or visit in person. 

THEATER

‘Flat Stanley’

John W. Engeman Theater, 250 Main St., Northport presents The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley from May 27 to July 2 with a sensory friendly performance on June 10 at 11 a.m. Stanley Lambchop is your ordinary, everyday, run-of-the-mill, ten-year-old. For Stanley, life is too normal. He longs to travel the world, do something amazing! Careful what you wish for, Stanley! One morning, Stanley wakes up really, REALLY flat! In a whirlwind musical travelogue, Stanley scours the globe for a solution to his unusual problem. He’s stamped, posted and mailed from Hollywood to Honolulu and beyond hoping to once again become three dimensional. All seats are $20. To order, call 631-261-2900 or visit www.engemantheater.com.

‘Cinderella’

Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson closes its children’s theatre season with its original retelling of the poor waif Cinderella from May 27 to June 17 with a sensory sensitive performance on June 4 at 11 a.m. The classic love story finds its power in a pumpkin, a palace, a prince and a young girl whose belief in herself can overcome any obstacle. When her Fairy Godmother adds a dash of excitement, the magical possibilities are endless. Don’t miss this musical enchantment for the entire family. All seats are $10. To order, call 631-928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com. 

FILM

‘Lilo & Stitch”

Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Ave., Huntington continues its Cinema for Kids! series with a screening of Lilo & Stitch on May 21 at noon. A young and parentless girl adopts a ‘dog’ from the local pound, completely unaware that it’s supposedly a dangerous scientific experiment that’s taken refuge on Earth and is now hiding from its creator and those who see it as a menace. ability to care for someone else. Rated PG. Tickets are $12, $5 children 12 and under. Visit www.cinemaartscentre.org.

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Catch a screening of 'Unfinished Business' at Theatre Three on May 22 as part of the Port Jefferson Documentary Series festival.

Time to grab the highlighter! From community yard sales to festivals, concerts, walking tours, car shows, craft fairs and new theater shows, there is so much going on this week on the North Shore.

Thursday May 18

International Museum Day

Middle Country Public Library, 101 Eastwood Blvd., Centereach hosts its annual International Museum Day from 4 to 7 p.m. Representatives from many local museums, historical societies, science and nature centers will be on hand to share information regarding their collections, programs and exhibits. Free and open to all. Call 631-585-9393.

Bingo in Mount Sinai

Town of Brookhaven’s Rose Caracappa Senior Center, 739 Route 25A, Mount Sinai hosts an afternoon of Bingo  from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. with refreshments and prizes. Free but registration is required by calling 631-451-5312.

Atelier lecture

Join the Atelier at Flowerfield, 2 Flowerfield, Suite 15, St. James for a free “Seascape Plein Air” lecture and demonstration by artist Kirk Larsen from 2 to 4 p.m. Larsen, whose exhibition “WOW! You’ve Gotta See This” is currently on view at Atelier Hall, will demonstrate his “en plein air” technique. For more information, call 631-250-9009 or visit www.theatelieratflowerfield.org/lectures.

Walking Tour and Pub Crawl

The Huntington Historical Society presents a Walking Tour and Pub Crawl at 6:30 p.m. Led by Town of Huntington Historian, Robert C. Hughes, these walking tours will guide you through the notable buildings and events in the history of Huntington Village. Along the way participants will stop at local establishments to enjoy some refreshment before continuing the tour. The tour will begin at the Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Building, located at 228 Main Street in Huntington Village. $25 per person, $20 members. Call 631-427-7045  to reserve your space. 

Vanderbilt Museum lecture

Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum, 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport continues its lecture series with a presentation titled Coastal Playland: Developing the Sound with Kara Murphy Schlichting  at 7 p.m. in the Planetarium. Schlichting’s lecture will draw heavily from her 2019 book New York Recentered: Building the Metropolis from the Shore focusing not on Robert Moses and grand scheme planning but on the lesser-known local businesses, developers, and government officials whose efforts profoundly shaped coastal communities throughout the metropolitan region. Tickets are $10, members free, at www.vanderbiltmuseum.org.

Friday May 19

Garden Club Plant Sale

Centerport Garden Club will hold their annual outdoor plant sale at Harborfields Public Library, 31 Broadway, Greenlawn from 9 to 11 a.m. featuring perennials, herbs and house plants for sale at reasonable prices from members’ gardens and Dropseed Native Nursery while supplies last. Plant advice available. Visit www.centerportgardenclub.org.

Third Friday at the Reboli

The Reboli Center for Art and History, 64 Main St., Stony Brook continues its Third Friday series with an engaging talk with May’s feature artisan of the month jewelry designer Gwen Beloti from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The talk will be followed by a Q&A with the artist and an opportunity to view the gallery’s latest exhibit. Light refreshments and snacks will be served. Free. No reservations necessary. Call 631-751-7707.

