Pictured from left, PJCC Director James Luciano; Vincenza Anselmo; PJCC Director Mary Joy Pipe; owners Theresa Livingston and Anthony Anselmo; and Bill and Terry Livingston
The Bar Method Port Jeff Village celebrated its grand opening on March 11 with a ribbon cutting hosted by the Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce (PJCC), light refreshments and a champagne toast.
Located inside the Harbor Square Mall at 134 Main Street, Port Jefferson, the franchise is a boutique fitness studio offering barre classes for students of all levels.
According to the website, the signature method uses your own body weight, the ballet barre and a few props to create a transformative workout that results in long, lean sculpted muscles. Highly-trained instructors customize the exercises to ensure they are safe and effective for any age and every body, including modifications for pregnant women and students with injuries. Studio amenities include lockers, a beauty bar, showers, childcare, free parking and more.
To learn more about The Bar Method, read TBR News Media’s article, “Bar Method franchise to open studio in Port Jefferson Village” by Julianne Mosher here.
Theresa Livingston outside of Harbor Square Mall, where her new Bar Method studio will soon open.
Photo by Julianne Mosher
By Julianne Mosher
Something new is heading into Port Jefferson village.
The Bar Method, a workout studio that was designed with high repetition and low impact resistance training, is officially set to open its third Long Island location right in Port Jefferson.
Theresa Livingston, the franchise owner, said she fell in love with barre almost a decade ago, but during the COVID-19 pandemic realized she wanted to bring this method close to home.
“As I got older, my joints really started to hurt and it just wasn’t maintainable anymore,” the Selden mom said. “I was looking for something that’s easy on the body and I found barre. It just works.”
Livingston said that in barre practice, one matches the working in the muscle to stretching where you lengthen and strengthen.“It’s just something you can do forever,” she said.
The Bar Method is all about educating our students, how they can be in tune with their body.
— Theresa Livingston
During the pandemic, Livingston said she started trying The Bar Method through their online classes and she knew it was the right fit.
Compared to other barre studios, instructors for The Bar Method have “hours and hours” of training, Livingston said.
“We work with personal trainers, we’re taught proper alignment and modifications, and then we work in the studio to train for months before becoming an instructor,” she added.
According to the company’s website, The Bar Method exercises also include elements of Pilates, yoga and other strength training workouts fused into a ballet-inspired barre workout.
But Livingston said one doesn’t necessarily have to have a dance background to succeed and see results.
“The choreography that we do is easy to follow,” she said, “We have so many different props and equipment that you can use to help and bars in the room or different heights. So, everything can be modified.”
While Livingston was practicing online, she also traveled to The Bar Method’s only two other locations on Long Island — Huntington and Roslyn.
The commutes were long, so she said, “Let’s get one closer to us.”
“I just thought I thought the village would be the perfect spot for this,” she said. “It’s such a community. People live here, they shop here and they want to stay here. So, I just felt like it would be great to have The Bar Method here.”
Livingston signed her franchise agreement in September and officially locked in the space inside Harbor Square Mall at the end of October.
Located right on Main Street, The Bar Method is planned to take over the back part of the mall with its own entrance right next to PJ Lobster House. Livingston said that when a student walks in, the plan includes a big, open lobby featuring different apparel and retail. Inside, the studio space will have roughly 30 bar spots along with a locker room, makeup area and showers.
Livingston is anticipating a summer opening and for now is looking to get the word out about the method and what it’s all about.
“The Bar Method is all about educating our students, how they can be in tune with their body and know what’s happening,” she said. “It’s a workout that just kind of fits whatever it is they need.”
In the interim, Livingston said that she and her instructors are planning free community lessons that will pop up around the village.
For more updates on Port Jeff’s new workout spot, interested students can follow on Instagram @barmethodportjeffvillage.
A rendering
of the
Dominick-
Crawford Barn. Image from TVHS
By Melissa Arnold
Since 1964, the Three Village Historical Society (TVHS) has worked hard to preserve and share the community’s past with future generations. You’ve likely seen the historical society members and volunteers at local events, like the annual Spirits Tour, Culper Spy Day, Prohibition Night, or the Candlelight House Tour during the holidays.
The society is also dedicated to protecting local historic properties of all kinds. Recently, they were awarded a $350,000 grant from the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation to be used to rebuild, restore, and repurpose the Dominick-Crawford Barn, a historically significant building from circa 1847. The barn will have a new home in the field neighboring the historical society’s headquarters. The meadow is currently used to host a farmer’s market every Friday through September.
The pre-Civil War barn was originally located just inside the boundaries of Old Field. It was in poor condition, suffering from the lack of upkeep and long-term exposure to the elements. But TVHS member president Steve Hintze saw potential in the wooden structure.
“The Village of Old Field planned to demolish the barn, but we felt it was historically significant because it was one of the last of its time,” said Hintze, who served as historical society president in 2007.
The barn also serves as an example of two different eras of construction. According to Hintze, You can still see the markings of traditional hand saws, but the work of circular saws is also evident — a method that was still very new at the time. The finished structure was a blending of the old and the new.
It’s been a long road to earn the funding to support the project. Early on, Hintze reached out to Assemblyman Steve Englebright, who guided the society toward a $300,000 grant from the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York. This additional grant from the Gardiner Foundation will allow construction to move forward with a barn raising this fall.
Of course, such an old structure would need to be entirely rebuilt to meet the requirements of modern safety codes. The historical society chose to use the old timber for the exterior while shoring up the interior with stronger materials. In this way, the barn is getting the best of both worlds.
