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Rita J. Egan

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David Hess, Judy McLane and Bryant Martin in a scene from the show.
Judy McLane and David Hess
David Hess
Bryant Martin and Sarah Quinn Taylor
Judy McLane as Norma Desmond
Judy McLane
Bryant Martin and Judy McLane in a scene from the show.
The cast of 'Sunset Blvd.'
Judy McLane

By Rita J. Egan

On Sept. 12, the John W. Engeman Theater at Northport debuted “Sunset Blvd.” Filled with memorable performances, the cast members are definitely ready for their close-ups.

With music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and book and lyrics by Don Black and Christoper Hampton, “Sunset Blvd.” tells the story of Norma Desmond, an aging silent screen star who is desperately holding on to her glory days. Set in 1949 and 1950, Desmond meets struggling writer Joe Gillis. The screen star feels a spark of hope in her reclusive life when she asks Joe to edit a screenplay that she hopes will pave the way to her comeback.

The production, based on the 1950 movie of the same name starring Gloria Swanson and William Holden, spins an intriguing web of seduction, unrequited love and jealousy. The musical’s culmination is a dramatic Hollywood ending.

Opening on Broadway in 1994 and running for more than two years, the show won several Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for Glenn Close. The production was revived in 2017 for a brief Broadway run with Close once again starring as Desmond.

The Northport version, under the direction of Matt Kunkel, is filled with a talented cast that brings the Great White Way to the North Shore. Judy McLane as Norma Desmond steals the spotlight the moment she steps on stage with her striking appearance, strong stage presence and sensational vocals. It’s no surprise that McLane’s a Broadway veteran appearing in hits such as “Mamma Mia!” (Donna and Tanya), “Kiss of the Spider Woman” and “Chess.”

McLane shines in her solos especially during “With One Look,” “As If We Never Said Goodbye” and in her duet with Bryant Martin, as Joe Gillis, in “New Ways to Dream.”

David Hess, who appeared in “Sunset Blvd.” on Broadway, is perfect as the stoic Max, Norma’s butler, who has been in love with her since the first time they met on a movie set. Hess’ vocals are fantastic. During the first act, he performs a beautiful version of “The Greatest Star of All” while giving Joe a tour of Desmond’s run-down mansion.

Martin is a suave and charismatic Joe on whom Norma sets her sights not only to work with but to be her lover early in the musical. The character also serves as the narrator of the complex tale. Martin gets to show off his singing chops in a duet with McLane titled “The Perfect Year” during Act I, and later in Act II while performing “Too Much in Love to Care” with the talented Sarah Quinn Taylor, who plays a delightful Betty.

Because she’s his friend’s fiancée, Joe tries to fight off falling in love with Betty but finds it difficult to resist her as they work on a screenplay together. The budding romance between Joe and Betty soon creates tension between him and Norma, which leads to a dramatic twist that seals his fate. Douglas Waterbury-Tieman as Betty’s fiancé Artie Green, Martin, Taylor and the whole ensemble, perform an entertaining “This Time Next Year” toward the end of Act I. Ensemble member Cody Gerszewski steals the scene at times as he convincingly portrays a drunk partygoer.

Eric Jon Mahlum is also a scene-stealer during the number “The Lady’s Paying” as the tailor Manfred who has been hired to make over Joe with a stylish new wardrobe. And during a visit to the Paramount Pictures studio, Larry Daggett, with his strong vocals and an air of confidence, captures the essence of old-time Hollywood perfectly playing director Cecil B. DeMille.

Among the show’s stars are the musicians conducted by Charlie Reuter and the costumes by Kurt Alger. The costumes encapsulate the spirit of the period, especially with Norma’s glamorous outfits. As for Paige Hathaway’s scenic design, it’s a clever one using sliding wood doors and a movable staircase that help transform the stage seamlessly from Norma’s mansion to the Paramount Pictures backlot.

The musical leaves a lot to ponder about growing old gracefully and the difference between true love and obsession, and the Northport cast of “Sunset Blvd.” delivers the iconic classic with grace and talent.

