Town of Brookhaven Councilwoman Valeria Cartright stopped to support the cause. Photo by Rita J. Egan
Volunteers were on hand for the drive-through lemonade stand prepared with masks. Photo by Rita J. Egan
Volunteers were on hand for the drive-through lemonade stand prepared with masks. Photo by Rita J. Egan
Volunteers were on hand for the drive-through lemonade stand prepared with masks. Photo by Rita J. Egan
Customers lined up in cars to support the drive-through stand. Photo by Rita J. Egan
A customer and his dog waited to support the drive-through stand. Photo by Rita J. Egan
Volunteers get ready for customers at the annual Three Village Kids Lemonade Stand. Photo by Rita J. Egan
Volunteers were on hand for the drive-through lemonade stand prepared with masks. Photo by Rita J. Egan
Volunteers were on hand for the drive-through lemonade stand prepared with masks. Photo by Rita J. Egan
Maddie and Joseph Mastriano sport their Three Village Kids Lemonade Stand masks. Photo by Rita J. Egan
The organizers and volunteers of one annual summer treat in the Three Village school district were determined to make sure its eighth annual event would still go on as planned Aug. 3, despite the coronavirus.
For seven years the Three Village Kids Lemonade Stand has raised funds for Stony Brook Children’s Hospital’s Child Life Program and this year was no different. Despite state guidelines mandating that events be kept to a reduced capacity, the event’s founders, Maddie and Joseph Mastriano, knew they could figure out how to still hold the fundraiser on the grounds of R.C. Murphy Junior High School.
While they knew it wouldn’t be the same, the Mastrianos planned two options for residents to contribute. Earlier in the day Aug. 3, they set up a drive-through lemonade stand at the junior school with a reduced number of volunteers wearing masks and gloves. Attendees were required to stay in their cars, and tents were staggered throughout the school’s bus circle. The drive-through event included prepackaged lemonade to go, do-it-yourself lemonade kits, raffles, sandwiches for sale by Chick-fil-A and a merchandise tent.
In the evening, the young people hosted a virtual fundraiser on the streaming platform Twitch. During the virtual event, they announced raffle winners as well as the District Lemonheads, Minnesauke Elementary, which is the Three Village school that raised the most money for the cause.
Maddie Mastriano said they had to come up with creative ideas this year and support from their sponsors was a big help as well as the students who competed in the District Lemonheads competition. The students grand total was $8,982.69. Minnesauke student raised $3,258 of the total.
There was also a chance to play along on a Minecraft server built by Joseph Mastriano and his friends. The Minecraft world included a virtual lemonade stand that featured the junior high school and game for participants to play.
Last year the Three Village Kids Lemonade Stand exceeded their goal of $40,000. This yea, so far, the fundraiser brought in nearly $30,000, and donations are still being accepted at www.threevillagekidslemonadestand.com.
Mastriano said they are thankful to everyone.
“We know that the pandemic has changed many things in our lives, but we are so glad that the lemonade stand was able to continue on this year with our annual tradition,” she said.
Vicki Burns stopped by St. Catherine's Medical Center to thank the health care workers who cared for her during her battle with the coronavirus earlier this year. Photo by Rita J. Egan
Among the grateful North Shore patients who have beaten the odds by surviving a severe case of the coronavirus is Ronkonkoma resident Vicki Burns.
A health care worker, right, shares memories with Vicki Burns, with walker, July 31. Photo by Rita J. Egan
The 61-year-old stopped by St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center in Smithtown July 31 to say thank you to the health care workers who cared for her as she battled COVID-19 this past spring. Two dozen of those workers were on hand to greet her outside of the hospital’s entrance, and each of them, one by one, presented her with a flower that they placed in a vase to form a bouquet.
“You don’t have a bouquet with one flower, right?” said nurse manager Lisa Koshansky to Burns after the presentation. “This is your team. So, each person was part of your bouquet that made up that whole team that took care of you.”
