Book Revue in Huntington hosted a book-signing event for Whoopi Goldberg on Oct. 11. The host of “The View” was in town to promote her latest book, “The Unqualified Hostess.” Hundreds of fans lined up to have their copy signed by the award-winning actress and comedian, best known for her roles in “The Color Purple,” “Sister Act,” “Ghost” and as Guinan in “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” Goldberg took the time to speak with each fan before taking candid photos.
Photos by Heidi Sutton
MEET BLUE!
This week’s shelter pet is Blue, a 2-year-old husky mix from Puerto Rico. Blue may look familiar to our readers — he was featured in the paper back in November of 2017. He was adopted from Kent Animal Shelter and then brought back because the owners fell on hard times.
Blue, who sports one blue eye and one brown eye, would love a big backyard to run around in and would be best in a home without kids. Once he knows you he’s the sweetest boy! Come on down to the shelter and meet him!
Blue comes neutered, microchipped and up to date on all his vaccines.
Kent Animal Shelter is located at 2259 River Road in Calverton. The adoption center is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information on Blue and other adoptable pets at Kent, call 631-727-5731 or visit www.kentanimalshelter.com.
Update: Blue has been adopted!
Celebrate St. James invites all singers – good, bad and really bad – to participate in World Singing Day at Burke Veterans Memorial Park, 463 Lake Ave., St. James on Saturday, Oct. 19 from 1 to 3 p.m. The giant sing-a-long celebrates “the global family through the international language of music.” Rain location is the St. James Firehouse. Call 631-862-4615 or visit www.celebratestjames.org for more information.
It’s back! The Greater Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce hosts its 12th annual The Taste @ Port Jefferson at the Village Center, 101-A E. Broadway, Port Jefferson overlooking Harborfront Park and the harbor on Thursday, Oct. 17 from 6 to 9 p.m.
In celebration, the chamber has reached out to the greater Port Jefferson restaurant community and will highlight over 30 restaurants and purveyors offering top-quality food tastings and desserts as well as samples of wines and beers. The event will feature musical entertainment by the Denice Given Band, a local favorite performing swing, standards, Latin, disco, top 40, pop, rock, R&B, Motown, reggae, country and everything in between.
New this year is a 20- by 40-foot beer tent featuring Po’Boy Brewery, PJ Brewing Co., Montauk Brewing Co. and Blue Point Brewing Co. and a LI Cuban Cigar and Bourbon Experience mobile lounge — a 25-foot trailer with a master server catering to each guest, cutting each cigar, while artfully speaking to each flavor of bourbon.
Adding to the ambiance for the evening Kunz Greenhouses will be suppling table arrangements for the special VIP dinning lounge and Organically Green Horticultural Services will be providing planters and horticulture to welcome attenders into the event.
Participating businesses also include Barito Taco & Cocktails; Fratelli’s Bagel Express; Costco; Dos MexiCuban Cantina; Due Baci; Fifth Season; Kilwins; Flying Pig Cafe; La Bonne Boulangerie Bakery; Local’s Cafe; Lucky Lou’s Gourmet Rice Pudding; Nantuckets; Roger’s Frigate; Pasta, Pasta; Port Jeff Lobster House; Port Jeff Bistro & Pub; Prohibition Kitchen; Slurp Ramen; Starbucks; The Steam Room; Tuscany Gourmet Market, Top Shelf Trading Corp; Uncle Giuseppe’s; The Waterview at Port Jefferson Country Club; Danford’s WAVE Seafood & Steak; and Zorba the Greek.
Sponsors this year include St. Charles Hospital, SERVPRO of Port Jefferson, TBR News Media, BNB Bank, Blue Point Brewing Co. and DiCarlo Food Service.
Transportation will also be provided for those who don’t want to be bothered in finding a parking spot. A shuttle will make continuous loops from the northeast corner of Belle Terre Road and Myrtle Avenue to the Port Jefferson Village Center. Cars may park in this large and well-lit parking lot and have a quick ride to the event. You can text our Port Passport shuttle at 516-939-8960 to obtain a ride.
Save your appetite as there will be samplings in abundance and TASTE the local fine cuisine, wines and beers.
Tickets are available on line through Eventbrite: $50 per person for general admission entrance at 7 p.m. and $75 for VIP guests at 6 p.m., which includes early access by one hour and exclusive third-floor water view VIP lounge. This is an adult evening so guests must be 21 and over. For more detailed information call the chamber office at 631-473-1414 or visit www.thetasteatportjefferson.com.
The Long Island Apple Festival returned to the Sherwood-Jayne Farm in East Setauket for its 30th year on Sept. 29. Presented by the Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities and Homestead Arts, the fun event attracted over 2,000 visitors this year in celebration of the humble apple.