The John W. Engeman Theater, 250 Main St., Northport, presents “Sunset Blvd.” through  Oct. 27. Showtimes are Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 3 and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets are $80 for Saturday evenings and $75 for all other performances with free valet parking. For more information, call 631-261-2900 or visit www.engemantheater.com.

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Alan Ghidaleson, shown with his wife Diane, is planning to walk 68 miles to New York City to raise funds for the New York Warriors. Photo from Alan Ghidaleson

With his 68th birthday on the horizon, Alan Ghidaleson, founder and owner of Feasts for Beasts in Mount Sinai, decided he wanted to do something to help others. After talking with a business associate, the Setauket resident decided to take on a 68-mile trek to New York City on foot to help those who can’t walk.

The New York Warriors play wheelchair rugby competitively at Stony Brook University and in New Jersey. Photo from Alan Ghidaleson

Ghidaleson said one day while he was talking to his insurance agent Mark Legaspi, he was inspired to raise money for the New York Warriors Wheelchair Rugby team. The squad, made up of quadriplegics, play quad rugby competitively at Stony Brook University and in New Jersey. Legaspi is the New York state chairman of Easterseals, a nonprofit that provides services to those with disabilities. He told Ghidaleson about the Warriors, which the nonprofit sponsors and helps.

Legaspi said it’s exciting to hear when someone wants to donate their time to help others.

“Alan’s drive to help is tremendous,” Legaspi said. “He always goes out of the way to help people.”

With his 68th birthday on Oct. 3, the pet supply store owner decided to walk to New York City. His hope is that his fellow North Shore residents he passes along the way will support the cause by donating. All the funds collected will go toward the New York Warriors to maintain their equipment.

Ghidaleson said he plans to leave Oct. 1 or 2, depending on the weather, and he estimates the walk could take around 28 hours, also based on weather and road conditions. The business owner has already mapped out the trip. He will leave his home in Setauket, walk along Route 347 until it merges with 454 and then Route 25 in Commack. From there he will take Route 25 and pass towns such as Dix Hills, Woodbury, Syosset and Jericho. When he reaches New Hyde Park, he will walk along New Hyde Park Road to Route 25A and then take that west to the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge. He plans to end his walking journey at the Whiskey Tavern at 79 Baxter St. in Manhattan.

Ghidaleson said he thought long and hard about safety when he mapped out his trip. One of the reasons he ruled out Route 25 in Smithtown is due to a stretch of the road west of the Bull statue where there is no shoulder to walk. He also found that Route 25A would be longer mileage-wise while not having as many businesses and restaurants as Route 25 does.

“Alan’s drive to help is tremendous. He always goes out of the way to help people.”

— Mark Legaspi

While the Setauket resident doesn’t walk regularly, he said he does work out. He has already taken some practice walks, building from eight to 13 miles, and he said he recently finished a personal best of 32. He has a 40-mile walk planned before the big day.

“Once I do 40, then I’ll be prepared to do the distance,” he said.

Ghidaleson said he plans to celebrate the end of the walk at the Whiskey Tavern with his wife Diane, son Todd and his wife Cassie and his daughter Jenna and her boyfriend Mike. The business owner said they weren’t surprised when he told them what he had planned.

“I like doing challenges,” Ghidaleson said. “I like doing things that physically are demanding, and I like helping people. So, it’s a good combination.”

Darren Templeton, a member of the New York Warriors, said a couple of his teammates are also hoping to greet Ghidaleson at the end of the walk and met him recently when he traveled from Setauket to Hackensack, New Jersey, to see one of their games.

Those who are interested in donating to the walk can make checks payable to Eastern Wheelchair Athletes’ Foundation and mailed to the organization at 18 Strong Drive, Kinnelon, NJ 07405, or dropped off at Feasts for Beasts, 45 Route 25A, Mount Sinai.

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Ashely McFaul-Erwin is the new community outreach pastor for the Setauket Presbyterian Church. Photo provided by Ashley McFaul-Erwin

In its quest to connect more closely with the community, the Setauket Presbyterian Church has created a new position: community outreach pastor. 

