DIRECTIONS: For lemon butter sauce, add white wine, lemon juice, cream, garlic, turmeric, salt and pepper to saute pan. Heat on high heat and reduce to half its original volume. While lemon sauce is reducing, prepare fish and vegetables. Once reduced, remove from heat and swirl in diced butter.
For halibut, heat nonstick skillet on medium-high heat with olive oil. Season halibut with salt and pepper. Sear until deep golden brown, approximately 5 minutes each side. Remove from heat and cover with foil.
For vegetables, add olive oil to skillet over medium-high heat. Saute zucchini, squash and pepper until crisp-tender, about 2-3 minutes. Keep warm.
For potatoes, prepare mashed potatoes following package instructions. To serve, plate mashed potatoes, vegetables and halibut. Drizzle halibut with lemon butter sauce and garnish with lemon zest and fresh herbs.
Note: Haddock or striped bass can be substituted for halibut.
DIRECTIONS: Sprinkle chicken thighs with salt and pepper. In 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, brown chicken thighs on both sides in hot oil. Add white wine, chicken broth, thyme sprigs and garlic. Over high heat, heat mixture to boiling. Cover and simmer 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, prepare mashed potatoes according to package directions. In skillet, add mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and olives; cover and simmer 5 minutes longer until chicken is tender. Serve chicken thighs with mashed potatoes and sauteed green beans.
The cast of ‘Urinetown’. Photo courtesy of the SCPA
By Heidi Sutton
The Smithtown Center for the Performing Arts closes out its 14th season with the award-winning satirical comedy, “Urinetown The Musical,” which opened last weekend. With superb direction by Ken Washington, the 16-member seasoned cast guides the audience through two and a half wonderful hours of greed, love, corruption, regret, rebellion, fear, justice and long lines to the bathroom! Oh and it is very funny!
Officer Lockstock (Michael Bertolini) and street urchin Little Sally (Courtney Braun) in a scene from ‘Urinetown’, Photo courtesy of SCPA
The incredible Michael Bertolini returns as Officer Lockstock, a role he played 10 years ago in the same theater, and serves as narrator to set the scene. The town is experiencing a 20-year drought, he explains, which has caused a severe water shortage, causing the government to ban all private toilets. Everyone must use public bathrooms in order to “take care of their private business.” However, all the urinals are controlled by corporate giant Urine Good Company run by the greedy Caldwell B. Cladwell (Michael Newman). In other words, everyone must “pay to pee.” Anyone who doesn’t pay is arrested and sent to Urinetown, “a mystical place, a bad place, filled with symbolism,” never to be seen again. “Whaaat!”
The cast
Michael Bertolini
Courtney Braun
Mark Cahill
Samantha Carroll
Erich Grathwohl
Ronnie Green
Jeremy Hudson
Amanda-Camille Isaac
M.E. Junge
Mary Ellin Kurtz
Kaylyn Lewis
Eddie Martinez
Michael Newman
Ryan Nolin
Dondi Rollins Jr.
Jim Sluder
When Cladwell’s daughter Hope (Samantha Carroll) returns from college to work at UGC, she meets Bobby Strong (Jeremy Hudson), an assistant janitor at one of the cheapest toilets in town, run by Miss Pennywise (Mary Ellin Kurtz). Bob and Hope fall in love and she encourages him to follow his heart. His heart tells him to form a rebellion and the fight to pee for free is on. Will good win over evil or will Bobby be sent to Urinetown?
Musical director Melissa Coyle, on keyboards, leads a powerful ensemble with Alexandria DeVries on reeds, Ken Mahoney on trombone, Michael Molloy on bass and Jim Waddell on drums. The musical numbers, choreographed by M.E. Junge, are all top notch. Carroll and Hudson’s duet, “Follow Your Heart,” is very sweet (there’s clearly some chemistry there), while Michael Newman is hilarious as he hops around the stage singing “Don’t Be the Bunny.” Other stand-out numbers include “Cop Song,” which incorporates flashlights and batons into the choreography and the gospel number, “Run, Freedom, Run!” and the cast shines in “Snuff That Girl” and “What Is Urinetown?” both clearly inspired by “West Side Story” and “Fiddler on the Roof.”