Greek Night in Kings Park

Kings Park Heritage Museum presents Greek Night at the RJO School Auditorium, 99 Old Dock Road, Kings Park at 7 p.m. Come enjoy traditional dances and song, live Greek choirs and bands, traditional foods and customs. Free. Call 631-269-3305.

Community Band concert

Join the North Shore Community Band for its annual Salute to Veterans concert at St. John the Baptist Church, 1488 North Country Road, Wading River at 7:30 p.m. An all-American musical tribute to our beloved veterans, the concert is in commemoration of 50 years since the end of America’s involvement in the Vietnam War and 70 years since the Korean War armistice. Free. Visit www.nscbli.org.

Northport Chorale concert

Northport Middle School, 11 Middleville Road, Northport will host a concert by the Northport Chorale titled For the Beauty of the Earth, a concert celebrating our planet, at 8 p.m. Enjoy a variety of nature-inspired melodies, plus an appearance by the Merrimac School Children’s Choir. Tickets are $15 at the door. 

Sara Caswell in concert

Grammy Nominee and world class violinist Sara Caswell and her quartet will be performing music from her new album The Way to You at the Jazz Loft, 275 Christian Ave., Stony Brook at 7 p.m. Caswell will be performing with Jesse Lewis, guitar; Adam Cruze, drums; and Ike Sturm, bass. Tickets are $30 adults, $25 seniors, $20 students, $15 children at www.thejazzloft.org or at the door. Call 631-751-1895 for more info.

Saturday May 20

Spring Yard Sale – Postponed to May 21 due to the weather

The Yaphank Historical Society will hold a multi-vendor Spring Yard Sale on the grounds of the Robert & Isabella Hawkins House at 4 Yaphank Avenue, Yaphank from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. featuring a large variety of crafts, collectibles, and household items. Rain date is May 21. Call 631-924-4803.

TVHS Community Yard Sale – Postponed to May 21 due to the weather

Three Village Historical Society, 93 North Country Road, Setauket hosts its annual Community Wide Yard Sale from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. with over 40 community vendors. Get great deals on household goods, antiques, collectibles, toys, furniture and more. Rain date May 21. Call 631-751-3730.

Fleece and Fiber Festival – Postponed to May 21 due to the weather

One of Long Island’s largest celebrations of fiber arts and crafts, the Fleece & Fiber Festival returns to Hallockville Museum Farm, 6038 Sound Ave., Riverhead from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. An immersive experience in the life cycle of fiber, from sheep to sweater, the event will feature vendors, demonstrations, children’s activities, historical fiber tour, petting zoo, bake sale, raffles and much more. Rain date May 21. $10 admission, free for ages 12 and under. To purchase tickets, visit www.hallockville.org.

Community Yard & Craft Sale – Postponed to June 3 due to the weather

St. Cuthbert’s Episcopal Church, 18 Magnolia Place, Selden presents its first Community Yard & Craft Sale from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with antiques, clothing, crafts of all kinds, crystals, jewelry, home decor, yard sale items, Mary Kay and more. Rain date is June 3. Questions? Call 631-732-8773.

Friends of the Library Craft Fair

Harborfields Public Library, 31 Broadway, Greenlawn will host the Friends of the Library’s annual outdoor Friends Craft & Flea Market from 10 a.m to 4 p.m. featuring craft vendors, local businesses and flea market items from individual sellers. Held rain or shine. Call 631-757-4200.

Paige Patterson in concert — This event has been canceled due to the weather.

Celebrate St. James presents An Evening with Paige Patterson at Celebrate Park, 369 Lake Ave., St. James at 6 p.m. The free concert will include selections from the American Songbook a medley of standards with a twist, classic soul and contemporary. Visit www.celebratestjames.org for more info.

Arrizza Under the Stars

Vanderbilt Museum’s Reichert Planetarium, 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport presents Arrizza Under the Stars, a live performance by local artist and musician Yannaki Arrizza, based on his recent 2022 album release Astronomia, at 6 p.m. Audiences can expect to be transported into immersive worlds and interstellar mediums that transcend both space and time and where the only limit is the imagination. This live performance includes artistic landscapes, original fulldome 3D artwork, projections of starfields, and deep-space objects, and includes colorful laser lights through a haze of fog. Tickets are $30 in advance at www.vanderbiltmuseum.org, $25 members, $35 at the door.