Taking on the new role is Ashley McFaul-Erwin, a native of Northern Ireland who recently pastored in Nashville. Arriving this summer with her wife Erica, McFaul-Erwin has been busy working and getting to know the Three Village area.

Interim Pastor Kate Jones-Calone said creating the new position was part of the congregation’s mission planning study conducted a couple of years ago. What came out of that study was the goal to create a deeper connection with the community as well as serve it.

Part of McFaul-Erwin’s responsibility will be heading up the Open Door Exchange, the church’s outreach program in Port Jefferson created to collect gently used furniture to distribute to those in need. She also has been organizing programming to encourage conversations about gun violence in America and what to do about it.

McFaul-Erwin, a a native of Northern Ireland, has joined the Setauket church as community outreach pastor. Photo provided by Ashley McFaul-Erwin.

Jones-Calone said a search committee was formed to find candidates, and when they found McFaul-Erwin, they were thrilled. The interim pastor describes her new co-worker as a warm, open and authentic person.

“We knew pretty quickly that she was someone who brings not only significant experience working with community-based organizations but also this wonderful ability to connect with people which will be so important with her work within the congregation and for the ways she helps the congregation connect with the community around us,” Jones-Calone said.

McFaul-Erwin has an array of experience including work with the Presbyterian Church in Ireland in a low-income area of Belfast. In 2011, she traveled to Nashville, where she was ordained seven years later. In addition to pastoring services, she has worked with former gang members and women battling addiction in various outreach programs. 

The community outreach pastor said when learning about the congregation she was impressed with the community connection they have already established, especially with Open Door Exchange, which celebrates its fifth anniversary next year.

“I’m really impressed,” she said. “It feels like a church that isn’t just content to stay within four walls. They’re already out there doing some of the work.”

The pastor said the congregation is looking to see how they can serve those who have fallen through the cracks when it comes to receiving help, and she is currently trying to identify those needs.

“I feel like I’m doing a lot of listening right now with the people in the church and the community to find out what are some of the needs that folks need to have met,” McFaul-Erwin said.

“This role kind of felt like it was bringing my two worlds together in one position,” McFaul-Erwin said. 

Recently, residents were welcomed to the church to watch a documentary on gun violence and an upcoming event will feature a speaker discussing the importance of writing letters to elected officials about the issue. Pointing to recent mass shootings motivated by hate, the pastor said the issue is not just about access to guns but also how people care and think about each other, and she’s passionate about those with different views coming together and having conversations.

The pastor said when she first moved to the States, she was surprised how it was easier to access guns here than in her birth country, especially in Tennessee where many openly carry firearms. When it comes to the gun debate, the outreach pastor said she can sympathize due to past turmoil in Northern Ireland. She said being born in 1987, she only remembers the tail end of the Troubles, a violent ethno-nationalist conflict in her country, but she saw how long it took for both sides to heal.

“We all have to do the work of gun control but also the work of healing different communities and bringing folks together,” she said. “Nothing changed in Northern Ireland until people on different sides started to talk to each other.”

McFaul-Erwin is ready for her new role, and she said her strengths include bringing people together and listening to them.

“I kind of just see people for who they are and don’t let whatever labels around them be a barrier in that relationship,” she said.

 

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Sidewalks being installed on Stony Brook Road near the university and the Research and Development Park. Photo by Rita J. Egan

Motorists driving along Stony Brook Road are currently witnessing what happens when the state and town work together.

In July, work began toward the north end of the corridor between Oxhead Road and Development Drive, in the vicinity of Stony Brook University. In 2016 state Sen. John Flanagan (R-East Northport) secured a $1 million grant from the New York State Dormitory Authority through its State and Municipal Facilities Capital Program to fund a traffic safety improvement project on the road. An additional $75,000 was acquired by state Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket) through the state multimodal program, and Town of Brookhaven Highway Supervisor Dan Losquadro (R) said the town has contributed an approximate additional $815,000, for a total of about $1.9 million.

“The project involves several components that are going to enhance safety for not only drivers, but also, just as importantly, for pedestrians with the university,” Losquadro said.

