A FUNGUS AMONG US
Marvin Hazan of Setauket submitted this unique photo of a sulphur shelf mushroom, aka Chicken of the Woods, which perfectly captures the season’s colors. He writes, ‘I took this shot of a magnificent fungus growing out of a recently removed tree on my property.
Send your Photo of the Week to [email protected]
Fountaingate Gardens, the proposed Life Plan Community (also known as a Continuing Care Retirement Community) sponsored by Gurwin in Commack, recently revealed its plans to begin construction on the 129-apartment community in spring 2020.
The announcement came at an exclusive luncheon event for members of the Fountaingate Gardens Founders Club, early adopters of the community and the lifestyle concept it will provide. So far, more than 75 individuals and couples have chosen their new homes and secured preconstruction pricing by placing a deposit on their future residence of choice.
“We’re here to celebrate that Fountaingate Gardens will be a reality in just a few months, as we are ready to break ground this coming spring,” said Herbert H. Friedman, founding executive vice president and former CEO of Gurwin, who is now consulting on the Fountaingate Gardens project. “We’ve been listening to the Founders Club members, further developing our plans, and now it is all about to come to fruition.”
The celebration took place on Sept. 24 at The Hamlet Golf & Country Club in Commack, directly across the street from the future site of the community. Fountaingate Gardens’ newest site plan, floor plans and community renderings were shared with the Founders Club members before being released to the public.
“It was wonderful to see the updated renderings and hear a little more about what our new community at Fountaingate Gardens will look like,” said one Founders Club member who attended the lunch with her husband. “We’ve been interested since the day we learned about it; we can’t wait to move in!”
According to a press release, when built, Fountaingate Gardens will provide residents a well-connected, wellness-focused active lifestyle alongside an array of new independent living apartment homes. Its status as a Life Plan Community, an uncommon living concept in the area, will also provide residents long-term peace of mind and financial security.
Pictured above, the Fountaingate Gardens team with a rendering of the new retirement community.
For more information, visit www.fountaingateli.org.
Photo from Gurwin
Update: Sally has been adopted!
MEET SALLY!
This week’s shelter pet is Sally, a 1½-year-old heeler mix rescued by Kent Animal Shelter from Texas, where sadly many dogs are euthanized. Sally is one of the lucky ones and is very grateful to have a second chance at life! She is eager to please and loves to go for walks with our volunteers. All she needs is a new home. Come on down to visit her!
Sally comes spayed, microchipped and up to date on her 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 Sally and other adoptable pets at Kent, call 631-727-5731 or visit www.kentanimalshelter.com.
By Heidi Sutton
It’s been five years since Disney brought us the fairy tale Maleficent, a twist on the story of Sleeping Beauty where the focus is not on Aurora who falls into a deep sleep after pricking her finger on a spindle but on the evil fairy who put a curse on the princess in the first place.
Now its darker sequel, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil hits local theaters and does not disappoint. King Stefan is dead and Aurora has been raised by her fairy godmother Maleficent in the Moors, a magical place filled with strange and mythical creatures. Humans and fairies live separate but in peace.
When Aurora becomes engaged to Prince Phillip, his parents, King John and Queen Ingrith of the Kingdom of Ulstead, invite Aurora and Maleficent to the castle for dinner. It is there that we discover the queen’s true intentions — to frame Maleficent for the murder of the king in order to have cause to declare war on the Moorfolk with devastating consequences.
Fans of the first film will be pleased to know that much of the original cast is back, with the exception of Brenton Thwaites who played Prince Phillip in the first film. Angelina Jolie is back as Maleficent complete with horns, wings and cheek prosthetics; Elle Fanning is the sweet Aurora; Sam Riley returns as Diaval, Maleficent’s loyal servant and pet raven; while Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple and Lesley Manville reprise their roles as pixies Knotgrass, Thistlewit and Flittle.
Newcomers include the handsome Harris Dickinson as Aurora’s prince, Robert Lindsay as King John, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Conall the Dark Fey and the incredible Michelle Pfeiffer as the villainous Queen Ingrith, aka Aurora’s future mother-in-law from hell.
It’s hard to figure out who director Joachim Ronning’s target audience is. On the one hand, the film is at times very violent, with an intense war scene between the humans and an army of dark fey, an attempted extermination of the Moorfolk in the palace’s church of all places and the sacrifice of one of the film’s most beloved characters. On the flip side, many of the Moors’ inhabitants are borderline silly with big eyes and cute voices and seemed geared toward children.
With a budget of $180 million, the film is visually stunning with special mention to the scene where an injured Maleficent is rescued by her own kind and given a winged tour of a secret world where the dark fey eek out an existence away from humans. (I predict a new ride at Disney World.)
In the end, the wedding of Aurora and Phillip serves as a union of the Kingdom of Ulstead and the Moors and a timely lesson against fear, bigotry, racism and intolerance and that makes it worth a view.
Rated PG, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is now playing in local theaters
Photos courtesy of Disney Studios
Bello appointed Executive Director
Northwell Health has appointed Stephen Bello as the new executive director of its Eastern region, which includes Glen Cove Hospital, Plainview Hospital, Syosset Hospital, South Oaks Hospital in Amityville, Huntington Hospital, Southside Hospital in Bay Shore, Mather Hospital in Port Jefferson and Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead along with ambulatory care centers.
“Northwell Health’s Eastern region has seen a great deal of growth in recent years and I look forward to bringing more new services and programs to Eastern Nassau County and Suffolk County,” said Bello.