Koshansky added that Burns affected everyone in the hospital during her two-month stay and, when she left, they all excitedly lined the halls as the Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun” played.
Burns said she remembered the day, too.
“It was another step for me to get closer to home,” she said.
The original visit to the hospital was followed by a few weeks in a rehabilitation center and countless doctor visits. During her stay at St. Catherine’s, Burns was in the COVID unit, the intensive care unit, critical care unit and then moved to a room in the hospital’s 3 North section.
Many of the staff members shared stories with her about her time at the hospital including how her husband, Ed Burns, called every day to check in. Workers would talk to him via FaceTime and show him his wife, even when she was in the prone position to increase oxygen levels; he was happy if all he saw was her head.
“He never left her side,” physician assistant Dana Lamparter said. “He would park in the parking lot and call us.”
When asked what she remembered about her stay, Burns said the crazy dreams she would have. Lamparter told her that once she did wake up, she was chatty and making up for the time she missed talking.
It was the first time Burns was able to connect names to faces since she was unconscious most of her hospital stay.
“It’s so hard to remember the name to each person, but it’s nice to see everybody that helped me,” Burns said.
A dozen people stood on the corner of Main Street and Route 25A Aug. 1 in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Photo by Odeya Rosenband
By Odeya Rosenband and Rita J. Egan
Community members gathered on the corner of Main Street and Route 25A in East Setauket Aug. 1. They were there to show their support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
A protester at the Aug. 1 rally. Photo by Odeya Rosenband
Standing in front of the Pen & Pencil Building, about a dozen ralliers held signs reading, “Racial equality now,” “Equality & justice for All, Black Lives Matter,” “Stop the hate” and “A change is gonna come.”
One of the organizers, Kathy Schiavone of Port Jefferson, said they picked the corner because it’s a well-trafficked intersection with a red light, which would give drivers an opportunity to read their signs. The participants received displays of support from some drivers honking or giving the thumbs up, while others in vehicles passing by yelled out, “Communists,” “Trump 2020,” “All lives matter,” “Blue lives matter” and “Get over it.”
“We are only on this planet for a short period of time, and it really behooves us to be kind to one another,” Schiavone said. “And as Rodney King [a 1992 police victim] said, ‘Can we all just get along?’”
She said she was touched by the work of former Georgia U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D), a civil rights activist who would frequently say get into “good trouble.” The congressman died July 17.
“It brings tears to my eyes when I listen to the tributes for him and all he went through his entire life for the good of the community, and I just want to support the Black Lives Movement and everyone who feels that they need support at this time,” she said.
Protester Sue Hoff, also of Port Jefferson, said she participated to make it known that she believes in the movement. She said of the upcoming 2020 election, “I’m voting Black Lives Matter.” She has protested since the late 1950s for civil rights, for peace during the Vietnam War and for the reduction of nuclear weapons.
“I have grandchildren,” she said. “I’m not going to give up.”
Another protester, Kevin Mulligan of Setauket, said it was a responsibility to speak out.
“It’s an obligation in these times of political divisiveness to choose a side and not stay complacent and set a model for the children that change only comes through action,” he said.
Attendee Jeff Goldschmidt said as a longtime resident in the Stony Brook area the last few years have been revealing to him.
“I never knew Suffolk County was so undemocratic,” he said. “It’s so red and so bigoted. I was very surprised.”
Organizer Christina Maffia, of Setauket, said it was important to her to rally at the corner because she feels the nation’s rhetoric has turned negative, especially after what happened with the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer in May.
“Just because people feel Black lives matter does not mean white lives don’t matter or blue lives don’t matter,” she said. Because if Black lives matter, we wouldn’t have to worry about anybody else’s life mattering, because all lives would matter.”
Hope Kinney, second from right, during her induction into the Rotary of Stony Brook in 2017. Photo from Rotary
Despite the pandemic, it’s been a busy year for one East Setauket resident.