“It gives us greater structural stability while honoring the original look,” explained Steve Healy, current president of the historical society.
Acquiring the barn also has practical advantages for the society, where space has always been at a premium.
“We always seem to be short on space, and it was one of those things where we were looking for something new and the barn really fit the bill. We’re very happy about it,” said Healy.
In the recent past, the historical society could only allow groups of 25 people at a time into its exhibit space inside its headquarters at 93 Main Street in Setauket. This limit forced them to turn away larger groups, most notably schools that hoped to visit on a field trip.
Once completed, the new two-story, 35-by-50-foot space will be able to accomodate more than 200 people, Hintze said.
It will include teaching facilities, interchangeable exhibit space and archives. The center will allow the Society to supplement the archival space currently being used at the Emma S. Clark Memorial Library in Setauket and provide accessible, climate-controlled storage for the society’s many historical artifacts.
“We are always being offered historical documents and artifacts from the community, so this will give us an opportunity to brush the dust off our archives and share them,” Healy explained.
And as the area recovers from the pandemic, the historical society is looking forward to hosting future large events, including auctions, summer camps, and even hoedowns at the barn.
“We’re excited to bring the community together for historical and educational opportunities of all kinds,” said Hintze. “When you start a project from just the seed of an idea and eventually see it come to fruition, it’s a great feeling.”
For more information about the Three Village Historical Society, visit www.tvhs.org.
First United Methodist Church in Port Jefferson. Photo by Kyle Barr
A new pastor of the First United Methodist Church of Port Jefferson will be taking over the reins of the venerable church starting July 1.
The New York Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church appointed Pastor Steve Chu as pastor, replacing Pastor Sandra J. Moore who has served the local church for three years. Pastor Chu currently serves as the Youth and English Ministry Pastor at Plainview UMC and prior to this appointment held positions in Herndon and Arlington, Virginia. He holds a Master of Divinity from Wesley Theological Seminary and an undergraduate degree from Hunter College of the City University of New York.
The First United Methodist Church on Main Street, Port Jefferson has a long history in the community. The current building was erected in 1893 by Loper Brothers while the original chapel had been established on Thompson Street. The parsonage next door was purchased in 1930 and is still used today as a pastoral home. In 1961, the former New York Telephone Company brick building was purchased to hold Sunday school classes and now a day care program. The church is committed to Thanksgiving donations for needy families, sharing with patients at nursing homes, community concerts, a summer chicken barbecue and Christmas fair/cookie walk during the Charles Dickens
Festival weekend.
On July 14, a welcome barbecue is being planned to follow the church service. People are asked to come and meet the new pastor.
Ross Barbera, a graduate of Pratt Institute, is known for his representational acrylic paintings on canvas, watercolors on paper, original jewelry and digital and abstract art. Presently teaching at St. John’s University in the Art and Design Department in Queens where he was chairman for three years, Ross continues to win many juried awards and prestigious grants to pursue his prolific art career.
You were born and raised in Brooklyn, yet all of your paintings, and even much of your jewelry, are depictions of some aspect of the rural landscape. How did that come about?
I spent my summers at my family’s homes in Smithtown and Peakville, New York, and it was during these summers away from the city that I discovered the world of the natural landscape. They were welcome retreats from the city where everything was different: night times were cool, the air smelled clean. I was surrounded by deep forests, ponds and running streams. I was particularly attracted to the interplay of sunlight on flowing water. Nature became the primary inspiration for my paintings ever since then.
Much of your work is representational, yet you also paint in the abstract. What is your inspiration for your abstract work?
Although representational landscape painting has dominated my artistic direction, I discovered abstract, luminous worlds by observing pond surfaces and ice formations “close-up.” For me, this was the hidden world beyond the visible world that has provided the inspiration for my abstract paintings.
Water Lily Watercolor Pendant by Ross Barbera
You have an interesting process in watercolor painting that you teach in your classes and workshops. Can you tell us about this?
I have been experimenting with methods that enable me to retain the look of watercolor painting while achieving painted surfaces comparable in strength to acrylic on canvas; this eliminates the need to protect the painting by framing it behind glass. The first step in this process is to bind the watercolor paper to stretched canvas with a thick polymer gel medium. The finished watercolor painting is then protected with multiple layers of acrylic varnish, and for the top layer I apply a few coats of a removable UV protecting varnish.
Some of the background of your paintings have a stained glass effect — clean, clear, translucent and filled with saturated color. How do you achieve that?
I’ve always worked hard to give my paintings a quality of light, in the belief that good landscape painting needs to communicate a feeling of atmosphere; I never complete a painting until I feel it projects a strong quality of sunlight. Regarding my watercolor paintings, I believe the natural transparency of the watercolor medium contributes to a clean, translucent image. I do not apply watercolor paint with sable paint brushes. I predampen the color shape to be painted with a paint brush and clean water. Next, using needle dispenser bottles that have been filled with premixed watercolor to the consistency that I require for painting, I apply multiple colors into the predampened area, and I permit the colors to freely intermix and blend without working into them with a brush. This method of paint application results in clean, clear and beautifully translucent color shapes, and I believe the effect is further enhanced by the application of the final, protective layers of varnish.
‘Glacier’ by Ross Barbera
How does your digital work influence your art?
My wife Bonnie bought me my first tablet where I downloaded a drawing app. I was instantly addicted! I eventually downloaded a painting app and loved the convenience of digital plein air painting. Next, I began to export my digital paintings to my computer so I could continue to develop them in Photoshop. I restrict myself to basic brushes that come close to what I use in my acrylic on canvas paintings, and I do not use any effects or filters. I intend my digital paintings to be characterized by the same painterly quality that you would see in my paintings on canvas.
