Make Your St. Patrick’s Day Spread Green with Envy
(Culinary.net) Freshen up your St. Patrick’s Day menu with easy, light sandwiches inspired by the traditional color of the festivities. These open-faced noshes can be perfect for lunch, snack time or even as an appetizer for get-togethers with friends and family.
Layered with a smooth cream cheese and mozzarella mixture then topped with crisp cucumber and a stem of green bell pepper, these St. Patrick’s Day Sandwiches are easy and cute, which makes them a fan favorite at nearly any green gathering. They’re also sprinkled with lemon juice to add a little acidity and create a nice, light bite.
Plus, this recipe is quick to make. When you’re in a rush to get everything on the table for the party, it’s easy to throw together and get on the platter in next to no time.
The sandwiches pop off the plate with their bright, seasonal garnishes. While sure to attract attention and have your loved ones asking “Where did you get this idea?” they’re also an easy way to sneak a few vegetables into your kids’ diets.
For more festive recipes and ideas at Culinary.net.
St. Patrick’s Day Sandwiches
Yield: 8 sandwiches
Ingredients:
8 ounces plain cream cheese spread, softened
1 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese
salt
4 English muffins
24 slices cucumber
8 thin slices green pepper
fresh cilantro leaves
lemon juice
lemon slices, for garnish (optional)
Directions:
In bowl, mix cream cheese spread, mozzarella cheese and salt well.
Split English muffins in half. Cut each muffin half into shamrock shape.
Spread cheese mixture over each muffin half.
Place three cucumbers on each “shamrock,” one on each “leaf.” Use green pepper slice as stem. Place cilantro leaf on top of each sandwich.
Sprinkle sandwiches with lemon juice and add lemon slices, for garnish, if desired.
Unknown couple circa early 1900s enjoying fishing in the pond. Photo from MCPL
Gould’s Pond: Is it a pond or a kettle?
Amongst the Middle Country Public Library’s many historical artifacts are a few that explain just how far the area has come from its pastoral roots. The picture and story below comes courtesy of a collaborative effort among the librarian staff.
Gould’s Pond is both! It is a pond, a body of fresh water, but it is also known as a kettle pond. This name is used for ponds or lakes which form when very large blocks of ice left by glaciers break off, stop moving and melt.
This is exactly what happened when the glacier which formed Long Island reached its southernmost point on its journey down from eastern Canada over 20,000 years ago. There are many kettle ponds and lakes on Long Island, the largest of which is Lake Ronkonkoma. Lake Ronkonkoma is the largest freshwater lake on the Island, measuring approximately two miles in circumference. Fresh water has always been a valuable resource, and Gould’s Pond is one of our local treasures.
People have always chosen to live near water, and Long Islanders were no exception. Middle Country Public Library has some historic atlases which show exactly who lived near the pond back to the late 1800s. Here is an image from Fredrick W. Beers’ “Atlas of Long Island, New York” published in 1873. The pond is represented by a circular feature at the left side of the map.
Individual family names were plotted on older maps like this one. Here we can see labeled homesteads surrounding Gould’s Pond and the names of families who lived on Hawkins Avenue, Middle Country Road, Moriches Road and Saint James and others.
One of the earliest settlers we can name was Morgan Lewis Gould, whose home appears above the pond which bears his name. In 1886, the Town of Brookhaven paid Morgan Lewis Gould and his son, Henry Lewis Gould, $5 to maintain an unobstructed pathway connecting to the main road, four rods wide (approximately 60 feet), for public access to the pond, so residents could bring their livestock to water and to use it for general household purposes.
Two historic houses are still situated near the Pond today, most probably the M.L. Gould and T. Scott homes shown on our 1873 map.
In later years, with home wells or piped water, this freshwater pond was used more for leisure purposes, including ice skating and fishing. But during the 1880s the pond still had a practical purpose – as a source of ice before refrigerators and freezers were commonplace.