GoHealth Urgent Care, together with its partner Northwell Health, recently opened a new Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care center to serve the communities of Huntington and Centerport. Located at 241 East Main Street in Huntington, next to the Huntington Crescent Club, the new center offers convenient services such as onsite laboratory and X-rays, electronic medical record integration with Northwell Health, with day/walk-in visits and short wait times, extended hours and are open on weekends and holidays.
“We’re excited that the Huntington and Centerport communities will have another Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent care center right in their neighborhood,” said Sarah Arora, New York market president. “Our centers provide unmatched customer experience and top-quality urgent care, allowing patients to stay within the Northwell Health network they already know and trust.”
“Northwell Health’s partnership with GoHealth Urgent Care will continue to provide patients with a more personalized and innovative urgent care experience,” said Adam Boll, executive director of Joint Venture Operations at Northwell Health. Call 631-812-2873 for more information.
Since 1987, the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum in Centerport has placed a very large tree in the Mansion Courtyard and decorated it for the holidays. Every year they’ve invited the community to join them on the Saturday after Thanksgiving to light the tree and inaugurate the holiday season. It’s a very popular, free community event that draws several hundred people every year.
For many years, the museum was able to harvest large pines and spruces from the wooded areas of the 43-acre Vanderbilt estate. This fall, the Vanderbilt is looking for a local family that can donate one of its own trees for this year’s celebration. It must be local, from family property and from 20 to 25 feet high. Vanderbilt staff will cut down the tree and transport it to the museum on or about Nov. 20.
The Vanderbilt will acknowledge the gift with a sign next to the tree and will publicize the donation to the media, along with other museum holiday events and programs. Contact Jim Munson, the Vanderbilt Museum’s operations supervisor at [email protected] for more info.
The Reboli Center for Art and History, 64 Main St., Stony Brook will host an Autumn Painting Party on Wednesday, Nov. 6 from 7 to 9:30 p.m. For a registration fee of $45, each participant will complete a new painting in the style of Joseph Reboli. The subject matter for this event will be Autumn Pumpkins, a wonderful painting to hang this season. All supplies are included, and no experience is necessary.
To register, please call 631-751-7707.
Falling leaves in hues of red, yellow and purple; hot apple cider; pumpkins in all shapes and sizes; and a brisk chill in the air are sure signs October is here.
October also means the return of the Huntington Arts Council’s annual student exhibit, Nightmare on Main Street, a Halloween-inspired juried art show for Nassau and Suffolk counties students in grades 6 to 12. The 8th annual show runs from Oct. 18 to Nov. 16.
“We celebrate by turning ourselves into whatever and whoever we’d like to be on October 31st. Scary, silly, creepy or beautiful, what would you want to transform yourself into during this time of year?” was the question our juror Stephanie Buscema posed as inspiration.
Working professionally for the past 15 years on a variety of projects, from publishing to textile design, Buscema is a painter, illustrator and designer in Huntington. Alongside work assignments, she owns a small business, Kitschy Witch Designs, creating whimsical textile prints and designing vintage inspired clothing and accessories.
Over 110 pieces of artwork were submitted this year, an increase of 34 percent over last year. Of those entries, 48 students were selected as finalists this year including Joseph Apat, Mia Bacchi, Kaia Beatty, Nathaly Benavides, Nia Burke, Connie Choi, Shannon Cooper, Julia Crapanzano, Gilana Etame, Josie Fasolino, Alysse Fazal, Rachel Ferrara, Sophie Fyfe, Julia Giles, Eliza Harnden, Tessa Kang, Margaux Lanfant, Vivienne LaVertu, Fiona Lawrence, Hailey Lepik, Giada LoPorto, Casey Losinski, Jillian Maffei, Margaret Marzigliano, Katrina Mazaras, Vita Mazza, Alena Moreira, Isabella Muoio, Olivia Muscatelli, Allyson Phillips, Taylor Rampulla, Victoria Rodgers, Hannah Ross, Jack Ruthkowski, Andrew Sarchese, Katherine Seon, Holly Sternlicht, Mitchell Stevens, Sophie Talamas, Holly Tilton, Mark Tringali, Natalie Vela, Alexa Villanueva, Lily Walford, Cindy Wang, Addison Westerlind, Jaelin Woracek and Fuxin Zuo.
“Nightmare on Main Street is in its 8th year and continues to receive an incredible response from the student artists who enter the show,” said Executive Director of Huntington Arts Council Marc Courtade.
“The artwork in the show highlights the diverse use of a variety of mediums including found objects, metal transfer, digital photography, charcoal, acrylic and watercolor paints and collage. We are proud to incorporate shows specifically targeting young talent and the community loves to show its support,” he said.
The Huntington Arts Council will present Nightmare on Main Street at its Main Street Gallery, 213 Main St., Huntington from Oct. 18 through Nov. 16. In celebration of the exhibit, a costume party reception will be held at the gallery on Friday, Oct. 25 from 6 to 8 p.m. Refreshments will be served. For more information, call 631-271-8423 or visit www.huntingtonarts.org.
A LIBRARY OF SWEETS
The children’s department of Emma S. Clark Memorial Library in Setauket was transformed into a Life-Sized Candy Land on Oct. 11. The event, now in its 7th year, attracted over 220 members of the community. Children ages 3 to 7 donned their Halloween outfits, picked cards and followed a colorful trail, visiting places like the Peppermint Forest and Gumdrop Mountain where they were greeted by teen volunteers bearing treats.
Photos courtesy of Emma Clark Library
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