As Little Sally says to Officer Lockstock at the end, “This isn’t a happy musical but the music is happy …. and the title is awful!” True, but you should still go see it!
The Smithtown Center for the Performing Arts, 2 East Main St., Smithtown will present “Urinetown The Musical” through Nov. 6. Tickets range from $20 to $35. To order, call 631-724-3700 or visit www.smithtownpac.org.
From left, sisters Caroline and Alexa D’Andrea of Shoreham are the winners of our Halloween Coloring Contest and receive four tickets to the children’s show, ‘Pumpkin Patch Magic,’ courtesy of Theatre Three in Port Jefferson. Congratulations!
Cupcakes offered at LaBonne Boulangerie's table at last year's event. Photo by Mac Titmus
By Heidi Sutton
Save the date! With a new name and more participants than ever before, The Taste At Port Jeff (formerly A Taste of Port Jefferson) returns to the Port Jefferson Village Center, 101A E. Broadway, Port Jefferson on Saturday, Oct. 22 from noon to 4 p.m.
Now in its 9th year, the event will feature food and dessert samplings along with wine and beer tastings from more than 25 local shops and restaurants. There are only two requirements — come with an empty stomach and get ready to delight your taste buds! Presented by The Greater Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce, the event, for ages 21 and over, has been totally revamped with new energy, including a new logo and new VIP ticket option and has expanded to include restaurants outside of Port Jefferson to be more inclusive.
“The Taste committee is very excited this year with the introduction of our new VIP ticket and new logo! In addition, with the more inclusive restaurant invitation this year, The Taste has many new restaurateurs who will be participating,” said Barbara Ransome, director of operations at the chamber.
Chefs from St. Charles Hospital will return to this year’s event with delicious healthy samples. Photo by Mac Titmus
Participating food vendors will include Brewology, Chick-fil-A, Costco, Crazy Crepe Cafe, Crazy Fish Bar & Gill, Curry Club, Danfords Wave Seafood Kitchen, Don Quijote, Flying Pig Cafe, Locals Cafe, LI Pour House Bar & Grill, Messina Market & Catering, Mirabelle Tavern, Penntara Lao-Thai Catering, Slurp Ramen, Smoke Shack Blues, Spiro’s Restaurant and Lounge, St. Charles Hospital, The Meadow Club and Uncle Giuseppe’s. Dessert samplings from A Cake in Time, LaBonne Boulangerie, Starbucks and Tilda’s Bake Shop will be offered along with wine and beer tastings from Brewology 295, Port Jeff Brewing Company, Pindar Vineyards and Port Jeff Liquors.
Sponsors this year include St. Charles Hospital, Karras Agency, Times Beacon Record Newspapers, ServPro of Port Jefferson, AXA Advisors, Port Jeff Pulse and Dan’s Papers. Tickets in advance are $40 per person for general admission and $65 for VIP, which includes early access by one hour, a special VIP designated area with tables and chairs and premium pours, through Eventbrite at www.atasteofportjefferson.com. Tickets at the door are $50. Credit cards and phone orders welcomed. For more information, please call 631-473-1414.
The Huntington Arts Council unveiled its latest exhibit at its Main Street Gallery on Oct. 6. Titled “Conversations in Color,” the Juried Abstract Show features works by 29 local artists and will be on display until Oct. 22. The winners, selected by juror Kerry Irvine, will be announced at an opening reception on Friday, Oct. 14 from 6 to 8 p.m.
“This abstract exhibit is perfectly defined by the scope of work currently on display. The pieces are vibrant not just in color, but in technique and in the range of interpretation; even for a diverse category such as abstract art. We are so pleased to have Kerry Irvine as our juror and look forward to a well-received reception,” said Marc Courtade, Executive Director of the Huntington Arts Council.