In this case, ice from the pond was harvested. It was cut by hand from the surface of the pond and stored for later use. Two separate icehouses were built along the shores of Gould’s Pond, used to store this ice during the warmer seasons.
The large chunks of harvested ice were tightly packed in these icehouses so they would not easily melt. Sometimes, straw or sawdust was used for insulation, and in many cases, icehouse foundations were built below ground to keep the ice frozen year-round. Research shows that after World War I, the icehouses were no longer necessary and were dismantled.
Today, Gould’s Pond is used for hiking, nature watching and fishing. A gentle hill which is popularly used for sledding lies next to the pond. This hill was most likely scooped out by that same glacier which formed the pond so many years ago. You can find Gould’s Pond at the corner of Moriches and Saint James Roads in Lake Grove, where a beautifully lettered sign marks its spot.
Long Islanders gathered at Babylon Town Hall, above, to show support for Ukrainians. Photo by Carolyn Sackstein
Ukrainian and Russian émigrés, Ukrainian-Americans, local elected officials and Long Islanders of various political stripes demonstrated their support for the defense of Ukrainian sovereignty and against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s illegal war initiated in the wee hours of Feb. 24 against Ukraine.
Suffolk County Legislator Kevin McCaffrey, below right, was on hand for the rally. Photo by Carolyn Sackstein
While some people rally together in their support for Ukraine, others find their way to church sanctuaries to offer prayers for the safety of Ukrainian soldiers and citizens, who are also taking up arms in defense of their homeland.
Anna Konny, from Vinnytsia, Ukraine, a dental hygienist and U. S. citizen, who lives in Woodmere, attended a rally in Lindenhurst at Babylon Town Hall with her aunt, Nataliya Soliternik, who lives now in Hewlett.
Konny, draped in the Ukrainian flag, was a vocal advocate for those defending Vinnytsia, a city in west-central Ukraine. She has been able to stay in touch with family and friends who are still in Ukraine by using free calling cards provided by Verizon, T-Mobile and other major communication carriers.
The dental hygienist showed photos of families using subway stations and basements of municipal buildings as bomb shelters. She claimed these shelters are also being used at night by saboteurs and Russian infiltrators as they hide among the patriots they seek to destroy. By day, these infiltrators use luminous paint to paint the roofs of buildings, barricades and other locations to be targeted during nighttime bombings and artillery shelling.
Konny advocates for weapons and ammunition to be sent to those fighting from World War I-style trenches surrounding the cities and towns. Someone in the crowd asked if she feared reprisals. Konny’s answer was a firm, “No. If these photos get back to Ukraine, I want my friends and family to know that I stand with them.”
Suffolk County Legislator Kevin McCaffrey (R-Lindenhurst), presiding officer of the Legislature, saw Konny and came over to hear her pleas for aid, both military and medical first aid materials. After speaking with Konny, McCaffrey addressed the crowd to resounding applause. “It is appalling what Vladimir Putin is doing, how he is attacking a sovereign nation like Ukraine,” he said. “It makes us wonder who is next. The Ukrainian people have done nothing to incur the wrath of Vladimir Putin. All of us are encouraged by the fight of the Ukrainian people, who are standing against this aggression. I believe the U.S. should do more to stand up for the Ukrainian people.”
Janet Byler, from Huntington, has children serving in the U. S. Army based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. She felt compelled to attend the rally to support those serving with NATO forces in Europe. Mark Czachor, of West Babylon, said, “Every American should be supporting Ukraine’s fight. As long as we don’t give up, Putin can’t win.”
On Friday, Feb. 25, the Rev. Bohdan Hedz of St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church in Riverhead opened the sanctuary to a resident of Texas, who was born and raised in the Riverhead area. He had returned recently to care for his very elderly parents. He had missed the service which had been celebrated earlier that day but was welcomed by Bohdan to pray in the quiet and intimate sanctuary. Unafraid of reprisals, the gentleman, who wished anonymity for personal privacy reasons, spoke of marrying his Ukrainian wife in Kyiv.