LISCA concert

The Long Island Symphonic Choral Association presents its annual spring concert at St. James R.C. Church, 429 Route 25A, Setauket at 8 p.m. Titled Sing Spring,  the choral concert with orchestra will feature Vivaldi’s “Gloria,” Randall Thompson’s “Alleluia” and Oja Gjeilo’s “Sunrise” and will be conducted by Richard Foley and accompanied by an eighteen-piece orchestra. Tickets are $25, $20 seniors, students are free at www.lisca.org or at the door. Call 631-897-8520 or 751-2743.

Spring Fling Comedy Night

Join the Smithtown Center for the Performing Arts, 2 E. Main St.. Smithtown for an evening of stand up comedy with Governor’s Comedy Club at 8 p.m. with comedians Rob Falcone, Tom McGuire, Debbie D’Amore and Joe Crovella. Tickets are $45, $40.50 members and includes open bar of beer and wine. To order, call 800-595-4849 or visit www.smithtownpac.org.

Sunday May 21

Vanderbilt Car Show – just added!

Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum, 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport hosts a car show by the Cadillac & LaSalle Club on the Great Lawn from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitors pay general admission to the museum; there is no extra charge for the car shows. Admission: adults $10; seniors (62 plus) $9; students (with ID) $9; children 12 and under $7; military and children under 2 are free.

Huntington Village Art Walk

Calling all art lovers! The Huntington Village Art Walk returns today from noon to 5 p.m. Visit 10 museums and galleries in Huntingon Village including the Heckscher Museum of Art during this self-guided tour. Many of the artists’ will be on hand to talk about their inspiration, while you enjoy tasty treats and check out the art scene with live music playing along the way.  Free. Pick up your flyer with the map at the info table under the Paramount Marquee, or visit www,huntingtonartcenter.com for a list of participants.

Paws of War Car Show

Paws of War and the Fabulous 50’s and 60’s Nostalgia Car Club will host a car show at Nesconset Plaza, 127 Smithtown Blvd. Nesconset from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to raise money to support local veterans and first responders in the Long Island community. The car show will include vintage, classic and custom cars, live music, hot food, 50/50 raffles and more. Free admission for spectators, $25 fee for car show participants. Judging begins at noon. Rain date is June 4. For more information, call 631-402-2798, 631-624-4126 or visit www.pawsofwar.org.

Waterfront Festival Craft Fair

Mill Dam Park, Mill Dam Road, Huntington will host the 8th annual Huntington Waterfront Craft Festival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with over 125 artisans with crafts, nautical antiques, unique gifts, beautiful boats, food trucks and a stage with non-stop live entertainment.  Commences National Safe Boating Week. Call 631-846-1459 for more information.

Nesconset Craft Fair

Nesconset Chamber of Commerce presents a Spring Fling Food Truck Rodeo & Craft Fair at the Gazebo Park, 127 Smithtown Blvd., Nesconset from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 631-724-2543 for further details.

Chinese Auction

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, 800 Portion Road, Lake Ronkonkoma will hold a Chinese Auction at 12:30 p.m. with raffles called at 2 p.m. Over 160 prizes. $10 admission includes 25 tickets, coffee and cake. Extra sheets are $5 each. Call 631-737-4388.

Bob Dylan Celebration

The Long Island Museum, 1200 Rte. 25A, Stony Brook continues its WUSB Sunday Street series with a concert in the Carriage Museum’s Gillespie Room celebrating Bob Dylan’s 82nd birthday at 7 p.m. with The Kennedys, Rod MacDonald, Pete Mancini, and Emily Duff accompanied by Brian Kachejian (piano), Don Olsen (bass) and Tom Ryan (drums) with special guest Ray Lambiase. Program will feature Dylan rarities. Tickets are $35 per person at www.sundaystreet.org.

Monday 22

No events listed for this day.

Tuesday May 23

NSJC Social Club event

North Shore Jewish Center Social Club, 385 Old Town Road, Port Jefferson Station invites the community to a concert titled “A Journey Down the Golden Age of Song” with vocalist Marty Kupferberg and Thelma Grossman, piano accompanist in the Social Hall at 11 a.m. Bagels, cream cheese and coffee among other refreshments will be served. $5 per person, $3 members. Call 631-928-3737 for more information.

An evening of Swing Dance

Swing Dance Long Island, a non-profit social dance club, holds weekly dances every Tuesday evening at the  Huntington Moose Lodge, 631 Pulaski Rd. Greenlawn with beginner swing lessons at 7:30 p.m. and dancing from 8 to 10:30 p.m. Singles and beginners are welcome.  No partner necessary. Admission is $15 on DJ night,  $20 on band night on the third Tuesday of the month. Call 516-521-1410.