‘Tiki Tiki’ by Julia Lang-Shapiro
“As an artist who was born and raised in Huntington, it was an honor to be asked to juror “Conversations in Color,” said Irvine. “The challenge I proposed to the applicants, “As Artists we use color to communicate. This is how we bare our souls and share our deepest secrets. With color, we tell our stories. What’s your story?” was met with great enthusiasm and a myriad of beautiful, strong, individual pieces of art.” A resident of New York City, Irvine is an abstract expressionist painter. Her work can be found in private and public collections throughout the United States and abroad. Irvine features color and form often inspired by nature and the human figure. “I am proud to present these wonderful works of art which represent the immense talent that is inspired and cultivated on Long Island year after year,” she said.
Congratulations to the participating artists: Constance Blackman, Sandra Bowman, Joyce Bressler, Kathy Cunningham, Anahi Decanio, Christine Dupuis, Alicia Evans, Baruch Farbiarz, Reg Fludd, Nicole Franz, Mary Fusco, Peter Galasso, John Greene, Rodee Hansen, Roseann Harder, Ron Janssen, Vincent Joseph, Marc Josloff, Karen Kirshner, Deidre Klein, Julia Lang-Shapiro, Tara Leale Porter, Celeste Mauro, Martha Mcaleer, Lorraine Nuzzo, Douglas Reina, Che Sabalja, Sally Shore, and Penny Strong.
The HAC’s Main Street Gallery is located at 213 Main St., Huntington. For more information, call 631-271-8423 or visit www.huntingtonarts.org.
Blast from the Past: Do you know when and where this photo was taken? What show are these people getting ready to see? Email your answers to [email protected]. To see more wonderful vintage photographs like this, visit The Ward Melville Heritage Organization’s ongoing exhibit, It Takes a Team to Build a Village, at The WMHO’s Educational & Cultural Center, 97P Main Street, Stony Brook. For more information, call 631-751-2244.
Dorothy (Kate Keating) greets theatergoer Selah, age 4, of Nesconset, after a performance of “The Wizard of Oz” at the John W. Engeman Theater in Northport on Oct. 1. The children’s show runs through Nov. 6.
Winners of the Long Island Apple Festival’s apple pie contest, from left, Liana and Gabrielle Lofaso, Christopher McAndrews and Sabrina Sloan and Chris Muscarella. Not shown, Erin Lovett. Photo by Tara La Ware
The Long Island Apple Festival returned to the Sherwood-Jayne Farm in East Setauket on Sept. 25 for its 27th year. Presented by the Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities, Homestead Arts and the Greater Port Jefferson–Northern Brookhaven Arts Council, the event celebrated the humble apple. One of the highlights of the day was the apple pie contest. First place went to Sabrina Sloan and Chris Muscarella of East Setauket (see their recipe below), Erin Lovett of Lake Ronkonkoma took home second place and Christopher McAndrews of Belle Terre placed third. Liana and Gabrielle Lofaso of Belle Terre won for Best Looking Pie. Congratulations to all!
Apple Pie
Apple pie
YIELD: Makes one 9-inch pie, serves 6 to 8
INGREDIENTS:
Crust: 2½ cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1½ cups (3 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
½ cup ice water
Filling:
8 cups cored, peeled, sliced apples (Granny Smith or Cortland)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for top of crust
¼ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons butter
1 egg yolk
Splash of water
DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 375 F. In a food processor, using a metal blade, pulse your flour, sugar and salt together. Add in cold, cubed butter and pulse. Slowly drizzle in ice water, one tablespoon at a time. You should have a course, crumbly mixture. (If you don’t have a food processor, combine ingredients in a large bowl using a pastry blender or fork.) Before the dough has formed a ball, remove the blade and take dough out, bringing it together by hand. Form the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. It is very important to work with cold dough. In a large bowl, toss apples in lemon juice, flour, sugars, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.