One of the highlights of the day was the apple pie contest which was judged by Port Jefferson Village Mayor Margot Garant; Lisa Basini, founder of The Baking Coach Inc.; Chef Marc Anthony Bynum,
restaurateur and owner of MB Concepts; Adam Devine, manager of Three Village Inn’s Mirabelle Restaurant & Tavern; Bernice Fehringer from Chocolate Works in Stony Brook; Chef Phil Morizio, chef and owner of Café Al Dente in Oyster Bay; Nick Acampora, president of Port Jefferson Historical Society; New York State Assemblyman Steve Englebright; Town of Brookhaven Councilwoman Valerie Cartright; and Town of Brookhaven historian Barbara Russell.
First place for Best Tasting Pie went to Gillian Winters of E. Setauket; Alice Glass of Setauket won second place; and Rosolino Gould of Kings Park captured third place. The Most Beautiful Pie award went to Susan Folan and Katie Specht of Setauket. Congratulations to all!
By Heidi Sutton
As one of the country’s most beloved holidays draws near, Theatre Three gets into the act with Halloween treats of its own. While the theater thrills and chills on the Mainstage with “Jekyll & Hyde,” its Children’s Theatre offers “A Kooky Spooky Halloween,” the adorable tale of a ghost who is afraid of the dark. Written by Jeffrey Sanzel and Steve McCoy, the musical, which runs through Oct. 26, is the perfect way to kick off the spookiest of seasons.
A friendly ghost named Abner Perkins (played by Steven Uihlein) has just graduated from Haunting High School. With a diploma and a medallion of invisibility in hand, his first assignment is to become the spooksperson for Ma Aberdeen’s Boarding House, famously known the world over for being the most haunted house in Harrison County U.S.A. and for serving the best toast. There are only two rules he has to follow — he can only haunt at night and he can’t lose the medallion or he’ll be seen by the living.
Abner confides to his best friend Lavinda the witch (Michelle LaBozzetta) that he has an uncontrollable fear of the dark and, after a bit of teasing (“That’s like a vampire who’s afraid of necks!”), she gifts him a night-light and promises to assist him with his haunting duties for the first few weeks. When they arrive at the boarding house, they find Ma Aberdeen (Ginger Dalton), the finest toast maker in the land, and her guests in the kitchen stuffing treat bags for Halloween.
We meet Kit Garret (Nicole Bianco) who “just came from a small town to a big city with a suitcase in my hand and hope in my heart” and can’t wait to try Ma Aberdeen’s famous toast. We also meet the Petersons — Paul the periodontist (Andrew Lenahan), his wife Penelope (Krystal Lawless) and their son Pip (Eric J. Hughes) — who have the most curious habit of using words that start with the letter P in every sentence.
When Pip puts on a pumpkin pullover and proceeds to tell pumpkin jokes (see what I did there?), Abner casts a speed spell on the group, making them spin like a top, do jumping jacks and walk like a duck in double time, and then, straight out of a scene from “The Golden Goose,” has them stick to each other “like birds of a feather.”
Just as he is about to undo the spell, fellow graduate and ghost with a grudge Dora Pike (Beth Ladd) shows up and steals Abner’s night-light and medallion of invisibility and hides them in Black Ridge Gulch, the deepest, darkest gorge in the entire world. Now visible, Abner has to convince the boarders, who are still stuck to each other in “an unprecedented predicament,” to help him and Lavinda get his property back. What follows is a hilarious adventure that highlights the power of honesty, determination and friendship.
Directed by Jeffrey Sanzel, the eight-member adult cast embraces the brilliant script and presents a hauntingly fun afternoon both children and parents will love. Accompanied on piano by Douglas Quattrock with choreography by Nicole Bianco, the song and dance numbers are fun and catchy with special mention to the rap “A Need for Speed” by Abner and Lavinda and the group number, “It’s Ma Who Makes the Toast.” Costumes by Teresa Matteson and Toni St. John are spot on, from the Peterson’s black and orange outfits to the spooky white garbs for the ghosts. And wait until you see the special effects!
Souvenir cat, pumpkin, vampire and ghost dolls will be available for purchase before the show and during intermission for $5. Meet the cast in the lobby for photos on your way out.
Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson will present “A Kooky Spooky Halloween” on Oct. 12, 19 and 26 at 11 a.m. and Oct. 20 at 3 p.m. Running time is 1 hour and 15 minutes with one intermission, and Halloween costumes are encouraged. Children’s theater continues with “Barnaby Saves Christmas,” from Nov. 23 to Dec. 28. All seats are $10. To order, call 631-928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com.
Middle Country Public Library in Centereach hosted the 19th annual Women’s EXPO on Oct. 3. Thousands came out to kick off their holiday shopping at the one-day event presented by the Middle Country Library Foundation and the library’s Miller Business Center.
More than 80 women entrepreneurs were given the opportunity to introduce their products, which included jewelry, children’s books, soaps, candles, chocolate, fall crafts, clothing and much more. Fifth Season restaurant offered lunch in the EXPO Café.
This year’s lead sponsor was Bank of America. The event was also sponsored by Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, LLP of Ronkonkoma; People’s Alliance Federal Credit Union; BankUnited; TD Bank; Jefferson’s Ferry; and the Greater Middle Country Chamber of Commerce. Vendors interested in participating in next year’s event are encouraged to visit www.womensExpoli.org. See more photos of the event at www.tbrnewsmedia.com.