Hope Kinney took over the reins as president of the Rotary Club of Stony Brook July 1. Many in the area know her as branch manager at Investors Bank, formerly Gold Coast Bank, at its Setauket location on Route 25A.
Hope Kinney collecting donations for The Salvation Army last year. Photo from Hope Kinney
Kinney said she was nominated president at the Rotary’s holiday party, and so far 2020 has been an interesting one for the club. Members have been going about business differently due to the ongoing pandemic with Zoom meetings, and most recently, holding a socially distanced lunch. Rotary members have been working on ways to keep up with their fundraising efforts after having to cancel events such as their annual spring pancake breakfast at the Setauket Fire Department’s main station.
The new Rotary president said next month the group will host a virtual online fundraiser for the Port Jefferson-based nonprofit Give Kids Hope, which provides food and clothing for local residents in need. The Rotary is also working on an idea for an online fundraiser in November and is looking for another nonprofit to help.
“It’s challenging to try to raise money in a way that we would normally do,” Kinney said, adding that members have been trying to be creative.
She said they are also working on possible socially distanced activities for the near future such as a lunch with Tri-Spy Tours of Setauket and a clambake in September.
The Rotary president said the members are working with Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn (D-Setauket) to come up with more ideas to get involved in the community and with the Stony Brook University Rotaract Club. Earlier this year, Hahn nominated Kinney for Suffolk County Woman of Distinction in the 5th Legislative District.
In the nomination letter, Hahn listed Kinney’s contributions to the community. In addition to the Rotary Club, the legislator cited the East Setauket resident’s involvement in the Three Village Chamber of Commerce, the Walk for Beauty committee, the Three Village Industry Advisory Board, the Three Village Kiwanis Club and the Long Island Museum.
“Ms. Kinney has dedicated her time, efforts and influence toward encouraging local businesses to thrive while also volunteering on many local boards serving as both a member and leader and lending her voice and expertise to making community events happen,” Hahn wrote.
In the letter, the legislator listed Kinney’s accomplishments such as her working on the career fair at Ward Melville High School with the 3V industry advisory board, and helping on the Three Village Electric Holiday Parade with the Kiwanis Club, among others.
“She is an inspiration to us all, dedicating so much of her time and energy into making our hometown a better place,” Hahn wrote. “With only 24 hours a day, Ms. Kinney has donated hundreds of hours to community service and continues to give to her community each day in any way she can.”
“She is an inspiration to us all dedicating so much of her time and energy into making our hometown a better place.”
— Kara Hahn
In 2020, Kinney also became a member of the Three Village Community Trust board, and in addition to her volunteer work, she has been busier than ever at the bank. Gold Coast merged with Investors, and the staff has been helping local business owners acquire the recent Paycheck Protection Program loans.
She said dealing with the PPP loans was a huge undertaking, but everyone who applied at the bank got the loan.
“It was a relief to help the community, that was my goal,” she said. “I felt an obligation. I need to make sure everyone gets this loan which is going to be forgiven for most people. It was challenging. It was long days and weekends, but for everybody we accomplished what we set out to do.”
She said Investors Bank recently held an online concert fundraiser where Investors donated $25 for every employee who viewed it and $10 for every family member. Kinney said one of the benefactors of the fundraiser was St. James R.C. Church, raising $3,000 for a stove for their soup kitchen. The bank recently also donated $100,000 to Stony Brook University Hospital and hopes to be able to make a check presentation soon. Kinney said she feels lucky to be part of a business that helps her local community.
Kinney started her banking career at Capital One in 2004. When the bank had layoffs in 2018, she was recruited by John Tsunis, Gold Coast’s founder, as branch manager. Tsunis described her as an extrovert with a good personality.
“She’s very interested in working with the community,” Tsunis said. “That’s a big positive as far as I’m concerned.”