“My wife would leave today to take up arms,” he said. “The world is called to speak and to act. Ukraine will fight!”
During this conversation, a woman from the congregation of St. John the Baptist R.C. Church in Wading River came in with an offering of a bouquet of red roses and a prayer. It was her way of giving support to the local Ukrainian community.
Hedz and his congregation have been raising funds and material support for Ukrainian defense since the Russian invasion of the country in 2014 that resulted in the annexation of Crimea. Hedz expressed the belief that “Putin will not stop at Ukraine.”
With this greater invasion into the whole of Ukraine, Hedz said the defenders of Ukraine need warm winter clothing, personal hygiene medications such as pain relievers, cold and flu treatments, and first aid supplies for treating wounds.
Donations can be dropped off any time at St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church located at 820 Pond View Road, Riverhead. If the sanctuary doors are locked, one may call the reverend at 631-727-2766.
As COVID-19 infection rates and deaths begin to decline, more attention to the pandemic’s effect on mental health is needed.
In “Amid declining COVID infections, worry about mental health remains” by Daniel Dunaief featured in the Feb. 24 TBR News Media newspapers and online, Dr. Gregson Pigott, commissioner of the Suffolk County Department of Health Services, cited two Centers of Disease Control and Prevention studies.
The research shows that the children’s mental health crisis alone has gotten worse during the pandemic. The CDC’s Household Pulse Survey also shows 39.2% of people nationally aged 18 to 29 had indicators of anxiety or depression between Jan. 26 and Feb. 7 of this year. As the group members increased in age, the percentage decreased, with 9.3% of those 80 years and above reporting mental health issues.
We have heard many times throughout the pandemic that the isolation and precautions needed to slow down the infection rate could increase anxiety and depression in people. At a press conference last week, held at the Smithtown Senior Center, elected officials discussed the importance of seniors returning to the activities they love and spending time with family and friends, which is vital for their overall well-being.
People need interactions with others to stay healthy and have someone to remind them that they are a good person and that the world is a better place with them in it. As we begin to remove our masks, it’s time to smile again and have conversations with those we encounter in our everyday lives.
Understandably, getting the virus under control during the height of the pandemic was a priority. Now, it’s more important than ever to talk about mental health and stop sweeping things under the carpet.
For most people, that could mean checking in with loved ones. Even if an in-person visit isn’t an option for some right now, a phone call or text message can make a difference.
While it was innovative and necessary to hold doctors’ visits, including those with psychiatrists and therapists, over Zoom during the pandemic, this is not the best option for everyone. Just as some students don’t do well with remote learning, many people don’t respond well to remote therapy.
Sometimes a person needs a one-on-one conversation face-to-face, not only with someone who isn’t judging them or doesn’t have an agenda, but also a professional who can see if they are making eye contact or fidgeting or not responding well to medication. Sometimes body language needs to be read to see if a patient is being truthful or just going through the motions.
While a conversation with a mental health professional is always a wise thing to do — whether in person or online — sometimes, for the real work to be done, it needs to be one-on-one in an office. So, if you need it, don’t hesitate to ask for an office visit. Most therapists are beginning to offer them again.
During the pandemic, people learned new ways of doing things to stay healthy, and some of those ways may be better. But meeting up with a friend and talking while eating or drinking coffee, or sitting on the couch in a therapist’s office — truly connecting — that can’t be beaten.
(Culinary.net) Waking up, no matter how late, can be such a drag. You’re moving slow and cuddled up warm under the blankets. However, your stomach is growling which means eventually you are going to have to arise. When you do stumble out of bed, it’s time to get the day started with a delicious casserole on your plate. It’s a warm, freshly baked Overnight Apple Cinnamon Fresh Toast Casserole.
