The 4th annual Pig Roast fundraiser to benefit Hope House Ministries will be held at La Buena Vida Restaurant, 714 Montauk Highway, Moriches on Saturday, July 10 from 7 to 10 p.m. with a special musical performance by Damaged Goods. $30 donation per person includes dinner and soft drinks. For more information, call 631-909-1985 or visit www.labuenavidaspanishrestaurant.com.
The John W. Engeman Theater, 250 Main St., Northport presents Disney’s The Little Mermaid Jr. from July 24 to Aug. 29. Follow the adventures of mermaid princess Ariel and her friends Flounder the Guppy, Scuttle the Seagull, and Sebastian the Crab in this musical under-the-sea classic.
THE LITTLE MERMAID JR. tells the “tail” of a mermaid who longs to be human and the prince who helps her achieve her dream. With popular sing-along songs such as “Under the Sea,” “Kiss the Girl,” “Part of Your World,” and “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” this abbreviated version of the well-known Disney fable runs under 90 minutes and is appropriate for families and children of all ages. Performed by a cast of semi-professional adult actors, expect lots of dancing in the aisles and audience interaction for this Children’s Theater performance.
All seats are $20. To order, call 261-2900 or visit www.engemantheater.com.
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.
The Centereach Chamber of Commerce in the 1960s was very much involved in bringing business and people to Centereach.
Its members were active in meeting with state, county and town officials on a variety of issues including rezoning property for businesses, the building of newly proposed garden apartments in Lake Grove and statistics of Suffolk County labor.
In 1966, the Chamber also was instrumental in appealing to state officials to place a Centereach sign on the Long Island Expressway to promote the community as “The Hub of Suffolk County.” They prepared a brochure that was distributed at that year’s Travel and Trade Exposition which sought to highlight the advantages of doing business in Centereach.
This 1962 picture shows newly installed officers of the Centereach Chamber of Commerce checking over reports of the previous year’s activities with new president, Nicholas Guzzone seated at right.
The installation took place at Centereach Bowling Lanes on Horseblock Road.
Along with promoting the economic growth of the area, Chamber members were very active in the
community. They sponsored a cocktail party and dance which took place annually in the Island Room at
Centereach Lanes. The Oct. 31, 1963, The Long Island Advance published photographs of the winners and
judges of a Halloween Costume Contest sponsored by the Chamber. Bags of candy were distributed to all
children present, and the Saxon Drum and Bugle Corps supplied the entertainment.
The Chamber of Commerce also took part in the annual parade and fair as seen in this 1962 picture of
Chamber officials posing in a convertible parade car.
Pictured left to right are William Regan of Regan Funeral Home, Robert Jones of Tinker National Bank, Mrs. Theresa Hansen and Charles Hansen, both of Centereach Fabrics, and Michael Dundon of Dundon Roofing Company. The Centereach Chamber of Commerce banner shown draped over the windshield of the parade car is a part of the Middle Country Public Library’s Heritage Collection. Plans are underway to have it conserved and displayed in the library’s Miller Business Center. Today, the Greater Middle Country Chamber of Commerce seeks to help businesses prosper in Centereach, Selden, Lake Grove and surrounding areas.
Summer is a season to relax and enjoy the warm weather. Basking in the summer sun is a great way to relax, but only when the temperatures are safe. Summer heat waves can compromise the health of human beings as well as their pets. Gardening enthusiasts also may need to go the extra mile to keep their plants and gardens from wilting under harsh summer sun.
Extreme heat stress can be very harmful to plants. The online gardening resource Gardening Know How notes that some plants can withstand summer heat waves better than others. For example, succulents conserve water in their leaves, helping them to withstand heat waves when the dog days of summer arrive. But succulents are unique, and many plants will require a little extra help to withstand a heat wave.
· Take a proactive approach with mulch. Gardeners need not wait until the heat arrives to protect their plants from searing summer heat. The sustainable living experts at Eartheasy recommend utilizing light-colored mulch during heat waves. Such mulch will reflect the sunlight and help to maintain cooler surface soil conditions. Eartheasy even notes that grass clippings, once they’ve turned from green to light brown, can make for the perfect mulch to protect plants from the heat. Clippings also are free, making them a cost-effective solution.
· Water wisely. The horticultural experts at Yates Gardening note that water only helps plants withstand heat waves if it’s applied effectively. If water is only applied in short bursts and not long enough so it can penetrate all the way to the root zone, roots will then stay near the surface. In such instances, roots will dry out during a heat wave and plants won’t make it through the season. Timing also is essential when watering. Eartheasy recommends watering in the morning to avoid heat scald and also ensure as little water is lost to evaporation as possible. When watering during a heat wave, do so by hand rather than through a sprinkler. Hand watering allows gardeners to direct all of the water onto the plants that need it most during a heat wave.