Kinney juggles her career and volunteerism with spending time with her family, which includes her husband, Joseph, and three children Justin, Michael and Rachel. To handle all her responsibilities, she said she tries to stay organized and not get overwhelmed.
“I take it day by day,” Kinney said. “I put it on the calendar, and I’m able to look at the calendar and then I go day by day … I guess that’s the secret — work with each day.”
Three Village Kids Lemonade Stand organizer Joseph Mastriano, bottom left, created a virtual R. C. Murphy Junior High School for a live streaming event Aug. 3. Image from Three Village Kids Lemonade Stand
With state guidelines mandating that events be kept to a reduced capacity or postponed due to the pandemic, the organizers of the Three Village Kids Lemonade Stand, Maddie and Joseph Mastriano, knew they would have to go about things differently this year.
For the eighth year in a row, the lemonade stand will raise money for the Stony Brook Children’s Hospital Child Life Program. However, this year there will be two events in one day.
Maddie Mastriano said she and her brother were hoping not to break their streak in having their annual lemonade stand.
“While it won’t be the same, we know this year more than ever finding a way to give back to our community is important,” Mastriano said. “COVID may have changed many things that we were used to doing, but we felt it very important to keep this summer tradition going. We made sure to take extra precautions in planning this time too, which is why we have two events planned on the same day. We really wanted to offer everyone an option to participate in a way they felt most comfortable doing so.”
A drive-through lemonade stand will take place at R.C. Murphy Junior High School Aug. 3 from 3 to 6 p.m. Mastriano said there will be a reduced number of volunteers this year and all of them will be wearing masks and gloves. Attendees will be required to stay in their cars, and tents will be staggered through the school’s bus circle.
The drive-through event will include prepackaged lemonade to go, do-it-yourself lemonade kits, raffles, sandwiches for sale by Chick-fil-A and a merchandise tent.
From 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. the same day, the young people will host a live virtual fundraiser on the streaming platform Twitch. During the virtual event, the raffle winners will be announced, and there will be an opportunity to donate directly to the GoFundMe page. District Lemonheads, which is the Three Village school that raises the most money for the cause, will also be announced.
Mastriano said they hope to have picture in picture during the stream, as they plan to be live on camera, air slideshows of past events and sponsor logos, as well as allow people to play along on a Minecraft server built by Joseph Mastriano and his friends. The Minecraft world will include a virtual lemonade stand that features the junior high school and game for participants to play.
Last year more than 500 attended the event at Murphy to buy 50-cent cups of lemonade, other treats and merchandise. Attendees played games, School of Rock students performed, and Stony Brook University athletes stopped by to visit. Sales from the 2019 lemonade stand exceeded the goal of $40,000 by the end of the day.
This year’s goal is $50,000 and nearly $6,000 has already been raised through the GoFundMe page.
The Three Village Kids Lemonade Stand username on Twitch is @3villagekidslemonadestand. R.C. Murphy Junior High School is located at 351 Oxhead Road, Stony Brook.
For more information, visit www.threevillagekidslemonadestand.com.
Protesters across the North Shore have been active in recent protests on Long Island such as the one that took place in Stony Brook June 7. Photo by Mike Reilly
While 2020 will be remembered for the coronavirus, this year’s summer will be recorded in the history books for the millions of voices speaking out against injustice and police brutality across the country.
Ashley Payano has been among the protest organizers along the North Shore.
The H. Lee Dennison Building in Hauppauge will be the site of a rally this Saturday, Aug. 1, where activist group Long Island Fight for Equality intends to host an event to speak out against racial injustice and inequality from 2 to 6 p.m. The rally as well as a march comes more than two months after George Floyd’s death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer which reignited outrage over police brutality in the U.S.
The summer has been filled with hundreds of Black Lives Matter protests such as in Hauppauge, Port Jefferson Station, Stony Brook and multiple ones through the streets of Smithtown and Huntington in June and July. While most have been peaceful, some have seen the conflict between protester and cop escalate, such as when at a recent Babylon protest, three participants from Black White Brown United were arrested, including a Stony Brook resident charged with harassment, according to Suffolk County police.