Wednesday May 24

Atelier virtual lecture

Join Atelier at Flowerfield in St. James for a free Zoom lecture titled Figure Drawing: The Naked Truth and History of Art’s Most Revealing Genre from 7 to 9 p.m. Artist and historian Randall DiGiuseppe will explore the fascinating history, evolution and future of classical art’s most essential and revealing practice: drawing from the live nude figure. Examine figure drawings as far back as 17,000 BCE to the modern masters of the genre. To register, visit www.theatelieratflowerfield.org.

Thursday May 25

Walking Tour and Pub Crawl

The Greenlawn Centerport Historical Association hosts a walking tour and pub crawl of downtown Greenlawn at 6:30 p.m. Huntington Town Historian Robert C. Hughes and Greenlawn historian  Toby Kissam, a Greenlawn historian will be your guides as you learn all about the history of downtown Greenlawn. Along the way, participants will stop at local establishments to enjoy some refreshments before continuing the tour. Starting point is Harborfields Public Library, 31, Broadway, Greenlawn. Tickets are $15, $10 members (drinks are not included). Registration is required by visiting www.greenlawncenterporthistorical.org. 

Native American drumming

All Souls Church Parish House, 10 Mill Pond Road, Stony Brook hosts an evening of Native American Drumming from 7 to 8:45 p.m. Led by elder drummer, Ric Statler, drumming meditation seeks to integrate the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual parts of the human self, creating a state of well-being. Call 631-655-7798.

Film

‘Unfinished Business’

Port Jefferson Documentary Series closes out its Spring 2023 season with a screening of Unfinished Business, an intimate look at the formation and legacy of the WNBA, and its flagship team, the New York Liberty’s, dramatic 2021 season, as they play for acceptance, respect, and the future of basketball, at Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson on May 22 at 7 p.m. Followed by a Q&A with Director Alison Klayman. Tickets are $10 at www.portjeffdocumentaryseries.com or at the door.

Theater

Summer Shakespeare Festival

The Carriage House Players kick off the 34th annual Summer Shakespeare Festival in the mansion courtyard of the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum, 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport with The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) on May 21 at 7 p.m. and May 26 at 8 p.m. Three Shakespeare enthusiasts attempt to do the impossible: Act their way through all of The Bard’s 37 plays in one night. Tickets are $20, $15 children under 12. To order, visit www.vanderbiltmuseum.org.

‘Cabaret’

Star Playhouse, Stage 74 at Suffolk Y JCC, 74 Hauppauge Road, Commack, presents Cabaret on May 20 at 8 p.m. and May 21 at 2 p.m. Daring, provocative and exuberantly entertaining, Cabaret explores the dark and heady life of Bohemian Berlin as Germany slowly yields to the emerging Third Reich. Tickets are $32, $25 seniors and students. Call 631-462-9800 x-136 or visit www.starplayhouse.com to order.

‘The Sound of Music’

Up next for the John W. Engeman Theater, 250 Main St., Northport is The Sound of Music from May 18 to July 2. The final collaboration between Rodgers & Hammerstein was destined to become the world’s most beloved musical. Featuring a trove of cherished songs, including “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” “My Favorite Things,” “Do Re Mi,” “Sixteen Going on Seventeen” and the title number, The Sound of Music has won the hearts of audiences worldwide. Tickets range from $80 to $85. To order, call 261-2900 or visit www.engemantheater.com. 

‘Something Rotten!’

Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson continues its Mainstage productions with Something Rotten! from May 20 to June 24.  Living in the shadow of Renaissance rock star The Bard, two brothers set out to write the world’s first musical in this hilarious mash-up of sixteenth-century Shakespeare and twenty-first-century Broadway. But amidst the scandalous excitement of opening night, the Bottom Brothers realize that reaching the top means being to thine own self be true—and all that jazz! Contains adult humor and situations. Tickets are $35 adults, $28 seniors and students, $20 children ages 5 and up. To order, call 631-928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com.

Class Reunions

•Ward Melville High School Class of 1973 will hold its 50th reunion at the Setauket Neighborhood House, 95 Main St., Setauket on Sept. 9, 2023 from 6 to 11 p.m. For ticket information, contact Tibo Dioguardi at [email protected].

•Save the date! Port Jefferson High School Class of 1964 will hold its 60th reunion at the Meadow Club, 1147 Route 112, Port Jefferson Station on Oct. 17, 2024. For more information, email Mike Whelen at [email protected].