How did you become interested in creating jewelry? Can you describe how you incorporate your watercolors into your jewelry?
I started making jewelry when I was a graduate student at Pratt Institute. My early jewelry was created mostly in sterling, and I often incorporated enamels to add color. I am now using a wide range of different types of paper and wood and eventually discovered the limitless possibilities of building pendants, earrings, bracelets and hair pieces with layers of watercolor paper. I like building up layers on 140-pound Arches watercolor paper, and painting directly onto the surface with watercolor and acrylic paints. I coat the jewelry with multiple layers of acrylic varnish, and the final process involves heating the finished piece in an oven at 150°F, which hardens the varnish process.
What is the focus of your recent work?
I visited the Canadian Rockies with the intent of photographing the mountain glaciers and rivers for a new series of acrylic paintings that would be dedicated to the disappearing glaciers. I plan to continue in my effort to capture the diversity of the North American landscape in painting and will visit national parks throughout the United States and Canada for this purpose.
Where can we see your artwork?
I currently have an exhibit featuring my paintings and jewelry at the Comsewogue Public Library in Port Jefferson Station through the month of September. I also currently have a painting on exhibit in the juried show Colors of the Night at the Mills Pond House Gallery in St. James until Sept. 30. My paintings and jewelry can be viewed at any time by visiting www.rossbarbera.com, and my instructional videos can be found on my YouTube channel Realisticart. My jewelry can be purchased directly from my website, www.paperpendants.com.
Gabrielle Georgescu and Adam Thompson star in ‘Reasons to Be Pretty.’ Photo by Origin Photos
By Charles J. Morgan
The famous and incisive theater critic Walter Kerr once remarked that every theatrical era has a vision. From the time of the medieval miracle plays to the social significance efforts of Clifford Odets and Sidney Kingsley, there was a vision of reality, of life, of faith, of love. The secular humanist culture in which we now live has its vision: a concentration on the total, inviolable, self-importance of the individual to determine all things for him or herself.
O’Neill struggled with this in his tragedies, while in his short sea plays his characters were more “normally” human and real. His “Morning Becomes Electra” was actually the Agamemnon trilogy of Aeschylus, “The Iceman Cometh” analysis of the human condition.
Our secular humanist culture has given rise to plays like “Reasons to Be Pretty” by Neil LaBute, now in production at the Bare Bones Theater Company in Northport. The script revolves around one single f-word repeated around 5,346 times. The characters spout it interminably.
But what do the four characters “spout” about? A deep life-affecting matter? An inherently flawed relationship? Life itself? No: an innocently passed remark by one of the four about the corporeal pulchritude of a female expressed politely, but causing a relationship to dissolve volcanically.
The entire scene reminded your scribe (a former teacher) of a clutch of pubescent junior high school students cackling in front of their lockers before algebra class. That’s how shallow was the script. The Anglo-Saxon participle was used as comma, colon, verb and etc. in order to keep the flow of anodyne “dialogue” moving among the four actors. Without that word the script would have disintegrated into cementlike boredom.
Adam Thompson is Greg and Gabrielle Georgescu is his girlfriend Steph. She is walking out on him for practically all of Act I. Neither one get to finish a sentence before the other tears in loudly. This banter does add a measure of realism, but when the whole thing is seen to be about a chance remark he made at a party about the good looks of a friend’s girl that causes her to explode and walk out, Thompson’s method of acting as the hurt injured party confused by it all is very effective. He could rant, cry, scream, pout to give individuality to the role.
The beautifully executed fist fight scene with his friend Kent, played to the hilt by JLawrence Kenny, is the most realistic your scribe as seen in years.
Georgescu is perfect in the role of Steph. Her screeds and interventions are masterful. She is a highly talented actress.
In the role of a security guard, Emily Ryan Reed is exceptionally outstanding. She is the only one of the four to express a range of emotions, and she does it with an intensity that was more than impressive.
Lynn Antunovich directed with a sure hand at blocking and a very skillful ability to achieve realism and believability in the actors. It was arguably she who executed the intricate and intense line cutting that, despite what your scribe said about the script, gave the show the impact it needed.
The three, or was it four, flight climb to the theater was made quite worth it due to the welcome hospitality of House Manager Maureen (“Mo”) Spirn.
The Bare Bones Company is well under way to being the ground for new playwrights. LaBute’s effort with this one, although ankle-deep in the waters of theatrical conflict, still provides material for young, aspiring actors.
Bare Bones Theater Company, 57 Main St., Northport, will present “Reasons to Be Pretty” through Aug. 1. Warning: adult language. Tickets are $25. For more information, call 631-606-0026 or visit www.barebonestheater.com.
The Village of Port Jefferson will soon debut PASSPort, a municipal rideshare service for residents. Above, Deputy Mayor Kathianne Snaden with one of the vehicles used to beta test the service. Photo courtesy Kevin Wood
Village of Port Jefferson officials are currently rolling out PASSPort, a first-of-its-kind rideshare service tailored for within-the-village transit.
Kevin Wood, the parking and mobility administrator in PJV, worked closely with the village Board of Trustees to develop the software and systems to accommodate PASSPort. Now the service is undergoing beta testing, with plans for public use along the horizon.
PASSPort functions similarly to other popular platforms in the private sector, tapping into the same technologies used by services such as Uber but repurposing them for local municipal oversight and administration.