Couple Ashley Payano, 23, and Ian Atkinson, 26, are organizing the Aug. 1 Hauppauge rally and march. Together, they have helped assemble as well as attend about half-a-dozen protests and rallies in the last couple of months. Atkinson lives in Farmingville, while Payano splits her time between the Bronx and Long Island, with plans to move to the Island in the future. They are just two among scores of protest leaders, but having attended many such protests on Long Island, they said momentum is still strong.
“As a young Black person, these struggles affect me and my family directly so I couldn’t imagine not taking part in it,” Payano said.
Atkinson said the number of people at these protests has varied. At one in Stony Brook near the Smith Haven Mall, there were more than 1,000 attendees, while a Port Jeff Station protest saw around 150 people at its peak. Payano said a fundraising aspect has been added to many of the rallies, with protesters asked to bring canned goods and hygiene products to be donated to those in need.
Payano said she feels this is an extension of the civil rights movement and believes that the passion will lead to actual change.
“I think that instead of this being about protests, I think this is a movement,” she said. “It is for change. I think it’s important to continue to practice civil disobedience and civil unrest.”
Atkinson said he is driven by frustration because he feels many have not experienced the freedom and equality that the country stands for.
“Clearly, it hasn’t been the way it’s supposed to be for certain populations,” he said. “African Americans, minorities, are not treated fairly or equally in this country.”
He said he also believes that the civil rights movement leaders didn’t get everything they were fighting for.
“We know what we’re fighting for and we’re not looking to stop until we’ve gotten it,” he said.
Several weeks after the start of the BLM protests, a counter movement, largely either called pro-police rallies or Blue Lives Matter rallies have garnered hundreds of participants, such as one in Port Jefferson Station June 22. Though many of these rallies have been led by and have featured conservative figures such as U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY1) and former Suffolk GOP chairman John Jay LaValle, participants have called on people to support police, who they say have been attacked unfairly.
Ian Atkinson has been among the protest organizers along the North Shore.
Atkinson said the Blue Lives Matter rallies have added to his frustrations.
“They’re completely missing the point,” he said. “They don’t stand for anything. It’s just frustrating because they’re kind of going against the belief that everyone should be equal.”
Payano, who has been involved in music, acting and real estate, and is planning to take some college courses this school year, said she has been politically active since age 15, as her father spoke out often about housing issues in the Bronx. She said she has been part of similar efforts through the years when a young Black person’s death was followed by protests, but she hasn’t seen them last as long as they have now.
The Bronx native said the more she comes to Long Island the more she notices de facto segregation and the impact of redlining, which has disturbed her. She said she also notices that people will sometimes stare at her when she and Atkinson are on Long Island. However, she added that she has seen a diverse group of people of all different backgrounds and ages at rallies throughout the Island, except in Brentwood where there were more attendees of color.
“It’s really nice to meet people from all backgrounds who believe in the same thing,” she said. “And the people who honk their cars and pass by, it showed me there are more people in support of this movement than not.”
Atkinson, who works with the developmentally disabled to help them adapt to everyday life, is looking toward a future with Payano, who he met at a paint night in Manhattan. The Long Islander said he hopes to see their children grow up in a different environment.
“I don’t want them to grow up in a community where they’re not looked at like everyone else,” he said.
Atkinson and Payano said in all the protests they’ve been part of, everyone has been asked to wear a mask and stay home if they are immunocompromised. So far, the majority have seemed to comply. The couple have also encountered counter protesters, but Atkinson said they welcome conversation, even though at times it can be scary after hearing of stories such as a Black Lives Matter protester being attacked or having water thrown on them.
“We welcome the discussion as long as they are willing to hear us out,” he said.