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'White Bouquet' by Charles Wildbank
'The Dance' by Angela Stratton
'Boardwalk Wagon' by John Mansueto
'Bayard Cutting Arboretum' by Ross Barbera
'Church View' by Flo Kemp

By Heidi Sutton

May is one of the prettiest times of the year on Long Island with the trees in bloom and the pleasant weather. The month also signals the return of a beautiful event, the Setauket Artists’ annual spring exhibit at Deepwells Mansion in St. James. 

The juried show, which opens on May 21, will feature approximately 100 paintings in various types of mediums including oil, watercolor and pastel along with etchings and painted photographs by Setauket Artist members in addition to two guest artists: Charles Wildbank, a well known and respected artist from Jamesport, and Russell Pulick, founder of Pulick Pottery. 

This year’s distinguished judge is Joshua Ruff, Co-Executive Director at the Long Island Museum in Stony Brook. Ruff will have the difficult job of choosing winners from a pool of incredible local talent.

“Because we live in such a beautiful area, many of the paintings are Long Island landscapes and seascapes of the Sound. Other paintings reflect artists’ travels and daily inspirations, which range from tea cups to trailers,” said Paula Pelletier, a member of the Setauket Artists for over 10 years and whose painting “Flax Pond Inlet” will be in the show.

“Recently, my husband and I discovered the walk at Flax Pond Marine Lab. The views took my breath away; I had to paint them,” she explained.

The exhibit will also feature a gift boutique with matted unframed smaller works, cards, and books written by the artists. The group will raffle off four paintings including “Watching the Stillness of a Setting Sun” by Shain Bard, “Daffodils by Joanne Liff, “Along the Coast” by Renee Caine, and “Road in Mt. Sinai” by Angela Stratton on June 18, the exhibit’s last day. Visitors can enter the raffle throughout the exhibit’s run and do not need to be present to win. 

According to Pelletier, the show will fill the Deepwells Mansion’s first floor and extend to the upstairs. The back rooms on the second floor will house three of the Setauket Artists’ personal “studios” with additional artwork available for sale.

The mansion, which is part of the Suffolk County Parks Department, was built in 1845 in the 16th century Greek-Revival architecture for Joel Smith, a descendant of Smithtown’s founder Richard ‘Bull’ Smith. It is now managed by the Deepwells Farm Historical Society.

“It’s wonderful to return to Deepwells,” said Pelletier. “The rooms are expansive with natural light flooding in from the floor to ceiling windows. For visitors, it’s an opportunity to view the period wallpaper and distinctive crown moulding.”

This year’s Honored Artist is Irene Ruddock, the Setauket Artists’ president and mentor for the past 18 years. “A woman of elegance, grace and great kindness, she has worked tirelessly ensuring that our exhibitions are successful, professional and beautiful. Her artistic talents inspire us all. We send her our love and a sincere thank you,” said Pelletier.

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS:

Ross Barbera, Shain Bard, Ron Becker, Joyce Bressler, Renee Caine, Al Candia, Gail Chase, Anthony Davis, Julie Doczi, William Dodge, Paul Edelson, Margaret Governale, William Graf, Melissa Imossi, Larry Johnston, Flo Kemp, Karen Kemp, Joanne Liff, John Mansueto, Jane McGraw Teubner, Eleanor Meier, Fred Mendelsohn, Muriel Musarra,  Paula Pelletier, Russell Pulick, Catherine Rezin, Joan Rockwell, Robert Roehrig, Irene Ruddock, Oscar Santiago, Carole Link Scinta, Barbara Jeanne Siegel, Angela Stratton, Susan Trawick, Maria  Lourdes Velez, Marlene Weinstein, Charles Wildbank, and Patricia Yantz.

The Setauket Artists’ Spring Exhibit will be held at Deepwells Mansion, 2 Taylor Lane, St. James from May 21 through June 18. The community is invited to an opening  reception on May 21 from 1 to 4 p.m. Refreshments will be served. Gallery hours are Wednesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed Monday and Tuesday. Admission is always free. For more information, visit www.setauketartists.com.

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Jordan Viscomi. Photo from SCPD

Suffolk County Police  arrested a Centereach man on May 17 for alleged Use of a Child in a Sexual Performance for incidents that occurred last month.

Jordan Viscomi, a dance instructor at David Sanders Dance Dynamics, located at 4110 Sunrise Highway in Oakdale, met and befriended two female juveniles, aged 15 and 16, who were dance students there. Over the course of three days in April 2023, Viscomi allegedly engaged the two victims in live video chats and phone text messages, where he exchanged sexual content with them.

Following an investigation by Fourth Squad detectives, Viscomi, 30, was charged with alleged six counts of Use of a Child in a Sexual Performance, four counts of Promoting a Sexual Performance by a Child, four counts of Disseminating Indecent Material to Minors 1st Degree, two counts of Disseminating Indecent Material to Minors 2nd Degree, and two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child.