Most notable to drivers and pedestrians are the sidewalks being added between Oxhead Road and SBU’s Research and Development Park. There will be drainage improvements, according to Losquadro, as well as retaining walls at spots where there are significant grade changes with the sidewalks, in order for the walkways to be Americans with Disabilities Act compliant.

Losquadro said based on talks with university officials, community members and traffic studies conducted by the town, there was a need to improve vehicular flow at the Oxhead Road intersection and the school’s South Drive intersection. The highway superintendent said there will be a new signal and turning lane into Oxhead Road so cars can cue up at the light and not impede the flow of northbound and southbound traffic. The project will also entail a larger turning lane into South Drive which will have dedicated turning arrows, meaning those making a left turn from Stony Brook Road  will not have to worry about oncoming traffic turning in front of them.

“It will move many more cars out of that southbound queue, so traffic can flow much more freely southbound,” Losquadro said.

There will also be a new traffic signal at the Research and Development Park. At the end of the project, which is estimated to be the middle of October, the road will be resurfaced between Oxhead and the R&D park, and new decorative lights that will match ones used on the south end of the corridor will be installed.

The highway superintendent said in addressing both vehicular and pedestrian traffic, the project also takes into consideration both current and future needs, especially with future development at the R&D park.

“In speaking with the university, we want to plan for the future,” Losquadro said. “We want to future proof this. We want to make sure that even if the volume between the university and R&D park is lower now, as far as walkers, one of the reasons for that may be there is no safe way for those people to walk.”

The highway superintendent said he hopes the changes will encourage more people to use non-vehicular transit, meaning less traffic.

SBU spokesperson Lauren Sheprow said the university is grateful to all involved.

“The campus community at Stony Brook University is exceptionally grateful to have these new roadway improvements that will make it safer for those walking and biking near campus,” Sheprow said. “It would not have been possible without $1M in state Senate funding secured by Senator Flanagan and nearly the same amount by Brookhaven Highway Superintendent Dan Losquadro. We are also grateful to Assemblyman Steve Englebright who provided funding that enhanced the project’s beauty and added safety through the addition of LED decorative street lights.”

Losquadro said there is a long-term plan for the corridor including hopes to work on the southern portion of the corridor near Route 347 in the near future, but a timeline for that project depends if money is included in the upcoming capital budgets.

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By Rita J. Egan

From now through Oct. 27, the Smithtown Center for the Performing Arts is celebrating a change that has nothing to do with the seasons but more with hot flashes, weight gain, hot flashes, restlessness, mood swings, hot flashes, memory loss, night sweats and did I mention hot flashes? The theater closes out its 17th season with the hilarious  “Menopause The Musical.”

Amy Burgmaier

With book and lyrics by Jeanie Linders, the story follows four strangers who get acquainted during a lingerie sale at New York City’s Bloomingdale’s. Despite different personalities and backgrounds, they find out they have something in common — the change of life. Bonding over the symptoms of menopause, the play has appealed to women in their 40s, 50s and beyond since it first debuted in Orlando in 2001. With clever remakes of classic songs from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, the show can be an entertaining production for men but is probably best enjoyed as a ladies’ night out.

Seth Greenleaf skillfully directs a talented cast of four women, Monica Palmer, Nancy Slusser, Jenny McGlinchey and Amy Baugmaier, who display immense comedic ability and singing voices to match.

Monica J. Palmer

Palmer approaches her role as the businesswoman with the right amount of confidence and attitude, while Slusser is a sassy Soap Star. McGlinchey is the perfect choice for Earth Mother as she easily and hysterically transforms from zen hippie trying to manage her symptoms to an imperfect woman just waiting for a symptom to pass. Baugmaier, as the housewife, is sweet and endearing. All four also show enough vulnerability for the audience to believe that their characters would befriend three strangers in the middle of the Big Apple.

The audience will quickly identify with songs such as “Change, Change, Change,” a hilarious take on Aretha Franklin’s “Chain of Fools,” and “Stayin’ Awake/Night Sweatin,” a twist on the hits “Stayin’ Alive” and “Night Fever” from the movie “Saturday Night Fever.” Like most songs in the musical, they detail the changes women go through with a healthy dose of humor.