Under the current plan, Wood said the program remains flexible, subject to villagers’ evolving needs. “There is no parallel to this on Long Island,” he said.
While the village has attempted to administer similar transit services in the past, Wood held that PASSPort represents a significant departure from any past or current offerings. “The closest you came to this were crosstown electric car methods that, in Port Jefferson, have proven to not work for various reasons,” he said.
He added that through PASSPort, the village government hopes to move away from the public perception surrounding those previous models, which he said were ill suited for winter weather and unable to traverse the area’s steep hills.
Wood noted the various opportunities for residents to make use of PASSPort. According to him, the platform could potentially enhance mobility for those traveling to village beaches, elderly residents unable to operate a car and residents traveling downtown.
Although some apps, such as Uber, bar minors from accessing their service, Wood kept open the possibility in Port Jeff, saying that the village is working through legal parameters of creating a parental authorization process to enable the pickup and drop-off of local students.
The parking and mobility administrator also touched upon the subject of PASSPort vehicle operators. For him, the vehicles would ideally be operated by professional, third-party drivers who would be “exclusive to us for that night” during a designated period.
“We want them to have a certain amount of professional aspect to what they’re doing,” he said. “That’s an important part of this — to monitor not only the integrity of the service itself and timeliness but the courtesy of the driver.” Given the program’s flexibility, he said he could foresee accommodating multiple drivers a night if needed.
Pricing is also variable, with Wood hoping to learn more about this facet of the program as the program rolls out for public use. Measuring PASSPort against taxicabs and other rideshare methods, he foresees clear advantages to the village program.
“We know that if you took a taxi, that would be … one, a different experience; two, they’d have to be available; and three, that price, I understand, is between $7 and $10,” he said. “We think we’re coming out with a more efficient service, much better technology and we’re still pricing it at the $5 to $8 per person level.”
While PASSPort unleashes private sector technologies for municipal administration, Wood suggested the program is not necessarily intended to outcompete rival services. Instead, he viewed the platform as a village service.
“We’re not in the business of competing with mobility — we’re in the business of serving our residents,” he said. “If someone chooses us over [other rideshare service providers], it’s because of safety, efficiency, pricing and you’re going to see a whole lot of promotion.”
Moreover, Wood said he believes the broader trends are gradually shifting away from individually operated motor vehicles, accelerated by myriad factors, such as congestion pricing and rising costs associated with vehicle maintenance.
“Owning a car today is almost becoming a liability because of insurance costs, gas and all the things associated with it,” he said. “I think ‘mobility’ is the keyword you want to use here — getting to where you have to go in the most efficient way possible.”
Wood, who worked in the technology and marketing sectors before entering the administration, said he discovered a natural blend of his professional experiences while creating the rideshare service.
Through PASSPort, he said village leaders could effectively boost mobility by integrating new tech and municipal administration. He indicated that rideshare programs such as PASSPort represent the future of municipal servicing.
“I love to see the world of technology and entrepreneurial thinking coming to the government,” he said. “Why not adapt and engage with technology?”
Deputy Mayor Kathianne Snaden, trustee liaison for parking and mobility, has closely coordinated with Wood in launching the service, expressing optimism for its implementation.
“We’re thrilled for this program,” she said. “We saw a need for residents to be able to visit their downtown. Downtown is not just about the tourists, it’s about the residents.”
The deputy mayor also noted that PASSPort could ease the burden of transit on residents and parking congestion on businesses, saying, “They don’t have to worry about bringing their cars down or about parking. They can get to and from in a safe manner, and it will additionally help the businesses in opening up parking spaces for the people coming in from outside the village.”
Wood said more information regarding PASSPort would be made public in the coming weeks.
For the month of April, the Reboli Center for Art and History is showcasing the extraordinary ceramics of Kathy Larocca inspired by nature, especially botanicals, shells and fossils.
Artist Kathy Larocca
Larocca’s passion for ceramics started more than a decade ago.“Forming art from a mound of clay got me hooked immediately on creating ceramics. I love the tactile quality of clay, whether it is made on a wheel or hand built. Each method has its own challenges and never-ending possibilities. I have taken many classes at local studios on Long Island and attended multiple workshops, both in person and virtually. I belong to several art groups and get inspiration from their creativity,” she explains.
Lois Reboli, president and a founder of The Reboli Center, said, “I find Kathy’s work a perfect fit for The Reboli Center, since we are located by Stony Brook Harbor and her work is so soothing and beautiful. Her designs are just exquisite.”
For her ceramics, Larocca uses mostly B-mix clay to create her pieces because of its porcelaneous quality and creamy color. In addition, she notes that it works well with the glazes she uses.The artist elaborated on her process by stating, “As I develop an idea for a piece, I decide whether to create it on the wheel or by hand. Occasionally I sketch a draft of what the envisioned piece should look like. With ceramics, timing the drying work is essential, since the process involves multiple steps. Much of my work is carved (sgraffito) and the clay needs to be the correct dryness for this process to be successful. Once the piece is out of the kiln for the first firing, it is then glazed and put back in the kiln to vitrify.”
A ceramic vase by Kathy Larocca
Larocca notes that she doesn’t count the number of hours it takes to make something as there are many steps involved and it depends on the intricacy of her work. “When I work with clay or any form of art, the time melts away as I am completely engaged in the process,” she said.