Police are asking anyone who may have been victimized by Viscomi to call the Fourth Squad at 631- 854-8552.

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Children can win a trophy and all get a goody bag at this year's angler event. File photo from Carole Paquette

The Friends of Caleb Smith Preserve will hold its 19th annual “Catch and Release” Junior Angler Fishing Tournament at Caleb Smith State Park Preserve, 581 W. Jericho Turnpike, Smithtown on Saturday, June 10. The tournament will be divided into two groups: ages 5 through 8 from 9:45 to 11:15 a.m.; and ages 9 to 12 from 1 to 3 p.m. Trophies will be awarded in three categories at each session.Supporting sponsors for the event are The Fisherman and The Campsite Sports Shop.

Those interested in participating in the tournament must register by Saturday, June 4. Anglers under the age of 10 must be accompanied by an adult. The entry fee is $15, $10 for members and includes bait, hooks and bobbers, junior angler tee shirts, refreshments, and goody bags for all participants. A limited number of fishing rods are available if required. An $8 NYS Parks parking fee will be in effect. 

For more information or to register, call 631-265-1054 Wednesday through Sunday.

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Many participants at last year's walk wore pink for breast cancer awareness. Photo from Mather Hospital

The fight against breast cancer in our community continues on Sunday, May 21 with the Northwell Health Walk at Mather Hospital located at 75 North Country Road in Port Jefferson. 

Presented by Bethpage Federal Credit Union, the Walk brings together family, friends and team members for a five-mile walk through the scenic villages of Port Jefferson and Belle Terre. The day includes a light breakfast, live music by Damaged Goods, raffles, photo props, a walker warm up session, and the popular Pink Your Pooch contest for the best “pinked” pup!

Sponsored by New York Cancer & Blood Specialists and King Quality Construction, the Northwell Health Walk at Port Jefferson benefits the Fortunato Breast Health Center and serves to raise awareness of the need for regular breast cancer screenings starting at age 40. 

Nearly 300,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and early detection through mammograms and other screenings can help find cancer at an early stage, before symptoms appear. In 2019, only 65 percent of women ages 45 and older were up to date with breast cancer screening, according to the American Cancer Society.

The hundreds of participants at this annual event walk for a family member or friend fighting breast cancer, a survivor who conquered breast cancer, or in memory of someone whose life was cut short by this disease.

The event will be held simultaneously with other walks in Riverhead, Jones Beach, Staten Island and Yorktown Heights. Last year’s Northwell Health Walk raised a total of nearly $1 million.

Check-in/registration starts at 8:30 a.m. with an opening ceremony at 9:45 a.m. followed by the walk at 10 a.m. To register, pleasevisit www.northwellhealthwalk.com.

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By Daniel Dunaief

Daniel Dunaief

Most of us engage in group movements that don’t make our day. We get in a car, sit in traffic as we wait for other cars to pass or for lights to turn green, all the while surrounded by other people doing the same thing.

Group movements start at a young age, which we witness when we stop for school buses that pick up students. A line of buses then brings those students into the parking lot.

Our entertainment and discretionary decisions follow some of the same patterns as we travel by car, bus, or train to sporting events or, in our case, recently, concerts.

And yet, the experience and the excitement we share in our interactions are markedly different.

My wife and I attended a recent performance by Janet Jackson as a part of her Together Again tour.

Unlike 15 years ago when we last saw Janet Jackson at Madison Square Garden, we asked our son to take us to and from the concert. That’s one advantage of the passage of time.

We left the car about four-tenths of a mile from the arena. Walking more rapidly than the cars inching along next to us, we followed the line of people trekking along the shoulder to the entrance.

A woman leaned out of her window and asked us if we knew if the place would sell refreshments. We said we hoped so, but weren’t sure. She gave us an appreciative and friendly wave, despite the fact that we were completely unhelpful.

People wore a wide range of outfits, with some clad in T-shirts showing a younger version of Janet from earlier concerts and others adorned in dresses and high-heeled shoes.

While waiting to get inside the arena, we spoke with a couple behind us, who were celebrating their 5th wedding anniversary and her graduation from nursing school.

Once Ludacris took the stage, the crowd, which included every age group from young children to gray-haired seniors, shouted, swayed and responded to his songs.

Cooled by a light and intermittent breeze, the crowd roared its appreciation with the left side screaming at full throat to outdo the right.

A father, mother and daughter two rows ahead of us had clearly come to see Janet, sitting and eating popcorn despite Ludacris’ exhortations for everyone to stand and shout.