· Let your plants pitch in. When planting new plants, it’s important that gardeners recognize it takes time for these plants to establish their roots so they’re strong enough to withstand heat waves. In the meantime, strategic planting can help them make it through their first heat waves unscathed. Eartheasy notes that planting by taller, more established plants can provide new plants with shade that can help them survive heat waves. Just make sure new plants can still get the sun they need to thrive.
Heat waves are inevitable and potentially harmful to gardens. Gardeners can help their plants beat the heat in various ways.
By Ellen Mason, Stony Brook
The view from my window,
Looking out to the street,
Brings anticipation
Of deliveries complete.
From FedEx or postman
And sellers on eBay,
I await these small boxes
And how little they all weigh.
My mission accomplished
Might seem foolish to some,
But I’m filled with delight
By these parcels that come.
On eBay I found it,
And made it my mission:
To replace my old dollhouse,
Furnished bedroom to kitchen.
In primary colors
And precisely scaled detail,
This house from the fifties
Revives memories that were stale.
A complete living room,
Molded from plastic,
With couch and TV.
Just so fantastic!
A sewing machine,
A phone and a vacuum,
Have movable parts,
Like commode in the bathroom.
The biggest surprise
In daytime or night,
Is the Disney themed nursery,
Much to my delight.
Lithographed on the walls
And the yellow tin floor,
Are drawings of Mickey
And Donald and more.
A two-car garage
And second floor terrace
Complete the good life for
A suburban heiress.
I now have before me
My childhood dream,
Resurrected once more.
I give thanks to the team
Of sellers on eBay,
Of which there are many,
Who sell vintage stuff.
This was worth every penny.
If nostalgia now calls you
Then, at my behest,
Perhaps you will tune
Into “Father Knows Best.
Dollhouse from the Marx Toy Company, accessories from Marx and Renwal.
BLAZE OF GLORY
Tom Caruso of Smithtown snapped this beautiful photo during a walk in Stony Brook Village on June 16. He writes, ‘My wife and I were walking down the road leading to the water when I saw these Orange Daylilies blazing in the light of the setting sun. I shot this image with my cell phone and was amazed at the contrast between the flowers and their surroundings.
Send your Photo of the Week to [email protected]
By Warren Strugatch
Economic development sounds good. In fact, it sounds great. Reasonable people will tolerate immense inconvenience resulting in financial betterment — for their community and for themselves. Unfortunately, the $150 million megadevelopment planned for Flowerfield, Gyrodyne’s approximately 70-acre campus along 25A in St. James, is to true economic development what a wolf is to sheep’s clothing: a mis-planned, ecologically tone-deaf cover for self-serving overdevelopment.
When the Town of Smithtown made Gyrodyne’s subdivision application public, its details — the 150-room hotel, the 250-unit assisted living facility, and — most ominously — a 100,000-gallon-a-day sewage treatment plant sited above a vulnerable watershed — earned the immediate ire of prominent environmentalists and civic activists. Opponents vastly outnumbered supporters at the one public forum the town held, in late 2019.
Supporters, following the staunch, pro-business lead of Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R), touted the project as an engine of economic growth. When plans for the subdivision were unveiled, the supervisor lauded the proposed sewer plant as a solution to perhaps the town’s most pressing economic problem, its lack of commercial sewer treatment services. Wehrheim promised to speak with Gyrodyne officials about providing sewage treatment services to the Lake Avenue business district. His remark forged a connection between wastewater treatment access for business and Gyrodyne gaining permission to build.
As a dry sewer line was installed under Lake Avenue, the supervisor’s theme was echoed approvingly by chamber presidents, business district champions and labor leaders. It certainly sounded good. Who could possibly object?
That argument, however, has been thoroughly debunked. Early this year Gyrodyne acknowledged in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it could not provide treatment services to Lake Avenue businesses nor anyone else not located on its premises. The town, however, has yet to acknowledge this reality. Many residents are still not aware that allowing Gyrodyne permission to build will not mean sewer treatment access.
Local business and labor leaders, along with town officials, continue to make the economic development argument, refocusing on job creation for residents and tax-base expansion. These are canards as well. In fact, few full-time jobs will be created. Construction jobs will be temporary and cannot by law be restricted to Smithtown residents. Most permanent jobs will be relatively low-paying hourly work in the service sector, such as housekeeping posts and positions as health care attendants. Creating high-paying jobs in industry clusters — the key definition of economic development — is not in the cards.
As for expanding the tax base, that too is problematic. About 20 years ago, Stony Brook University — Flowerfield’s immediate neighbor to the east — acquired about three-quarters of the property through eminent domain. The moment the property was annexed by the state, it fell off the tax roll, costing the Town of Brookhaven a fortune in lost revenues. As for the prospect of the university acquiring Flowerfield’s remaining acreage, Gyrodyne has acknowledged in papers filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it’s sought to make the property more appealing to the university. The company has not ruled out the university purchasing what it left behind on the Smithtown side of the town line in 2005, similarly removing it from the tax roll.