Ever since she was a young girl, Larocca nurtured her creative side by exploring and enjoying art, especially sketching and painting. She continued her love of art by attending the New York Institute of Technology and discovered a fascination with animation. Upon graduation, she worked at several studios in Manhattan and on a variety of projects including movies, television commercials and animation shorts. She relocated to California where she worked in the inking department of Hanna-Barbera Studios, a major television animation and production company. Its shows included such classic cartoons as The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Huckleberry Finn,Scooby Doo, and The Smurfs.
Larocca eventually moved back to New York and started a business called “Wrap It Up” where she personalized gifts for people of all ages. In addition, she continued to explore her creative side by designing and making jewelry.
In addition to exhibiting at the Reboli Center, the artist has shown her work at the Bayard Arboretum, Islip Art Museum, Suffolk County Historical Society, fine art shows and numerous libraries. “I am ecstatic to have the opportunity to be the Artisan of the Month at the acclaimed Reboli Center,” she said.
The Reboli Center for Art and History is located at 64 Main Street in Stony Brook, and is open Tuesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, please call 631-751-7707 or visit www.rebolicenter.org.
Mather Hospital in Port Jefferson has received a 2023 Outstanding Patient Experience Award™ from Healthgrades. This distinction places Mather Hospital among the top 10 percent of hospitals nationwide for patient experience, according to Healthgrades, the leading marketplace that connects people with the right doctor and hospital. Mather Hospital has received the Outstanding Patient Experience Award for three consecutive years (2021-2023).
The award recognizes hospitals that provide an overall outstanding patient experience and is based on ten measures related to doctor and nurse communication, hospital cleanliness and noise levels, and medication and post-discharge care instructions using data from surveys of the hospital’s own patients. Patient experience is the sum of all interactions, shaped by a healthcare organization’s culture, that influence patients’ perceptions across the continuum of care.
“It is our goal at Mather to constantly evaluate and improve every aspect of our patients’ experience from the moment they walk through our doors,” said Executive Director Kevin McGeachy. “This applies not only to the outstanding clinical care they receive but everything from the quality of the food to the cleanliness of their rooms. I am proud of our entire team for this recognition for the third consecutive year.”
Earlier this year, Mather also received Healthgrades 2023 America’s 250 Best Hospitals Award™. In addition, Healthgrades awarded Mather the 2023 America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Gastrointestinal Surgery Award™, the 2023 Gastrointestinal Care Excellence Award™, the 2023 Gastrointestinal Surgery Excellence Award™, the 2023 Critical Care Excellence Award™.Mather also received the Pulmonary Care Excellence Award™ for an 8th consecutive year (2016-2023) and the Bariatric Surgery Excellence Award™ for a fifth year in a row (2019-2023).
For this annual analysis, Healthgrades evaluated 3,138 hospitals that submitted at least 100 patient experience surveys to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, covering admissions from January 2021 through December 2021. Of those hospitals evaluated, 419 hospitals outperformed their peers – based on their patients’ responses – to achieve this award.
Healthgrades evaluates performance by applying a scoring methodology to ten patient experience measures, using data collected from HCAHPS survey of the hospital’s own patients.
Survey questions focus on patients’ perspectives of their care in the hospital, from cleanliness and noise levels in patient rooms to medication explanations and hospital staff responsiveness to
patients’ needs. The measures also include whether a patient would recommend the hospital to friends or family and their overall rating of the hospital.
“We applaud all recipients of the Healthgrades 2023 Outstanding Patient Experience Award for putting patient experience front and center within their organizations,” said Brad Bowman, MD, Chief Medical Officer and Head of Data Science at Healthgrades. “We commend these hospitals for their ongoing commitment to prioritizing an exceptional patient experience, while ensuring the health and safety of their patients.”
Consumers can visit healthgrades.com for more information on how Healthgrades measures hospital quality and access the complete methodology here. An easy-to-understand overview of Healthgrades’ complete patient experience methodology is also available here.
‘THE STANDARD OF THE WORLD’
Kick off spring with a Car Show and Swap Meet at Bald Hill in Farmingville on March 26 featuring custom cars like this 1950’s Cadillac to classic muscle cars. Photo by Phyllis Aquino/Long Island Cars
Thursday 23
Swing Into Spring Jazz Festival
Presented by Leg. Kara Hahn and The Jazz Loft founder Tom Manual, the Swing Into Spring Jazz Festival continues tonight, March 24 and 25 at The Jazz Loft, 275 Christian Ave., Stony Brook and in local shops and restaurants, including Stony Brook Chocolate and The Country House. For the full schedule, visit www.thejazzloft.org.
Native American Drumming
Alls Souls Parish House, 10 Mill Pond Road, Stony Brook will host a Native American Drumming Meditation workshop 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 655-7798 for more information.
Celebrating David Crosby
The Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Ave., Huntington continues its Rock Legends Live! series with David Crosby: A Celebration at 7:30 p.m. Come celebrate the life of legendary singer-songwriter David Crosby, featuring numerous rare performance clips. Tickets are $15, $10 members at www.cinemaartscentre.org.
Friday 24
Swing Into Spring Jazz Festival
See March 23 listing.
Vanderbilt Evening Birdwatch
Join the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum, 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport for an Evening Birdwatch and Architecture Tour with the Museum’s director of curatorial affairs from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Participants will enjoy the unique opportunity to view the Vanderbilt estate at dusk, when the grounds are closed but the birds are active. Sturdy hiking footwear is strongly suggested, and participants are asked to bring their own binoculars. Walks will also be held on April 7 and 21, and May 5 and 19. Tickets are $12, free for members. To register, visit www.vanderbiltmuseum.org.