Before Janet took the stage, the arena displayed a photo montage from 50 years of Janet, showing the many faces of her public life.

I wasn’t tall enough to see over a man two rows in front of me. I looked around him to see the stage and the numerous screens with images of Janet and her dancers.

As I listened and watched a show in which Janet changed her wardrobe several times, I appreciated the energy such a concert must take to put on at the age of 56. She isn’t sprinting around the stage, but she still breaks into some of her iconic moves, with sweat gleaming on her forehead.

She urged the audience to turn on their phone flashlights, which created a wave of swaying bright lights along the lawn and in the seats.

While I reveled in familiar songs, I wished the heavy and loud bass and drums didn’t overwhelm Janet’s voice. I also second-hand smoked a high dose of marijuana, as the smokestack attached to the person two seats away from me must have felt as lit up as the stage by the finale.

The experience, which I shared with thousands of thrilled audience members, brought me back to the times and places where I heard these same songs decades ago. As we followed the crowd back to our cars (or, in our case, to meet our son), I could feel the glow the concert created for an appreciative audience. For a few hours, the strangers we might otherwise see as obstacles on the way to something else came together during a joyful concert.

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Do you recognize these three? Photo from SCPD

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Fourth Squad detectives are
seeking the public’s help to identify and locate three people who allegedly used a stolen credit card at a Commack store.

Three people allegedly used a stolen credit card to make a $522 purchase at Home Depot, located at 5025 Jericho Turnpike, on April 5. A $510 purchase was attempted and declined at
Walgreens, located at 5001 Jericho Turnpike in Commack, the same day. The card was
stolen from a woman’s purse in Home Goods in Commack earlier in the day.

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward for information that leads to an
arrest. Anyone with information about these incidents can contact Suffolk County Crime
Stoppers to submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-220-TIPS, utilizing a mobile app
which can be downloaded through the App Store or Google Play by searching P3 Tips, or
online at www.P3Tips.com. All calls, text messages and emails will be kept confidential.

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Facebook photo

By Leah S. Dunaief

Leah Dunaief

“When are you going to retire?” is a question that makes me smile. Of course, it is closely related to another word: age. Put the two words together, and I start to become defiant, which is probably why Martha Stewart decided to pose in a swimsuit for the cover of Sports Illustrated’s annual issue.

Now I know about Martha Stewart, who was not called by that name when she was a year behind me at Barnard College. That means she is only one year younger than I, and she, too, was feeling defiant. She wanted to show the world that she was not invisible just because she is older. And indeed, she is showing the whole world because she is an international personality, a businesswoman, writer and television personality, who has written books, publishes a magazine, hosted two syndicated television programs and personifies contemporary graceful living with her Martha Stewart Living ventures.

My guess is that many women in the latter years of their lives are cheering Martha Stewart’s swimsuit photos and her defiance.

Ageism is definitely an unwelcome bigoted “ism” in this century, when people are often living into their 80s, 90s and beyond. One of my personal heroes is Warren Buffett, American business investor and philanthropist. Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, known as the “Oracle of Omaha” and worth over 100 billion dollars, making him the fifth richest person in the world, he will be celebrating his 93rd birthday in August. Even more impressive is his business partner, Charlie Munger, who is 99. Together they still run the fabulously successful company.

Another such story is about Milton Esterow, 94, profiled in The New York Times last Sunday. A publisher at the age of 10 in Brooklyn where he grew up, he made 18 copies of his first publication, each consisting of one handwritten page, and sold them to friends for 2 cents apiece. You can see why he has already stolen my heart. Today he still writes articles for The New York Times about culture and art. In between, he has traveled around the world, met famous artists, owned the country’s oldest art magazine, ARTimes, and won many distinguished prizes. His culture stories had an edge. In 1964 he wrote a front page story for The NYT on treasures stolen by the Nazis during WWII, one of rare culture stories to run on page one. 

His investigative approach made his stories and magazine successes. In the early 1980s, as a result of a rumor he had heard, he and his wife flew to Vienna and visited a monastery that might house thousands of works looted by Nazi soldiers. He met with head of the Federal Monuments Office in Austria and sensed that the man was defensive. He assigned a reporter to dig around and by 1984, the article appeared attesting to the hidden collection. At that point, “All hell broke loose,“ according to Esterow.

“In 1985, the Austrian government announced a plan to return stolen works to their owners or heirs,” according to The NYT. “In 2016, the general consul of Austria presented Mr. Esterow with a Cross of Honor for Science and Art, saying that his work helped to make Austria ‘a better country.’”

Esterow continues to follow the trail of Nazi looting. He does not plan to retire. I particularly like what he had to say about that.

“Work is more fun than fun.”