Payano said while some discussions are disheartening, she understands why it’s hard for people to believe that their loved ones or even themselves “have been practicing bigotry.” She said she looks at the debates from a sociological standpoint.
“Our brain is programmed to protect us from things that will hurt us whether it’s emotionally or our sense of self or identity or belief system that we have ingrained in us, which is very well capable of growth of change,” she said. “But a lot of people have a belief system, and they would prefer to avoid the instability of having to start from scratch.”
Regarding change, Payano is optimistic.
“It’s going to take a while, but I believe it’s possible,” she said.
Suffolk County Police last night arrested a woman for allegedly driving while intoxicated after her vehicle crashed into a utility pole and caught fire in Hauppauge July 29.
Melanie L’ hommedieu was driving a 2009 BMW southbound on Wheeler Road, at the intersection of Marlo Lane, when the vehicle crossed a double yellow line, crashed into a utility pole and caught fire at approximately 10:05 p.m. Two men in a vehicle traveling behind the BMW witnessed the crash and stopped to offer assistance. The Good Samaritans safely pulled L’hommedieu from the BMW. There were no injuries.
L’ hommedieu, 45, St. James, was arrested and charged with DWI, aggravated unlicensed operation and multiple traffic violations. She is being held overnight at the Fourth Precinct and is scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on July 30.
In previous years, events such as the Memorial Day Parade and the Jewish Summer Festival at West Meadow Beach, above, filled up the days of Three Village residents. File photo by Seth Berman/Rapid Shutter Photograph
Starting with the annual Memorial Day Parade down Main Street and Route 25A, the Three Village area is normally filled with activities all summer long. While many annual favorites were canceled this year due to the coronavirus, some event organizers are striving to stay connected with residents.
In previous years, events such as the Memorial Day Parade, above, and the Jewish Summer Festival at West Meadow Beach filled up the days of Three Village residents. File photo by Rita J. Egan
Jay Veronko, post commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars East Setauket Post 3054, said the Memorial Day Parade is usually the group’s biggest event that they host each year. This year’s parade was canceled due to COVID-19.
“I’m not sure of when the last time it was canceled for reasons other than severe weather,” he said.
Veronko said the event means more than simply memorializing former local soldiers who lost their lives in combat overseas or honoring living veterans.
“The parade also serves as a source of local pride in our way of life — the community getting together and coming out and celebrating life and the beginning of summer, as well as getting many diverse groups together to march and let the community know about them and what they stand for or do,” he said. “For the fire departments, it’s a way for the community to cheer them on for doing a great volunteer job and for the departments to display their pride and commitment to serving the community they protect.”
The post commander said many older post members are hesitant to socialize due to fear of getting COVID-19 and are not visiting the post for social interaction, something he said may not be good for physical and emotional well-being. Veronko said while the future may not be clear, the post doors and the members are there for each other.
“The VFW of Setauket will be there for the veterans who need help or want to gather in the comradeship of arms,” he said.
Gloria Rocchio, president of The Ward Melville Heritage Organization, said there have been no in-person events at the Educational & Cultural Center since the mandatory shutdowns. While events currently can be held inside with 50 people or less, WMHO, like many organizations, had to furlough a few employees, and they currently would not have enough people to work on events even if they could be held as usual. The Discovery Wetlands Cruise, which takes participants on a trip through West Meadow Creek, has been suspended for 2020, and the WMHO also decided not to hold its summer music series this year.
While it’s still a couple of months away, the organization has already canceled Walk for Beauty, which is normally held every October to raise money for breast cancer research. Rocchio said many expressed concerns about those who are battling cancer, who may be immunocompromised, attending such an event. As for the future, she said they are waiting for the updates to state guidelines.
Despite the cancellations, the WMHO president said residents have not forgotten the Stony Brook Village Center.
“We get people on the Village Green at night,” she said. “They sit there with their families usually, some might be two people, some are four people. They do social distancing, and they bring food, some even play ball at the lower part. They feel it’s a nice place to watch the sunset.”