Prepared the day before and chilled overnight, this casserole is ready to throw in the oven once you’re up. It’s gooey on the inside and baked to a perfect crisp on the outside, plus it’s filled with mouthwatering apples and ground cinnamon, not to mention the sweet glaze drizzled on top at the end. It’s perfect for any breakfast or brunch occasion and the little ones will enjoy the sweet crunch, as well.
Whether you are waking up on an early Monday morning or lounging around in your pajamas for an hour (or two) over the weekend, this breakfast casserole is worth the wait.
Find more breakfast and brunch recipes at Culinary.net.
Yield: Serves 12
Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray
1 package (20 ounces) French bread, cubed, divided
1 can (20 ounces) apple pie filling
9 eggs
1 cup half-and-half
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup powdered sugar, plus additional (optional)
2 tablespoons milk, plus additional (optional)
Directions:
Spray 8-by-8-inch glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
In baking dish, add 10 ounces cubed French bread in bottom of dish. Pour apple filling over bread. Top with remaining cubed French bread. Set aside.
In medium bowl, whisk eggs, half-and-half and cinnamon. Pour evenly over bread.
Cover with aluminum foil and chill overnight.
Heat oven to 325 F.
Remove foil and bake 50-60 minutes.
Let cool 10-15 minutes.
In small bowl, whisk powdered sugar and milk. Add additional, if needed, until pourable glaze is reached. Drizzle over casserole before serving.
Members of Ted Lucki’s family were in a forced labor camp. Lucki’s grandmother Anna, left, grandfather Nicholi, second from left, are shown with their children, including Lucki’s father Michael in the back row. Photo from Ted Lucki
By Ted Lucki
“Good morning, Lori. How are you?” (I said to my wife.)
She said, “I feel great.”
Ted Lucki’s family arrived in America in 1948. Photo from Ted Lucki
I said, “You should be ready. “
“Ready for what?”
“My relatives will be coming from
the Ukraine.”
“When?”
“When the first tank crosses the Ukrainian border with Russia.”
Lori said, “You worry too much.”
I replied that the cycle repeats itself every 70 years or so.
An old Ukrainian folk tale: What is the difference between a Ukrainian and a Russian? The Ukrainian has two shots of vodka and falls asleep. The Russian has two shots of vodka and wakes up to finish two bottles of vodka.
Let’s go back in time to 1944 and stories from my grandfather Nicholi. His family was ethnically Ukrainian but lived in Eastern Poland. The borders were constantly moving by advancing and retreating armies. Welcome to the Eastern Front.
My grandfather was in the Austrian army during World War I and knew the German commander in his town. The commander told him that his unit was moving out in the morning. He said that the Red Army was marching, and they were killing everybody in their way. If you were alive, you must be a traitor. This was the logic of Joseph Stalin, who governed the Soviet Union from 1922 until his death in 1953.
So, my grandfather, Nicholi, woke up his wife and five children — including my father and 2-year-old sister. They loaded up their horse-drawn wooden wagon and headed west trying to avoid the advancing Red Army. They made it to Czechoslovakia. They sold the wagon and bought train tickets to Vienna, Austria.
Grandpa Nicholi was a student there after World War I and knew some old friends. They then made it to Salzburg, Austria, and were arrested. They had Polish passports and were not allowed legal passage to Austria. They were arrested and sent into a forced labor camp. They worked in the slave labor camp for two years building boxes for ammunition.
When the war ended, they were fortunately liberated by the American Army and put into refugee camps. They waited for one year before they were sponsored by a medical doctor in Cincinnati, and ultimately ended up in Buffalo. They survived and they were together. They had hope for a new life. Thank God, they made it to America. Many of my relatives were killed or sent to their deaths in Siberia. Those were insane times. I thought the world was more civilized now.
The Red Army is on the march again. Sounds like a very similar tune. Sounds like a similar strategy: the domination of the Ukrainian people.
So, Lori, when the tanks roll, my extended family will head west. They’ll hop a train to Poland, fly to JFK, and I will go pick them up. I do not really know them. We met them 20 years ago on our trips to Ukraine. But I am sure they remember us. We were the lucky ones that got out alive.