For all these people and so many more octogenarians and older — Martha Stewart, Warren Buffett, Milton Esterow — retirement is a strange idea. Old age is another.

My sentiments, too.

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This image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows the galaxy cluster MACS J1149.5 +2233 and multiple appearances of Supernova Refsdal with time-delay positions. Credit: Patrick Kelly / NASA / ESA

A new technique to measure the expansion rate of the Universe may serve as a tool to help scientists more accurately determine the Universe’s age and better understand the cosmos. An international team of researchers that includes two Stony Brook University professors, Simon Birrer, PhD, and Anja von der Linden, PhD, highlighted their data based on the technique in a paper published in Science.

The research team used images from the Hubble Space Telescope of Supernova Refsdal, discovered by University of Minnesota scientist Patrick Kelly in 2014. It is named after astronomer Sjur Refsdal, who created a theory in 1964 on how to measure the Hubble constant – also known as Hubble’s law, which describes that galaxies are moving away from Earth at speeds proportional to their distance, so the further they are the faster the move away from Earth. Refsdal is the first supernova in which this measurement theory was put into practice.

Professor Kelly led the study, assembling an international team. Birrer was involved with the analysis and overall robustness of the measurement study, specifically working on constraining the small-scale dark matter distribution and the positional constraints on the images of the supernova, and their effect on the time-delay prediction. Von der Linden was part of the team that originally discovered SN Refsdal and prepared the follow-up Hubble observations.

There are two precise measurements of the expansion of the Universe, or Hubble constant: calculations from nearby observations of supernovae, and using cosmic microwave background (radiation) that began to steam freely shortly after the Big Bang. However, these two measurements differ by approximately 10 percent, which is the point of debate on current theories about the makeup and age of the Universe.

The team calculated the expansion rate of the Universe by using data from four different images of the Supernova Refsdal explosion event in 2014. Scientists worldwide had correctly predicted that the supernova would appear at a new position in 2015, and the telescope then captured a fifth image. These multiple images appeared because the supernova was gravitationally lensed by a galaxy cluster, a phenomenon in which mass from the cluster bends  light. By using the time delays between the appearances of the images the research team was able to measure the Hubble Constant.

The study provides a measurement of the expansion rate consistent with expectations from the cosmic microwave background. The measurement technique and findings may also contribute to settling the longstanding debate among scientists regarding their disagreements on measurements of the current expansion rate of the Universe.

“The measurement of the expansion rate of the universe is a rollercoaster,” says Birrer, Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. “While a few years ago most strong lensing measurements yielded higher values in tension with the cosmic microwave background estimates, more recent estimates and revised methodology has resulted in lower values. Our research corroborates a trend, yet does not provide the last word on the expansion rate.”

Knowing the Hubble Constant is knowing the age of the universe. Birrer explains that the findings described in the Science paper “provide a new and completely independent measurement of the age of the Universe, and that by knowing the absolute scale and relative expansion, we can infer the age of the Universe.”

The age of the Universe is about 13.6 billion years, when the cosmic microwave background inferred value of the Hubble constant is correct, or about 12.6 billion years, if the Cepheid-based local distance ladder value is correct.

“The prediction and subsequent observation of the fifth image of Supernova Refsdal was a great success of our cosmological model based on General Relativity and the mysterious dark matter,” adds von der Linden, Associate Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. “Now, these data have allowed multiple teams to further refine their models of how dark matter is distributed in galaxy clusters, yielding a precise measurement of the Hubble constant from a lensed supernova.”

Central to the research and successful measurement of the Hubble constant is a measurement of the time delay between multiply arriving images of the supernova. The researchers address this point in an accompanying paper published in The Astrophysical Journal, also lead by Kelly. They explain that the time delay is directly proportional to the absolute scales in the observer-deflector-supernovae system. Knowing the time delay precisely and reconstruction the matter distribution of the lens enabled them to constrain a distance. This measurement is completely independent from other approaches in measuring the Hubble constant.

Professor Vivian Miranda from Stony Brook’s C.N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics, who was not involved in the current work, but contributed to an earlier, less precise estimate of the Hubble constant from the same supernova, commented: “This team has now established a new, exciting way of measuring the Hubble constant, which will add to our endeavor to understand the cause of the Hubble tension.  I congratulate them on their work.”

Birrer and von der Linden are now working on the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), to be conducted with the newly built Vera C. Rubin Observatory. The LSST will discover many more lensed quasars and supernovae. Birrer has a leading role in the efforts to measure the Hubble constant from the LSST-discovered systems.

The research was funded primarily by NASA through the Space Telescope Science Institute and the National Science Foundation.

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