Once dough is cold, take dough out of plastic wrap and divide in half. Return one half, in plastic wrap, to the fridge. On a lightly floured surface, roll your ½ of dough out into a circle, 12 to 14 inches round and about ¼ inch thick. Gently take the corners, lift the dough and transfer it to pie pan. Lightly press sides against the bottom and sides of pan. Trim overhanging dough so that you’re left with ½ inch and fold excess under the edge of the pan. Pour apple mixture into pie pan and cover the top of the apples with pats of butter. T
ake second half of dough from fridge and repeat process of rolling it out to a 12 to 14 inch circle, ¼ inch thick. Cover the entire pie with remaining rolled-out dough. Pierce holes in the top of dough to allow heat to escape (so there isn’t a steam buildup inside the pie.) Seal the edges of the pie by fluting the dough (stamping the dough with a fork) around the edge of the pie pan. In a small bowl, beat the egg yolk and add a splash of water. Brush the egg mixture all over the top of the crust and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 50 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
Recipe courtesy of Sabrina Sloan and Chris Muscarella of East Setauket.
Dresses on display at The Long Island Museum’s current exhibit, Long Island in the Sixties. Photo by Heidi Sutton
On Saturday, Oct. 22 from 9:45 a.m. to 3 p.m., The Long Island Museum, 1200 Route 25A, Stony Brook will celebrate its blockbuster summer exhibition Long Island in the Sixties with a full-day symposium of the same name.
By the close of the 1960s, although the Long Island region had become more economically prosperous than 27 states, it was experiencing a wide array of social, political and cultural changes that went beyond demographic shifts and industrial development.
Five guest speakers will explore some of the most trenchant developments that occurred across the region during the 1960s. Join them to examine and more deeply understand the lasting impact that suburban and economic trends, the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair, the local Civil Rights Movement, regional architecture and Long Island’s popular music made on this local area and in the United States at large.
Music historian John Broven will be a guest speaker at the symposium. File photo
Presenters will include Stephen Patnode, associate professor of history and acting chair of Farmingdale State College’s Department of Science, Technology and Sociology; Christopher Verga, professor of history at Suffolk County Community College and author of “Civil Rights on Long Island,” Arcadia Publishing Inc.; Caroline Rob Zaleski, preservationist and architectural historian and author of “Long Island Modernism, 1930-1980,” SPLIA and W.W. Norton; Lawrence R. Samuel, independent scholar and American cultural historian and author of “The End of the Innocence: The 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair,” Syracuse University Press; and John Broven, music historian and custodian of the family-owned Golden Crest Records and author of the award-winning “Rhythm and Blues in New Orleans,” Pelican Press, and “Record Makers and Breakers,” University of Illinois Press.
Participants will enjoy Q-and-A sessions with all speakers, lunch break and optional self-guided tour of the Gilding the Coasts exhibition. Admission is $12 adults, $10 for students, seniors and museum members (there is an additional, optional $10 lunch fee). Preregistration and prepayment are required. All fees include general museum admission. For more information, call The Long Island Museum’s Education Director Lisa Unander at 631-751-0066, ext. 212.
A view of the Setauket Presbyterian Cemetery. Photo by Susan Nolan
By Heidi Sutton
‘How glorious it is to paint in the open fields, to hear the birds singing around you, to draw in the fresh air – how thankful it makes one.’ — William Sidney Mount, May 1848
The cooler weather, shorter days and leaves of autumn reds, oranges and gold signal the arrival of the Three Village Historical Society’s annual Spirits Tour. Now in its 22nd year, this year’s event, with the theme “William Sidney Mount: Family, Friends & Ideas,” will be held on Saturday, Oct. 22 with tours starting at 5 p.m.
‘Self-Portrait,’ oil on canvas, 1832 by William Sidney Mount. File photo
Born in Setauket in 1807, William Sidney Mount was an incredible artist best known for his genre paintings (portraits and scenes from everyday life) of Long Island, most notably “Dance of the Haymakers,” (1845) “Farmers Nooning” (1836) and “Dancing on the Barn Floor” (1831). His paintings often commented on American social and political issues and by the middle of the nineteenth century, he was one of the most renowned artists in America. He is buried at the Setauket Presbyterian Church across from the Village Green. The Long Island Museum in Stony Brook boasts the largest collection of Mount’s paintings, thanks to gifts by philanthropists Ward and Dorothy Melville, along with his diaries.