I hope history doesn’t repeat itself.
Please join me in “praying for peace” and hoping that America understands its leadership role in our crazy world.
Ted Lucki is the former mayor of Belle Terre and president of the Welcome Friends Soup Kitchen.
An inside look at what Roots has to offer. Photo by Carolyn Sackstein
By Carolyn Sackstein
The owner of Roots Kava Bar, Robert Dunn, celebrated the grand opening of Port Jefferson’s newest drinking establishment with family and friends when he opened the doors at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 19.
The enthusiastic crowd mingled about and enjoyed the cozy and comfortable seating in the kava pub’s back lounge and front self-serve area.
Robert Dunn inside the new Roots Kava Bar in Port Jeff. Photo by Carolyn Sackstein
Most guests knew about kava, a beverage used as a replacement for alcohol. The owner wanted to create an environment where people, who do not use alcohol, could socialize over drinks and not experience the detrimental effects of alcohol. The decor is a pleasing mix of black walls, metal and wood. The serving bar is a natural plank with a live edge which echoes the natural theme of the beverages.
For the uninitiated, kava is a drink made from the root of the kava kava plant (Piper methysticum) which originates in Southeast Asia and the South Pacific islands.
Kava is touted to alleviate stress, help with chronic pain, boost mood, increase energy and focus. The root is ground into a powder, steeped in water, then filtered. Kava has sedative and anesthetic properties that can produce a numbing sensation within the lips and mouth.
A sense of calm or euphoria is experienced by those who imbibe. Kava has been used in Fiji, Hawaii and elsewhere for perhaps as long as 3,000 years in religious and welcoming ceremonies for honored guests.
The flavor of the raw drink has an earthy, rather grassy taste. Many find the taste quite pleasant. For those who do not like the raw taste, Dunn or Alyssa Chaikin, the bar manager, will be happy to customize the serve by adding flavorings like lemon or raspberry syrups. One popular choice is the cinnamon toast option. The kava bar also serves commercially produced kava and kratom beverages in cans and bottles.
On Sunday afternoon, a family came in with their two children. Because of the sedative properties of the root, the only beverage that could be served to the children was kombucha. The children enjoyed the commercially produced bottle of this fermented nonalcoholic beverage. Dunn is exploring the addition of a greater selection of products to suit a wider audience, but the focus is on an adult clientele who wish to chill with friends over an adult beverage while avoiding alcohol and its ill effects.
Guests can purchase a 12 oz. bottle or a growler ($5 bottle deposit) of the in-house prepared beverages so that they can be enjoyed at home. One can also purchase brand-name products such as Leilo, Kin Euphorics, Psychedelic Water and Stay Cool CBD.
The patrons on Sunday afternoon felt quite pleased with their experience. Angela Contratti of Nesconset had a bula bowl. “I feel a little floaty,” she said. “It’s a really nice alternative to alcohol. My expectations were low coming in here, but I am leaving feeling ‘wow.’”
Roots’ new sign hangs where BYOG and East Main & Main used to be. Photo by Carolyn Sackstein
As with all herbal supplements and nutraceuticals, one must bear in mind that there are concerns relative to purity and adverse interactions with medications one might be taking. Dunn uses kava root powders that have been tested by a third-party lab to ensure quality. He and his staff happily provide patrons with product information and describe the effects that one may experience from using the drinks.
People who have medical conditions, are pregnant or lactating, or taking medications are warned to consult their health care provider to determine contra indications or adverse drug interactions. According to Bill Hatfield, a licensed clinical social worker, who has for years counseled clients who are in recovery for addiction, suggests people should be cautious about trying kratom. While kratom is currently legal in New York state, it is his experience that clients, who were clean for a significant period, relapsed after trying kratom. That said, the kava bar seems to be enjoying a positive buzz within the community.
Roots Kava Bar is located at 250 E. Main St., Port Jefferson. The hours of operation are noon to midnight. Holidays may have altered hours. For additional information call 631-831-4887.