Wintertide concert
The Port Jefferson Village Center, 101A E. Broadway, Port Jefferson continuesitsWintertide concert series from 7 to 8 p.m with songwriter and guitarist Rupert Wates in the Sail Loft Room on the third floor. $5 donation at the door. Questions? Call 473-4778.
Battle of the Bands
Northport Centerport Lions Club presents the Battle of the Bands at the Huntington Moose Lodge, 631 Pulaski Rd, Greenlawn from 7 to 11 p.m. Raffles and snacks. Tickets are $30 per person. Proceeds to go to local charities including Smithtown Guide Dog Foundation. Questions? Call 516-380-6444.
Saturday 25
Swing Into Spring Jazz Festival
See March 23 listing.
Go for the Green Run
The Rotary Club of Smithtown presents the 28th annual St. Patrick’s ‘Go for the Green’ 5K run at 9:30 a.m. (1 mile family fun run at 9 a.m.) The race kicks off at Smithtown Elementary School, 51 Lawrence Ave., Smithtown. Register online at events.elitefeats.com/23gogreen. For additional information, call 516-458-5159.
Guided Beach Walks
Town of Brookhaven hosts a guided beach walk, See By the Sound, at West Meadow Beach, Trustees Road, Stony Brook at 10 a.m. and a guided beach walk at Cedar Beach Nature Center, Harbor Beach Road, Mount Sinai at 2 p.m. Look for shells, gulls and other shore birds. Bring binoculars if you have them. Free but registration is required by emailing [email protected]
Veterans Food Drive
Miller Place-Mount Sinai Historical Society hosts a Give Back to Our Veterans Food Drive at the William Miller House, 75 North Country Road, Miller Place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.Canned and paper products appreciated. Any person that donates can dedicate a rock to the Society’s Veteran’s Memorial Rock Garden. Stay and write a letter to a veteran to thank them for their service. For more information, visit www.mpmshistoricalsociety.org.
Model Train Show
The Smithtown Historical Society presents its annual Model Train Show in the Frank Brush Barn, 211 E. Main St. Smithtown from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Operating layouts on display include Long Island HOTracks — HO Scale and Frank Kabylarz — N Scale. Admission is $5 adults, $3 children under age 12. Proceeds from the event go towards maintenance of farm buildings and animal care on the property. For more information, call 265-6768.
Acoustic Afternoons at Mills Pond
Join local musicians for an afternoon open mic at the Mills Pond Gallery, 199 Mills Pond Road, St. James from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Enjoy the fine art exhibit, share your musical talents, sing along or just listen in a beautiful gallery space. Signup in person beginning at 1 p.m. Free to listen, $5 donation for performers. Call 862-6575 for more information.
Dreamcatcher Workshop
Join the Whaling Museum, 301 Main St., Cold Spring Harbor for a Dreamcatcher Workshop at 2 p.m. Discover the history behind the most enduring and widespread symbol of Native American culture, the dreamcatcher. Special guest and member of the Shinnecock and Hassanamisco Nations Denise Silva-Dennis “WeeTahMoe” willpresent this art and culture workshop on the iconic Lakota tradition. Create a traditional dreamcatcher of your own to take home. Admission fee + $10 participant.For adults and kids. To register, visit www.cshwhalingmuseum.org.
Silverpoint Art Workshop
The Atelier at Flowerfield, 2 Flowerfield, Suite #15, St. James presents a workshop titled The Magic of Drawing in Silverpoint from 2 to 5 p.m. Join artist Randall DiGiuseppe for a fun-filled and informative drawing workshop that explores the history, mechanism, and methods that make silverpoint such a special drawing medium. You get to try your hand at creating your own silverpoint drawing. Open to all skill levels. Light refreshments will be served. $65 per person includes all materials. To register, visit www.theatelieratflowerfield.org or call 250-9009.
Comedy Night Dinner Show
Yaphank Fire Department Truck Company #1, 31 Main St., Yaphank hosts a Comedy Night Dinner Show with doors opening at 6 p.m. Comedic line-up includes David Weiss, Dennis Rooney, “Banjo” Les Bayer and Eric Tartaglione. Tickets are $40 per person and includes a roast beef dinner, dessert, beer, wine and soda. To order tickets, call 905-2134.
Sunday 26
Car Show and Swap Meet
“Long Island Cars” kicks off its 2023 season with a “Super Swap Sunday” Car Show & Swap Meet at Bald Hill, 1 Ski Run Lane, Farmingville from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Hundreds of classic and collectible automobiles including street rods, muscle cars, antiques, exotics and imports will be on display along with a swap meet, live music, food and refreshments. Admission is $10, children under age 12 are free. Call 567-5898 or visit www.LongIslandCars.com.
Port Jefferson Food Drive
The Port Jefferson Rotary Club and “Call Brian” Senior Services will sponsor a Friends of the Pantry Food and Personal Care Items Drive at the Open Cupboard Pantry at Infant Jesus Church, 110 Hawkins St., Port Jefferson today from 9 a.m. to noon. Currently the pantry is in extreme need of boxed milk, Ramen soup, juice, pancake mix (complete), pancake syrup, peanut butter, jelly, mac & cheese, pasta sauce, condiments, Maseca flour, cooking oil, cereal oatmeal, canned fruit, black beans, canned mixed vegetables, coffee and healthy snacks. They are also in need of personal care items such as shampoo, conditioner, deoderant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, razors, toilet paper, baby shampoo, baby wash, baby wipes, Enfamil formula, Desitin and lotion. Grocery store gift cards and cash also accepted. Please help them help those in need during these difficult times. For more information, call 938-6464.