She said residents have also noticed people taking advantage of the view more so than in previous years. To continue connecting with the community, WMHO is also offering virtual classes from the wetlands.
“We’re trying to reinvent ourselves,” Rocchio said.
Lise Hintze, Bates House manager at Frank Melville Memorial Park, said many of their usual events, including their outdoor concerts, had to be canceled this summer, but other activities have been able to take place again. She said the size of the park allows for proper social distance for various classes such as yoga, meditation and tai chi where participants have been wearing masks.
“We can continue with our community and come together, because we have the Bates House and parks grounds that are perfect for what they need with those classes,” Hintze said.
Missing this year will also be the Jewish Summer Festival at West Meadow Beach, which Village Chabad in East Setauket hosts in August. The event also didn’t take place last year due to the grand opening of its new center in June 2020. Despite the lack of in-person events, Rabbi Motti Grossbaum said the center has been trying to maintain a sense of community and connection with virtual classes and events. He said while many have said they appreciate the virtual options, the Chabad staff is looking forward to seeing everyone in person in the future.
“There’s nothing that can replace face-to-face and in-person connections,” Grossbaum said. “A community is all about interaction, sharing, schmoozing, kids playing and enjoying friendships in real life.”
Suffolk County Police arrested a man July 25 for reckless endangerment after he allegedly fired a rifle and shotgun numerous times in Commack.
Police officers responded to several 911 calls reporting shots fired on Fulton Boulevard at 11:07 p.m. July 24. When officers arrived, they found numerous shell casings in the yard of 47 Fulton Blvd., and Mikhail Niyazov, the resident of the house, came outside.
Following an investigation, Niyazov was arrested at 12:47 a.m.
Twenty-five shell casings were recovered from shots that were fired into the air and the ground, and four weapons were removed from the residence. There were no injuries or damage to property reported.
Niyazov, 58, was charged with reckless endangerment.
He is being held overnight at the 4th Precinct and is scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip in the morning.
Detectives are asking anyone with information on this incident to call the 4th Squad at 631-854-8452 or anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.
While wedding vendors are hoping for a brighter future as New York continues to reopen in phases during the coronavirus pandemic, recovery will likely take a while. Currently, gatherings such as weddings are limited to 50 people, according to New York State press secretary Caitlin Girouard.
East Setauket native Stefanie Fisher and her fiancé, Bryan Costello, below, were set to marry in Maryland this summer but postponed the large reception and will get married at her parents’ Three Village home this month. Photo from Stefanie Fisher
“We are working on additional guidance for these types of events but as we have reiterated many times one of the best ways to prevent the spread is to always wear a mask when social distancing is not possible,” Girouard said in an email.
The shutdowns over the last few months have caused huge financial losses for businesses in the wedding industry. Among them is the Miller Place Inn, which was built in 1850 and has been a wedding site for around 100 years.
Donna Regina, co-owner of the family business, said the last time a wedding was hosted at the venue was back in March, and after months of being closed due to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) executive order that shut down businesses deemed nonessential, the staff is looking forward to a small 50-person wedding that is planned for the beginning of August.
“It’s been financially devastating to take five months’ worth of weddings off the books,” she said, adding that even without being opened they still had a $1,600 electric bill.
She said once wedding venues had to close the owners knew the calendar had to be immediately cleared for March and April. Soon after they began receiving calls from couples who had large weddings planned for May and June who wanted to postpone due to having relatives coming out of state or older family members who are more susceptible to the coronavirus. She said some events even had to be postponed a couple oftimes.
While many have postponed their weddings until 2021, Regina said there are still some dates available for next year. Some couples have already held small ceremonies at home and decided to hold off just the reception.
“That’s the couple that’s going to have a better time because they are going to come to have a party, because the commitment, that they already made,” she said. “Whatever they want to do, we’re behind them.”