Over the course of the last month, local elected officials were speaking out against Gov. Kathy Hochul’s (D) plan to allow, potentially, accessory apartments to every home throughout the state.
Members of Congress across Long Island bashed the idea, state senators and assembly members did, too. It even got to the hyper local level when Brookhaven and Huntington towns both held press conferences asking Hochul to reconsider the plan, saying that it would not fit into the landscape of Long Island. The Town of Smithtown strongly objected, too.
It was bipartisan. Members from both parties said that it would impact the way we live here, parking would be terrible, property values could decrease and the already concerning sewage issues we have on Long Island would worsen. It simply wouldn’t work.
And just this week, it looks like all that kicking and screaming had an impact. Hochul decided to pull the plan from the state budget.
So, what does this mean?
The events that led up to her decision were important. All of those press conferences hosted by our elected officials were worth the time and effort. The stories that the media reported on got other people talking, thinking and writing.
This shows how important it is to reach out to our local representatives. Tell them what you want and ask them to help make a change. That’s their job.
Reach out to us, your local media and write letters to the editor. Voice your concerns and demand action.
Some things cannot be changed or might take longer than desired. But there are other opportunities that can be fixed before they take flight.
If it wasn’t for our local elected officials looking over the state budget and noticing the line about the apartments, some of us might not have known about the issue until it was too far along to be stopped.
That’s when people begin to complain, but sometimes not much can be done.
Stay vigilant and be proactive instead of reactive. Use what resources are available to us now to make continuous changes that will benefit us and our families.
We’re all in this together and the more we communicate, the better. But we should remember to say “thank you” to those who made it possible when you finally get your way.
U.S. Congressman Tom Suozzi at a press conference on Feb. 10. Photo by Julianne Mosher
When Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) talked about increasing affordable housing options across New York during her recent State of the State address, it was something that most residents could agree with. Then the State of the State book came out with more details.
Local legislators paused when they saw that a proposed plan would allow residents to build an accessory dwelling unit without seeking approval from their local zoning board, essentially eliminating single-family zoning laws. While most Long Island elected officials believe that our area needs more affordable housing, the majority are not on board with Hochul’s proposed plan.
It seems as if she has good intentions. Such a plan would enable a homeowner to create an apartment. One hope is that grown children can live at home longer and have more time to save for their own house. Or, it could provide a space for aging parents who can’t afford the cost of living in New York or keep up with all the things that a household needs. Being able to transform a basement, attic or garage into an apartment sounds better than families flying back and forth to another state to see their parents or children.
As it becomes more and more challenging to buy a home, living with one’s parents longer sometimes is the more affordable option. And while there was a time that people lived at home longer simply by sleeping in their childhood bedrooms, now with more teenagers going away to college, when they come back home, they crave their own space and don’t want to explain to mom and dad why they are just leaving the house at 10 p.m. to meet up with friends. They would like to have company over and not worry about their parents coming into the living room and joining the conversation or embarrassing them.
And older parents crave their freedom, too. Gone are the days when grandma and grandpa would come to live with the family and sleep in the guest room. As houses have become larger in the last few decades, people have become accustomed to having a good amount of personal space.
It should also be noted that in Brookhaven and Huntington, the towns allow accessory apartments on premises with specific regulations, including that the owner of the lot upon which the accessory apartment is located must reside within the dwelling that contains the ADU, and only one accessory apartment is permitted on the premises. Smithtown has limited exceptions.
Of course, we understand why many elected officials are dubious. This proposed Hochul plan has to be thought out thoroughly. Many areas of Long Island are overpopulated or are becoming so. While keeping our parents and children close to us is nice, it can be aggravating when cars are parked all over our streets and roadways are congested. We know not everyone will build an apartment for family members to have more affordable living conditions, but many will. And some will add them to their homes, not to help out family members but to collect rent from strangers.