Huntington Farmers Market
The John J. Flanagan Center, 423 Park Ave., Huntington hosts the Huntington Winter Farmers Market every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through March with over 40 vendors plus guest vendors. Visit www.longislandfarmersmarkets.com.
Port Jefferson Farmers Market
The Port Jefferson Winter Farmers Market will be held at the Port Jefferson Village Center, 101-A E. Broadway, Port Jefferson every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through April 30. Featuring over 20 vendors. Call 473-4778.
Dedication Ceremony at Caroline Church
Caroline Church of Brookhaven, 1 Dyke Road, Setauket will host a dedication ceremony for its newly restored historic 1887 seven-bay carriage shed at 11 a.m. The shed will be dedicated to the men and women who joined together to fund and build an enclosure designed to provide shelter for their horses and carriages. The name plaques will be unveiled and a few short stories will be told about the owners of the stalls. All are welcome. For more information, call 941-4245.
St. Patrick’s Day Parade
The 33rd annual Ronkonkoma St. Patrick’s Day Parade will be held at 2 p.m. Grand Marshal John McNamara will lead the parade from Hawkins Avenue at School Street, south down Hawkins Ave ending at Thorne Street. Call 304-6303 or visit www.ronkonkomaparade.org.
Flax Pond Lecture
Friends of Flax Pond invite the community to join them at the Childs Mansion, 19 Shore Drive, Old Field at 3 p.m. for a lecture titled “Diamondback Terrapin: the Turtle with the Clown Lips” presented by John Turner. These amazing turtles inhabit our local coastal areas. Late each spring and early summer the females come ashore to nest on our local beaches. Conservation is key to their continued survival. John will present information about these fascinating creatures as well as some of the local conservation efforts. As always light refreshments will be served. Please bring a reusable coffee mug to reduce waste. The lecture is free, but donations are gratefully accepted. Parking is at the Flax Pond Lab, adjacent to the Childs Mansion. If you need other arrangements for parking and have a “handicap parking pass,” please e-mail or text 631-767-6287 to make arrangements.
Eagle River Band in concert
The Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame, 97 Main St., Stony Brook will host a concert by the Eagle River Band from 3 to 4 p.m. Free with admission to the museum. For more information, call 689-5888 or visit www.limusichalloffame.org.
Ridotto Concert
Huntington Jewish Center, 510 Park Ave., Huntington hosts a Ridotto concert titled Abbandonata at 4 p.m. Program will include Haydn: Cantata ‘Arianna auf Naxos; string Quartets by Haydn and Boccherini, Monteverdi for lute and voice, Gluck arias ‘oh del mio’ and ‘Che faro Eurydice’ with Kate Lerner, mezzo; Christopher Morrongiello, lute; and Poetica Quartet with Song-A Cho, violin.Tickets are $35, $30 seniors, $25 members and $12 students. For reservations, call 385-0373 or email [email protected]
Comedy Show fundraiser
Port Jefferson Moose Lodge, 37 Crystal Brook Hollow Road, Mt. Sinai hosts a Comedy Show fundraiser by the Terryville Road PTA for Port Jefferson Station 8-year-old Tenzin Tanaka who is battling leukemia at 4 p.m. (Doors open at 2:30 p.m.) with comedians John Butera, Chris Roach, Dan LaRocco, Rich Walker and Fat Jay.With 50/50 raffle auction. Mature audiences only. $30 per person, $50 per couple. For tickets, please call 516-662-0931.
Monday 27
SHS Lecture
Smithtown Historical Society concludes its Spring Lecture Series at the Frank Brush Barn, 211 E. Main St., Smithtown with a presentation titled “Looking Back: 1965 Smithtown’s Tricentennial” with SHS Vice President Maureen Smilow. Take a look back at the celebration where a time capsule was buried at Town Hall and a grand parade, complete with a real bull, took place on Main Street. Admission is free and refreshments will be served. For more information, call 265-6768.
Tuesday 28
NSJC Social Club event
North Shore Jewish Center Social Club, 385 Old Town Road, Port Jefferson Station will screen the film Jewish Broadway about the contributions of Jewish talent to the entertainment industry 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 928-3737 for more information.
Healthy Libraries event
Drop by Comsewogue Public Library, 170 Terryville Road, Port Jefferson Station between 2 and 4:30 p.m. to meet with Stony Brook Medicine healthcare professionals and graduate student interns from the fields of social work, public health, nursing, and nutrition for assistance with access to in-person and virtual healthcare resources. Questions? Call 631-928-1212.
An Evening of Sound Healing
Port Talks presents Desmond O’Sullivan live at The Space in Port Jefferson, 234 Traders Cove, Port Jefferson from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. As the captain of the Celtic Quest fishing boat, learn why Desi is passionate about the healing power of sound. He will demonstrate how to use sound and frequency to optimize health and well being and how they can be of great benefit to the human spirit. This event will include pre-networking, an interview and demonstration. $20 per person. Register at www.portjefftalks.com. For more information, text 516-939-8960.
CAC Sky Room Talk
Join film historian Glenn Andreiev for a Sky Room Talk, Made Men and Mobsters — The Mafia in the Movies, at the Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Ave., Huntington at 7:30 p.m. See familiar Mafia movie moments, which range from frightening to funny, and discover seldom seen mobster classics. See clips from silent era mob movies, the eye-popping 1932 Scarface, newsreel footage of some real wise-guys, along with some 1970’s mob movies that slipped under the radar. There will also be some trivia questions with mobster-like prizes. Tickets are $17, $12 members. Visit www.cinemaartscentre.org to register.