Jenny McGlinchey

As the show progresses, each scene and number garners more laughter, whether it’s  Earth Mother singing “My Husband Sleeps Tonight” to the tune of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” to share her woes about insomnia, or all the actresses performing “Sane and Normal Girls”/“Thank You Doctor” (“California Girls”/“Help Me Rhonda”) as each of the women professes her gratefulness for the prescriptions prescribed by her doctor.

During the reprise of “I’m Flashing,” a spin on the song “I’m Sorry,” Palmer’s character apologizes for her hot flashes. Slusser also has some fun flirting with the audience during the reprise of “Hot Flash” (“Hot Stuff”) where her singing talent is front and center.

One of the funniest scenes takes place when Baugmaier tries on lingerie in the store’s dressing room and Palmer suddenly appears dressed like Tina Turner singing “What’s Love Got to Do With It.” The laughs kept coming as Baugmaier sings a beautiful version of “Only You” to her newfound friend — a vibrator. From beginning to end, the cast keeps the audience in stitches.

Nancy Slusser

Set designer Bud Clark and costume designer Sue Hill also deserve a round of applause. Clark has built a set that is simple yet incorporates pieces that easily create the feel of a department store, while Hill’s costumes fit the characters perfectly (Palmer’s Tina Turner outfit is sensational). Musical director Melissa Coyle and her orchestra as always navigate the hits seamlessly the entire show.

By the end of the night, it’s impossible not to have a new attitude about this season of life as the audience is invited to join the actors on stage for a celebratory dance.

The theater is now in the midst of a fundraising campaign to restore its light bulb marquee, and it’s no surprise that they want to highlight their offerings with quality productions such as “Menopause The Musical.”

The Smithtown Center for the Performing Arts, 2 East Main St. Smithtown, will present “Menopause The Musical” through Oct. 27. Running time is 90 minutes with no intermission. Performances are 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets range from $36 to $40. For more information, visit www.smithtownpac.org or call 631-724-3700.

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Emma Clark library decorated this summer for the children’s Summer Reading Club. Photo from Emma S. Clark Memorial Library

Emma S. Clark Memorial Library’s budget is projected to increase slightly in 2020, and Three Village school district residents will get a chance to vote on it Sept. 18.

Voters will be asked to approve the library’s 2020 budget of $5,495,366, which is a 1.99 percent increase over the 2019 budget of $5,388,195. While the budget includes an increase of $5,560 in employee salaries, it also consists of a decrease of $37,589 in benefits.

Library Director Ted Gutmann said this past year some full-time Emma Clark employees retired. They were mostly replaced by part-time workers when it was practical, which has impacted salaries and decreased benefits.

Books, e-books, materials, classes and events will see a $51,200 increase in 2020 and building and operations an increase of $6,000. The library’s estimated income for 2020 dips by $82,000.

Orlando Maione, president of the library’s board of trustees, said the board looks for cost-saving methods and applies for grants whenever possible. When the building’s lighting was converted to LED lights, he said it also helped the library save on utility bills. Over the past few years, mechanical equipment has been converted into energy-efficient units which also saves money.

“Whenever we can, we’re constantly looking for ways to save money and not use taxpayers’ money,” Maione said.

The board president said he feels the library and trustees have built trust with residents in that the board will keep costs down.

“Since we all live in the community, and we’re all taxpayers, it’s our money as well,” he said.

Gutmann said he is grateful for the community’s support in the past and feels voting on the budget is important.

“They have the opportunity to voice their opinion,” Gutmann said. “I’m hopeful that they’ll continue to support the library as we’re proposing.”

Registered voters can cast their ballots on the library’s budget between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m. Sept. 18 in the Periodicals Room of Emma S. Clark Memorial Library, located at 120 Main St. in Setauket.

For more detailed budget information, visit www.emmaclark.org.