Our infrastructure is not able to attract or keep people on the Island even though we want our children and parents to stay here.
Our planning and zoning boards work together to decide on what’s best for our areas and allow residents to speak up and express their concerns. To increase affordable housing units along the North Shore, elected officials will need to come together to brainstorm and identify the best areas to create less expensive housing options, such as being near train stations and major roadways. Options like these can keep additional cars off our local streets, so a quick run to the grocery store doesn’t turn into an hour-long ordeal.
Change can be good, but putting the responsibility of increasing affordable housing in the hands of residents who may not be experts on density and infrastructure is not a wise decision.
Participating artists, from left, Shaorui Li, Terrance Wang, Jeremy Wang, Lawrence Sun, Qingyuan Zhang, Harry Gao, Chunho Wong, Valentina Trajkovic, Jae Shim, Tatiana Trajkovic and Feng Gao.
Jae Shim is an elementary school art teacher who led her class to participate in the event. Jae created a beautiful piece to help inspire her students and she ended up winning a prize in the adult division for her work.
Chunho Wong, 1st place winner in the 7-12th grade division with Legislator Hahn, Qin Han and Counciilmember Kornreich
Legislator Kara Hahn and Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich listen as Chunho Wong explain the details of his work.
Legislator Kara Hahn and Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich with and Valentina Trajkovic, first place winner in the K-6 division.
Organizers of the event, Qin Han, Melody Su, Hua Wang, Qingyan Ma, Shaorui Li, Hong Tan, Tracy Gao, Geng Liu and Yang Chen with Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich
By Qingyan Ma
For the second year in a row, the Asian American Association of Greater Stony Brook (AAAGSB) hosted the annual art show to celebrate the Lunar New Year. This year’s theme was Tiger, as 2022 is the Year of Tiger. The exhibition was held at the Setauket Neighborhood House on February 5.
The Art Show received 62 pieces of tiger-themed artworks, including paintings, calligraphy, digital art and hybrid art from participants of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds and age groups.
Brookhaven Town Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich and Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn attended the ceremony and presented prizes to the 12 winners.
After successfully hosting the online art show for the Year of the Ox last year, this year’s art show was finally held in person.
“The Lunar Year celebrations in the New York area are mostly theatrical performances. Last year due to Covid 19, many theatrical performances could not be carried out. Therefore, AAAGSB thought of the form of art show to celebrate the new year. Last year, the event was well-received by the community and received a lot of artwork. Due to the pandemic, last year’s exhibition could only be carried out online through the website. This year, with improved Covid situation, we can finally exhibit all the artworks on-site,” said Li Shaorui, the organizer of the event and the President of AAAGSB.
Tiger is known for courage, strength, and determination. The participants of the Art Show used their imagination and creativity to think about how to represent the Year of the Tiger in their art.
The artwork was divided into three categories: Grade Pre-K to 6, Grade 7 to 12, and the adult group. The jury was led by Professor Qin Han from the Department of Art of Stony Brook University. “Tiger’s Reflection,” “Yin Tiger” and “Tiger: Past and Present” won the first prize in their respective categories.
12-year-old Valentina Trajkovic, the winner of the Pre-K to 6 Group, said: “2022 is the Year of the Tiger and is also my zodiac year. This lunar new year is both a celebration and a time for reflection, so I painted ‘Tiger’s Reflection’. I hope to bring everyone a peaceful and healthy New Year.”
The art show attracted art lovers of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds and age groups, not limited to Asian Americans. This is a different way to celebrate the Lunar New Year and to bring the community together. Art has no border. Art transcends age and race. Art is a bridge. This is the original intention of AAAGSB to host this event.
The event also received strong support from Dr. Frank Zhang, Long Island Youth Development Inc., Cake Fairyland, Town of Brookhaven AANHPI Advisory Broad, and Brookhaven Town Supervisor Edward P. Romaine.
Qingyan Ma is the Director of Media relations from the AAAGSB Board.
All photos courtesy of Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich’s office.
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