Since the megadevelopment was proposed, opponents have documented how this project has run roughshod over environment safeguards, ignored the planning profession’s best practices, and disregarded community quality of life. In contrast, supporters have cited economic arguments, suggesting we grant developers the benefit of the doubt.
Sound economic development is indeed a strong advantage. Given the transformational nature of this project, and its planning history, can any community afford to be that trusting?
Warren Strugatch is president of Select Long Island, an economic development advisory organization.
By Claire Leone
As anyone off the street can tell you, this year has been anything but ordinary.
But unfortunately, a person on the street might be able to tell you how this year has been all too ordinary for them.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, homelessness and food insecurity has been on the rise right here on Long Island. The Science and National Honor Societies of Comsewogue High School chose to act on this problem and give people hope, while addressing an underlying issue that’s been contributing to food waste all along.
Unbeknown to many, the restaurant industry has to throw away large amounts of perfectly edible food to preserve their freshness and quality standards for the next day’s sales.
It’s not just scraps from your plate that end up in the garbage, but as our student volunteer found out, also bags worth of food that can be distributed and eaten by the local population.
We have a large problem with food waste in this country — any misshapen, overly large or small or mishandled food has to be thrown away. Approximately 40% of food is lost to this problem.
Along with myself, Grace Togerson co-founded this program, while David Shubert also participated by doing longstanding pickups from restaurants.
The plan was simple — pick up and drop off food donations. But even though that idea was simple, the execution was a lot more difficult to pull off the FRESH (Food Rescue Experiment Serving the Hungry) program.
With weeks of cold calls, flyer preparations, rewrites and meetings, the program got on its feet with amazing participation from local businesses: Mount Sinai Bagel Cafe, Bagelicious Cafe, Gilshar Greek Cafe and churches, Saint Gerard Majella and Genesis Church.
Since May, these contributors have been lending a hand to solve this problem of food waste and insecurity twofold and have made a large impact in decreasing landfill input and hunger on Long Island.
Both Mount Sinai Bagel Cafe and St. Gerarg Majella Church expressed their support by saying they were “very grateful” to have played a part in adding to and stocking the food pantry.
Now that the school year is ending and our senior year is too, me and the other two volunteers are looking towards the future with our wonderful advisor, Mrs. Shane Goldberg.
Mrs. Goldberg will continue accepting donations over the summer, and the program will continue in full swing with student volunteers for the whole of the next school year.
Right now, this is also an opportunity to call on any local business or donor recipients who would like to participate in this program.
If any would like to participate, please call Comsewogue High School at (631) 474-8179.
This little experiment has shown me how big of an impact a few dedicated individuals can have, and I hope that it has shown you how anyone can make a difference even when we’re just a single person off the street.
Claire Leone is a graduating senior at Comsewogue High School. She is a member of the National Honor Society, as well as the National English Honor Society.
The Smithtown Center for the Performing Arts will present outdoor performances of Disney’s Moana Jr. on the grounds of the Smithtown Historical Society, 239 E. Main St., Smithtown from July 15 to Aug. 14. Join Moana and the legendary demigod Maui as they embark on an epic journey of self discovery, as they both learn to harness the power that lies within. Featuring all the beloved songs from the film, the adventures of Moana come to life live on stage. Tickets are $18 per person. To order, visit www.smithtownpac.org.
After sitting home for over a year, people are finally emerging from their living rooms. The world has opened back up, restaurants and venues allow 100% capacity again. Things are starting to look like they’re coming back to normal.
Remember before COVID-19 how many murders, shootings and disputes there were — not only on Long Island but across the country?
For almost a year, there was little news of a gunman entering places of business. Schools weren’t open, so there were no high school shootings — something that happened relatively often in 2019.
It was nice, wasn’t it?
But now, we’re seeing a lot of instances again where we need to remember to be safe.
Last week, there was a stabbing in the early morning on the Greenway Trail in Port Jefferson Station. Barely two days later, a shooting occurred outside a bar in Port Jeff village.
Now that life is seemingly regular, the people who have pent-up energy, anger or who are emotionally disturbed are back out in the public.
It’s time to be aware of our surroundings again.
People might have forgotten to look over their shoulders while walking in a parking lot in the dark. They might not realize it’s not safe to be alone during a walk at night. If a customer looks unstable at a business, it might be good to alert someone and stay away.
Things are back to normal and, unfortunately, that means the bad stuff is back, too.
Keep your phone handy, bring a friend to places infrequently visited so you’re not alone and maybe invest in a whistle for your keyring to deter someone coming at you. If someone is walking toward you, look them in the eyes, so they know you can identify them if needed. Also, it never hurts to let someone know where you are going, especially when it’s late at night or you are traveling in an unfamiliar area.
Nowadays there are also apps for your phone that can help you stay safe, from ones that you can check before you venture out to see if any crimes have been reported in the area, to others that will send a message to your contacts you predetermine if you scream or don’t respond to a text message from the service by a certain time.
It’s important to stay safe. Look out for yourself and look out for others.
We’re all in this together.
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