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Geoffrey Girnun hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Photo supplied by Geoffrey Girnun for a previous article

An associate professor from Stony Brook University, who has been placed on administrative leave, is pleading not guilty to charges that he allegedly stole thousands from funds that were allocated for cancer research.

The United States Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York, announced Sept. 12 that Geoffrey Girnun, an associate professor at Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, had been arrested and indicted for stealing more than $200,000 in cancer research funds, allegedly using the stolen funds in part to pay his mortgage.

One of Girnun’s attorneys, Steven Metcalf II of Metcalf & Metcalf P.C. in Manhattan, said in an email statement that he is asking that the public does not rush to judgment.

“Mr. Girnun’s defense team, including attorney Steven Siegel and my firm, are still putting all the pieces together,” Metcalf wrote. “We will continue to challenge the validity of these charges and whether the facts are fundamentally flawed. Once all the smoke clears there will be a completely different picture of Mr. Girnun, who is a family man, a loving husband and a Harvard-educated professional entirely devoted to his family and work.”

SBU officials are shocked over the alleged actions.

“The university is outraged and appalled by the allegations that led to the arrest of Geoffrey Girnun today,” an official statement from the university read. “This alleged behavior is absolutely contrary to the ethical and professional standards expected of our faculty. The university has fully cooperated with the investigation and at this time is considered by the FBI as a victim in this matter.”

The professor was charged in a seven-count indictment with theft of state and federal government funds, wire fraud and money laundering. He allegedly submitted fraudulent invoices for research equipment to SBU from sham companies he created to conceal his theft of funds from cancer-related research grants issued by the National Institutes of Health and SBU.

“Professor Girnun’s alleged theft of federal and state grant funds earmarked for cancer research can be explained in two words: pure greed,” said U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue in a statement. “He will now be held to account in a federal courtroom.”

Scott Lampert, special-agent-in-charge from the U.S. inspector general’s office,was in attendance when the charges were announced.

“Taxpayers fund medical research with the hope that promising scientific breakthroughs will result in much-needed treatments and cures for patients,” Lampert said. “Because the money for medical research is limited and the need for scientific advances is great, it’s incredibly important to clamp down on those who would steal such grant money for personal gain.”

If convicted, Girnun faces up to 20 years imprisonment.

Girnun was featured in a March 25, 2015, TBR News Media article. At the time, the researcher was exploring the role of different proteins that either promote or prevent various cancers. The one particular protein in the liver cell he was studying is one that classically regulates the cell cycle, according to the article.

Girnun discovered that the protein promotes how the liver produces sugar, in the form of glucose, to feed organs such as the brain under normal conditions. In diabetic mice, the protein goes back to its classic role as a cell cycle regulator.

Girnun made the move to SBU from the University of Maryland in 2013 and said at the time he was inspired by the opportunity to create something larger.

“I want to build a program in cancer metabolism,” he said. “I want to build something beyond my own lab.”

At the time of the 2015 article, Girnun was temporarily commuting from Maryland. The statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office now lists him as a resident of Woodmere.

Girnun is scheduled to return to court Oct.4 after being released on $250,000 bond.

This article was updated Sept. 18 to add a statement from Girnun’s attorney.

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The fire department served hamburgers, hot dogs and other refreshments to 9/11 memorial ceremony attendees. Photo by Rita J. Egan
Residents light candles during the Centereach Fire Department's 9/11 memorial ceremony. Photo by Rita J. Egan
A Girl Scout lights a candle during the Centereach Fire Department's 9/11 memorial ceremony. Photo by Rita J. Egan
Residents light candles during the Centereach Fire Department's 9/11 memorial ceremony. Photo by Rita J. Egan
Residents light candles during the Centereach Fire Department's 9/11 memorial ceremony. Photo by Rita J. Egan
Among those in attendance at the Centreach Fire Department 9/11 memorial ceremony were Suffolk County Legislator Tom Muratore, second from left, and Brookhaven Town Councilman Kevin LaValle, second from right. Photo by Rita J. Egan
Residents light candles during the Centereach Fire Department's 9/11 memorial ceremony. Photo by Rita J. Egan
Residents, including Suffolk County Legislator Tom Muratore, light candles during the Centereach Fire Department's 9/11 memorial ceremony. Photo by Rita J. Egan
The Centereach High School Choir performs at the 9/11 memorial ceremony in Centereach. Photo by Rita J. Egan

Centereach residents joined members of their fire department to remember those who were lost Sept, 11, 2001 in a memorial ceremony.