Guided walking tours will lead guests through the historic cemeteries of the Setauket Presbyterian Church and the Caroline Church of Brookhaven. The “spirit” of William Sidney Mount with his family and friends will greet visitors along the way. Actors in period costumes supplied by Antiques Costume & Prop Rental by Nan Guzzetta will play the parts of Mount’s mother, brothers Henry and Shepard, his sister Ruth along with people who commissioned paintings from him, including Lumen Reed, his principal sponsor in New York. Reed would eventually donate his collection of the artist’s paintings to the New York Historical Society. Rachel Holland Hart, played by Bonnie Duvall, who is featured in Mount’s classic painting, “Eel Spearing at Setauket,” will also make an appearance. As a special treat, the tour will include a visit with members of the Setalcott Nation, Helen “Morningstar” Sells and Nellie Edwards, on the Village Green.
‘Farmers Nooning’ (1836) by William Sidney Mount. File photo
Frank Turano, co-chair of the committee and Historical Society Trustee, wrote the script for this year’s event. According to Turano, the Spirits Tour serves as both an educational event for the community and a fundraiser for the Three Village Historical Society. Previous tours have explored themes such as the Culper Spy Ring and Service to Country and Community as well as featuring prominent families in the area such as the Strongs.
The decision to celebrate William Sidney Mount this year was an easy one. “Mount is a significant artist from mid-19th century,” said Turano. “His work … leads into the Hudson River School … as a significant art movement. Long Island was used extensively by artists, both in [Mount’s] time and later times. We had all the big guns here at one point in the 19th century: the Moran Brothers, Winslow Homer, William Merritt Chase — they all followed Mount.” Aside from having been born here, Turano said one of Mount’s attractions to the area was the high quality of the light. “He often commented on the high clarity of the atmosphere and true colors.”
“Mount painted the [local] community, the people he saw, the people he grew up with. The end result was that you have a good representation of the life of the people here,” said Turano, adding, “Mount also came from an enormously talented family. He was taught sign painting by his older brother Henry, his younger brother Shepard Alonzo was an unbelievable portrait painter and they were all musicians.”
“Mount was a man for all seasons in the 19th century,” said Turano. Along with being very influential in the art world, with sponsors in New York, “he invented a violin named the Cradle of Harmony, which was designed to be louder than the typical fiddle of the day.” Turano said Mount’s paintings also give us good insight into the manner and dress of the people in Setauket in the early 1800s as a rural farming settlement. “How did the common people dress? What did they look like? He’s a character bigger than the community and that’s why he’s the focal point here,” said Turano.
Tours will leave from the Setauket Presbyterian Church, 5 Caroline Ave., Setauket every 15 minutes starting at 5 p.m. and last for approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours. The last tour departs at 7:45 p.m. It is advised to dress warmly, wear comfortable shoes and bring a flashlight. Tickets in advance are $18 adults, $15 members; $10 children under 12, $8 members. Tickets on the night of the event are $25 adults, $20 members; $12 children under 12, $10 members. Copies of the Three Village Historical Society’s book, “William Sidney Mount: Family, Friends and Ideas” will be available for purchase for $3 on the night of the event. Rain date is Sunday, Oct. 23. To order tickets, call 631-751-3730 or visit www.tvhs.org.
In conjunction with the tour, the Long Island Museum, 1200 Route 25A, Stony Brook will showcase its current exhibit in the Art Museum on the hill: “Drawn from Life: Objects and Stories from William Sidney Mount’s Paintings” and Mora’s Fine Wines will host a wine and spirit tasting event with hors d’ouevres at Madiran the Wine Bar, 209 Main St., E. Setauket on Oct. 22 from 1 to 4 p.m. Tickets for the wine tasting are $39.99. To order, please visit www.moraswines.com.
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