Photos by Heidi Sutton
In honor of the 75th anniversary of D-Day, June 6, 1944, the Stony Brook School, 1 Chapman Parkway, Stony Brook will host a screening of “The Girl Who Wore Freedom” on Sunday, Oct. 6 at 1:30 p.m. The documentary, written and directed by Stony Brook School alumna Christian Taylor, showcases the unconventional love story between the people of France and the American GIs who freed them from German occupation.
“[The film] features Danielle Patrix, who was just 1 year old when German tanks rolled into the village of Sainte Marie du Mont, France. Through her eyes, we experience the hardships and trauma of the four-year occupation, as well as the overwhelming joy felt when American GIs freed her city. Seventy years later, the people of Normandy still hold an annual celebration to remember and honor the sacrifices that American soldiers made to free them. This documentary keeps Dany’s story, as well as stories of her fellow French citizens, alive,” explained Taylor.
Admission is free but reservations are requested and can be made at www.normandystories.com/screenings. For further information, please call 631-751-1800.
By Heidi Sutton
“A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others.”
― L. Frank Baum, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”
Most people remember the legendary Judy Garland for her role as Dorothy Gale from Kansas in “The Wizard of Oz.” For die-hard fans, the actress, dancer and singer with the beautiful voice is also remembered for “Meet Me in St. Louis,” “Easter Parade” “Summer Stock,” “A Star Is Born,” the Andy Hardy films with Mickey Rooney and much more.
Fifty years after Garland’s death, director Rupert Goold brings us “Judy,” an adaptation of Peter Quilter’s musical “End of the Rainbow,” which explores the star’s final months on earth.
Set in 1968, the biopic is somber, sad, touching. Garland’s career, by this point, has already spanned more than four decades. At 46, the aging actress (played by Renée Zellweger)lives in and out of hotels with her children, Lorna (Bella Ramsey) and Joey (Lewin Lloyd), while grappling with the demons of her troubled showbiz life.
Down on her luck and out of money, she jumps at the chance to star in a London cabaret show, and leaving the children with their father and third husband, Sid Luft (Rufus Sewell), Garland heads to the Talk of the Town nightclub for a five-week run.
While there, she begins a whirlwind romance with musician Mickey Deans (Finn Wittrock), her soon-to-be fifth husband, reconnects with fans, and in a nod to “Oz,” all the while looks forward to getting back home to see her children. “Having children is like having your heart outside your body,” she explains. We meet Judy’s oldest daughter Liza Minnelli (Gemma-Leah Devereux) only briefly at a Hollywood party.
Garland suffers from insomnia, hepatitis, alcoholism, depression, anxiety, an eating disorder and is addicted to pills. Years of abuse, suicide attempts and nervous breakdowns have left her broken.
Occasional flashbacks to the MGM set and scenes with Mickey Rooney (Gus Barry) as a 16-year-old (played by Darci Shaw) attempts to shed light on how Garland ended up this way. MGM founder Louis B. Mayer (Richard Cordery) is portrayed as a monster, threatening Judy and making her take amphetamines and barbiturates to keep up with the frantic pace of making one film after another. “I make movies, Judy, but it’s your job to give those people dreams,” he tells her as they walk along the yellow brick road.
Zellweger is incredible in her portrayal of Garland as a lonely and frail victim of stardom. Her mannerisms and expressions are spot on while the tragic story she is telling is sometimes too hard to watch. The songs that made Garland famous — “Over the Rainbow,” “The Trolley Song,” “Get Happy,” are performed by Zellweger in the film — but only in snippets.
The film also highlights Garland’s faithful following in the LGBTQ community as she spends time with two gay fans (Andy Nyman and Daniel Cerqueira) in their apartment in one of the most poignant moments in the film.
In the final scene, Garland peers out into the audience and asks, “You won’t forget me, will you? Promise you won’t.” Six months later, she is dead from an accidental barbiturate overdose. At her funeral, Garland’s “Wizard of Oz” co-star Ray Bolger said, “She just plain wore out.”
Rated PG-13, “Judy” is now playing in local theaters
Photos courtesy LD Entertainment and Roadside Attractions
By Heidi Sutton
Christmas came early for many little girls and boys as two members of the Radio City Rockettes, Mindy Moeller (left) and Taylor Shimko, stopped by the Smithtown Library’s Main Branch on Sept. 25 to meet their fans and take part in a kids craft program.
Each child took an instant photo with the Rockettes that was placed in a keepsake snow globe. The globe was then decorated with stickers.
Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim presented the two dancers with a proclamation thanking them for their time and “the joyful memories made today with the children and families of Smithtown.”
The day was especially meaningful for the supervisor’s 6-year-old granddaughter Danica (in the pink ballet outfit) who loves to watch the Radio City Christmas Spectacular show and aspires to become a Rockette when she grows up.
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