An evening of Swing Dance
Swing Dance Long Island, a non-profit social dance club, holds weekly dances every Tuesday evening at theHuntington 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-DJ night,$20-band night on the third Tuesday of the month. For more information, call 516-521-1410.
Comedy Night at the Engeman
Join the John W. Engeman Theater, 250 Main St., Northport for a Comedy Night at 8 p.m. Come have some laughs, enjoy some cocktails, and listen to some very funny comedians! Tickets are $45 per person. To order, call 261-2900 or visit www.engemantheater.com.
Wednesday 29
Staller’s Starry Nights
Stony Brook University’s Staller Center for the Arts, 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook presents Starry Nights in the Recital Hall at 7 p.m. With the combined talent of Stony Brook’s established artists and its rising stars, Artist-in-Residence Colin Carr and company continue to enchant audiences with their musical wizardry. Program will include Shostakovich Piano Quintet in G minor featuring renowned violinist Hagai Shaham, as well as the beloved Schubert String Quintet featuring Mr. Carr and the Pelia String Quartet. Tickets range from $43 to $48. To order, call 632-2787 or visit www.stallercenter.com.
Thursday 30
No events listed for this day.
Theater
UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL Only two more chances to catch a performance of the 24th annual Festival of One-Act Plays on Theatre Three’s Second Stage. The show closes on March 25. Photo by Peter Lanscombe/Theatre Three Productions, Inc.
Festival of One-Act Plays
Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson presents the 24th annual Festival of One-Act Plays through March 25 at The Ronald F. Peierls Theatre, on the Second Stage. Selected from over 750 submissions world-wide, these seven cutting-edge premieres are guaranteed to entertain and engage. Directed by Jeffrey Sanzel, the plays will feature Steve Ayle, Tamralynn Dorsa, Antoine Jones, Brittany Lacey, Phyllis March, Evan Teich, Steven Uihlein, Sean Amato, Ava Andrejko, Angelo DiBiase, Samantha Fierro, Jason Furnari, Melissa Norman, Danielle Pafundi, and Tristan Prin. Adult content and language. Tickets are $20. To order, call 928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com.
‘The Scarlet Pimpernel’
The swashbuckling musical adventure The Scarlet Pimpernel heads to the John W. Engeman Theater, 250 Main St., Northport from March 16 to April 30. Percy Blakeney, a proper Englishman, takes on a sword fighting and dashing double identity as The Scarlet Pimpernel to save French citizens from the blood-hungry guillotine. His exploits soon become the talk of Paris, however, the fanatical Agent Chauvelin will stop at nothing to catch the Pimpernel and send him to the guillotine. With a rousing and passionate score by Frank Wildhorn,The Scarlet Pimpernel is a thrilling musical! For ticket info, call 261-2900 or visit www.engemantheater.com.
‘Seussical’
Mount Sinai High School, 110 North Country Road, Mt. Sinai presents the musical Seussical on March 23 and 24 at 7 p.m. and March 25 at 2 p.m. This special Theater for Young Audiences version of the Broadway hit has been rewritten and streamlined to engage audience members from age 4 to 94. Tickets are $15, $12 seniors and students at www.Ludus.com/MountSinaiPerformingArts. Questions? call 870-2882.
Theatre Three, 412 Main Street, Port Jefferson, presents Pride @ Prejudice from April 7 through May 6. Watch Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy fall in love all over again – this time filtered through the world of the internet. Modern voices interject and build on this classic love story in the form of blog posts, chat room discussions, quotes from film adaptations, and even letters from Ms. Austen herself to create a delightfully postmodern view of 19th century England. Five actors play nearly two dozen roles in this hilarious and moving homage to Jane Austen’s most beloved novel, Pride and Prejudice. Tickets are $35 adults, $28 seniors and students, $20 children ages 5 and up. To order, call 928-9100 or visit theatrethree.com.
‘The Comedy of Errors’
The Theatre at Suffolk County Community College, Ammerman campus, 533 College Road, Selden presents a production of The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare in the Shea Theatre in the Islip Arts Building on April 13, 14, 15, 20, 21 and 22 at 7:30 p.m. and April 16 and 23 at 2 p.m. Mature content. General admission is $15. For tickets, call 451-4163.
Film
‘Mr. Smith Goes to Washington’
Celebrate St. James continues its classic movie series with a screening of Frank Capra’s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington starring Jimmy Stewart and Jean Arthur at the St. James Cultural Arts Center, 176 Second St., St. James on March 26 at 1 p.m. Tickets are $25, $20 seniors and members. To register, visit www.celebratestjames.org or call 984-0201.
‘I Am Not’
Port Jefferson Documentary Series continues its spring season with a viewing of I Am Not at JFK Middle School on March 27 at 7 p.m. The film follows the journey of Oren Levy, a young adopted Israeli man who travels back to Guatemala in search of his identity. Followed by a Q&A with guest speaker Ehud Levy, Oren’s father and subject in film, via live Zoom. Tickets are $10 at www.portjeffdocumentaryseries.com or at the door.
* All numbers are in (631) area code unless otherwise noted.
Ross Barbera, a graduate of Pratt Institute, is known for his representational acrylic paintings on canvas, watercolors on paper, original jewelry and digital and abstract art. Presently teaching at St. John’s University in the Art and Design Department in Queens where he was chairman for three years, Ross continues to win many juried awards and prestigious grants to pursue his prolific art career.