The Miller Place Inn co-owner said planning to reopen has been difficult with no firm guidelines yet for event venues from the state.
“It’s so frustrating,” she said. “We don’t know where to turn because there is no one or no website that has factual information.”
“We don’t know where to turn because there is no one or no website that has factual information.”
— Donna Regina
Regina said the lack of guidelines can be frustrating as they don’t have enough information to guide couples. However, while many may worry about dancing at weddings, she said the Miller Place Inn has a large dance floor that will allow for social distancing. She added they are also incorporating more cleaning precautions, have installed UVC lighting and employees will be wearing face coverings and plastic gloves in addition to the cloth ones they already wear.
Photographer’s Perspective
Photographer Ron Denenberg, co-owner of Renaissance Studio Photography in Smithtown along with his wife, Liz, said the last time he remembers a large number of wedding postponements was after 9/11. The studio has been located on Main Street since 1979.
“This is the worst,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”
Denenberg said he believes it will be a whole different world with weddings in the near future as more couples are planning smaller, less structured parties.
“I don’t see people planning big, big weddings,” he said. “I think people are going to be afraid there will be a second wave.”
The photographer said other milestone events have also been negatively impacted by the shutdowns and COVID-19. One bar mitzvah in March with 300 guests that his photographers were scheduled to cover, with people coming from all over the world, had to be postponed until October. He said many have also taken plans for weddings and other events and modified them to smaller occasions. Like wedding venues, there hasn’t been much income coming in for photographers the last few months.
However, the photographer is staying optimistic. He said through the years he and his wife have thought outside of the box to keep up with trends and are looking to see what people want during the coronavirus pandemic.
“We want to stay in business,” he said. “We love the business.”
One Couple’s Solution
Among the 2020 brides who are tackling the challenges of wedding planning during a pandemic is Stefanie Fisher, who grew up in East Setauket and now lives in Maryland. She and her fiancé, Bryan Costello, were set to wed this summer at the Chesapeake Bay Beach Club in Maryland with about 175 people. While they decided to postpone the big reception until next year, they have planned a smaller ceremony with 26 people at Fisher’s parents’ home in East Setauket. Despite the day working out differently than expected, the bride-to-be said there are still things to look forward to with the couple’s new plan, especially since her parents always wanted her to get married at their house.
“Think about how you imagine your wedding, if that’s not possible right now, then wait until it is.”
— Stefanie Fisher
“I think it’s really special to be able to walk down the aisle in a place where I have so many wonderful memories over the years,” Fisher said. “I was excited to have all of our family and friends come down to Maryland for the wedding, but I’m especially excited to be married in an intimate setting at a place that means a lot to me. This DIY miniwedding has given us the chance to kind of put everyone to work to make it a special day.”
Fisher said her sister’s husband will officiate while her nephews will play the wedding march on keyboard and piano. Costello’s brother, who owns the Hicksville restaurant Peppercorns, will cater and her sister’s friend will be taking photos.
“It’s a wedding that everyone gets to feel they have a part in helping put together,” she said. “My parents’ neighbor even offered to chauffeur me from Danfords in his vintage Cadillac Eldorado. This unfortunate situation has had more silver linings than I would have thought and showed me how it really does take a village, and Bryan and I are so lucky to have such amazing people in our lives that are so excited to help make this day perfect. Our story isn’t what we expected but it’s more wonderful than we ever could have imagined.”
Fisher had advice for those who may need to change their ceremony and reception plans.
“Think about how you imagine your wedding, if that’s not possible right now, then wait until it is,” she said. “We all deserve to have the wedding we’ve dreamed about since we were little girls, but sometimes we just have to wait until the time is right. Look at your partner, is that person still your best friend? Do you still want to spend the rest of your life withthem? That’s not going to change whether you have your wedding in 2020 or 2021. You are lucky to have found your person and don’t lose sight of that being the most important part.”
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