Held at the Centreach Fire Department’s headquarters on South Washington Avenue Sept. 11, the ceremony began with firefighter Bryan Elsesser singing the national anthem.

In addition to board of fire commissioners Chairman Thomas Doyle’s address to the crowd, a musical performance was provided by members of the Centereach High School Choir and a candlelight ceremony honored those who died.

Talat Hamdani was the first to light a candle in honor of her son Mohammad Salman Hamdani, who was a New York Police Department cadet and a first responder at Ground Zero.

After the ceremony, the fire department provided hamburgers, hot dogs and refreshments for those in attendance.

 

 

 

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Chief Paul Rodier gives the introductory remarks at the Setauket Fire District's 9/11 ceremony. Photo by Bob O'Rourk
Scouts were on hand for the candle lighting ceremony. Photo by Bob O' Rourk
The 9/11 Memorial Park was surrounded by Setauket fire department members, Boy Scouts, Stony Brook and Port Jefferson fire department members and a large number of local residents. Photo by Bob O'Rourk
All salute the 9/11 heroes as three wreaths were presented by Setauket Fire Department, Stony Brook Fire Department, local police officers and legislators. Photo by Bob O'Rourk
Brookhaven Town Councilwoman Valerie Cartright and Suffolk County legislator Kara Hahn listen as state assemblyman Steve Englebright delivers some brief comments on 9/11 and its meaning today. Photo by O'Rourk
With Setauket Fire Department members in the background, Boy Scouts were flag bearers as well as participants in the ceremony. Photo by Bob O'Rourk
Early visitors look at the names on the Setauket monument. Photo by O'Rourk

 

The Setauket Fire District hosted its annual 9/11 memorial ceremony at its Nicolls Road firehouse.

Firefighters, residents, legislators and scouts gathered in the district’s Sept. 11 Memorial Park to remember those who lost their life on Sept. 11, 2001.

After Chief Paul Rodier’s introductory remarks, state Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket), county Legislator Kara Hahn (D-Setauket) and Town of Brookhaven Councilwoman Valerie Cartright (D-Port Jefferson Station) addressed the attendees. The ceremony culminated with a candle lighting ceremony.

 

 

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Ward Melville High School students started classes Sept. 3. Photo from Three Village Central School District
Ward Melville High School students started classes Sept. 3. Photo from Three Village Central School District
R. C. Murphy Junior High School students started classes Sept. 3. Photo from Three Village Central School District
Ward Melville High School students started classes Sept. 3. Photo from Three Village Central School District
Ward Melville High School students started classes Sept. 3. Photo from Three Village Central School District
R. C. Murphy Junior High School students started classes Sept. 3. Photo from Three Village Central School District
R. C. Murphy Junior High School students started classes Sept. 3. Photo from Three Village Central School District
P.J. Gelinas Junior High School students started classes Sept. 3. Photo from Three Village Central School District
P.J. Gelinas Junior High School students started classes Sept. 3. Photo from Three Village Central School District
P.J. Gelinas Junior High School students started classes Sept. 3. Photo from Three Village Central School District
P.J. Gelinas Junior High School students started classes Sept. 3. Photo from Three Village Central School District
W.S. Mount Elementary School students started classes Sept. 3. Photo from Three Village Central School District
W.S. Mount Elementary School students started classes Sept. 3. Photo from Three Village Central School District
W.S. Mount Elementary School students started classes Sept. 3. Photo from Three Village Central School District
W.S. Mount Elementary School students started classes Sept. 3. Photo from Three Village Central School District
W.S. Mount Elementary School students started classes Sept. 3. Photo from Three Village Central School District

Just a day after the unofficial last day of summer, on Sept. 3, elementary, junior high and high school students in the Three Village district were off and running toward a new academic year.

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