Arts & Entertainment

Photo from Vanderbilt Museum

Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum, 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport will present its annual A Morning for Families event exclusively for people with special needs and their families on Saturday, Oct. 15 from 9 a.m. to noon. Spend the morning exploring the collections, grounds, gardens, architecture, and the Reichert Planetarium’s “Open Sky.” Activities include a preserved specimen touch table and crafts. Admission is free, but advance registration is required at www.vanderbiltmuseum.org. Call 631-854-5552 for further information.

Photo courtesy of Suffolk Federal Credit Union

Suffolk Federal Credit Union recently presented college scholarships totaling $37,500 to nine local students attending Suffolk County Community College this fall. 

“Since partnering with the college three years ago, we are proud to have sponsored 23 scholarships totaling $93k,” said Michele Dean, CEO & President, Suffolk Federal Credit Union. “By easing the financial burden of college costs, we help families in our communities as well as students—freeing up resources for other important goals.”

This year, Skyla Fabbricante of East Northport received a $6,275 scholarship from the LT Michael P. Murphy Memorial Scholarship, which was matched by Suffolk Federal for a total of $12,550. Daniel Paesano (Sound Beach) was awarded $6,275 by Suffolk Federal in honor of the Michael E. Reilly Foundation Memorial Scholarship.

Suffolk Federal Credit Union Achievement Scholarships ranging from $2,150-$6,275 were awarded to Christina Boles (Brentwood), Kristin Squire (Islip), Rachel Lee (Middle Island), Alyssia Furchert (Blue Point), Leslie Bardales Vera (Selden), Ian Fischer (Stony Brook) and Jonathan Mata (Riverhead).

The scholarships are a result of an ongoing partnership between Suffolk Federal and the Suffolk Community College Foundation to help people throughout the community achieve their dreams. Award recipients were selected based on their academic achievements, extracurricular activities, community involvement and essays.

“This scholarship program reflects Suffolk Federal Credit Union’s deep commitment to helping young people and families throughout Long Island. The recipients clearly have demonstrated the drive and discipline to succeed,” said Dr. Edward Bonahue, President of Suffolk County Community College.

“It is an honor to continue this partnership with Suffolk Federal, which has a long-standing reputation as a community-focused credit union. The scholarships are a meaningful way to acknowledge these deserving students’,” added Sylvia A. Diaz, PhD, LMSW, Executive Director, Suffolk Community College Foundation.

METRO photo

The Suffolk County Police Department will hold a property auction on Wednesday, Oct. 19 at the Property Section, located at 30 Yaphank Ave. in Yaphank. The auction will begin at 9 a.m. and will be held rain or shine. There will be a preview of the jewelry and select property on Tuesday, Oct. 18 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Among the items being auctioned include jewelry, watches, tools, landscaping equipment, electronics, iPhones and more. Participants must be at least 18-years-old to bid. All items are sold in “as is” condition and must be purchased with cash. Call 631-852-6308 for further information..

Photo by Beverly C. Tyler

Tickets are on sale now for the Three Village Historical Society’s annual 28th annual Spirits Tour on Saturday, Oct. 22 (rain date Oct. 29). Guests will be guided to 10 locations in two of Setauket’s historic cemeteries — Caroline Episcopal Church of Setauket and the Setauket Presbyterian Church Cemetery — to walk-in on conversations between Spies of the American Revolution, Known and Unknown. To reserve your spot, visit www.tvhs.org. For more information, call 631-751-3730.

Wizzie

Welcome to the tenth edition of Paw Prints, a monthly column for animal lovers dedicated to helping shelter pets find their furever home!

 

Hollie

 

Meet Hollie – UPDATE: HOLLIE HAS BEEN ADOPTED!

This beautiful and affectionate 10-year-old girl arrived at the Smithtown Animal Shelter as a stray. She had suffered long term bilateral ear infections that caused her heavy scarring of her outer ears, severe thickening of her ear canals, hearing loss and incredible pain. The hard decision was made to remove both of her ears to let her know a pain free existence. Hollie went through the first surgery like a champ, never stopping her undying affection for everyone. She will have her second surgery shortly, and then will be ready for her home. She is social with other cats and all people. As a result of the surgery, Hollie may temporarily or permanently lose her ability to blink one or both eyes (only time will tell), so a potential home will have to be able to lubricate her eyes several times a day for her.  631-360-7575

Lucy

Meet Lucy

Currently at the Brookaven Animal Shelter, this spunky girl is looking for a second chance. Lucy has been at the shelter multiple times in the past few years. Her owner decided not to pick her up this time. Lucy is a sweet girl who really just wants to be with you at your side and enjoy all that life has to offer. At seven years young and a petit 37 pounds, she is playful, energetic and outgoing, knows how to sit and is very treat motivated. Lucy has done well with dogs at the shelter and is completely uninterested in cats. She would do best with children over 12 years old. 631-631-451-6950.

Wizzie

Meet Wizzie

Wizzie is a handsome 5-year-old male at Kent Animal Shelter in Calverton who loves back scratches but can be a little shy at times. Don’t let that stop you from adopting him; once he’s settled in a home he will come out of his shell. This shelter life is just not for him! Come meet him today! 631-727-5731, ext. 1

Kuno

Meet Kuno

Strike a pose! This sweet two-year-old Chesapeake Bay Retriever/Doberman Pinscher mix was rescued from a high-kill shelter in Georgia and is now safe at Kent Animal Shelter in Calverton. Kuno is a well mannered and very handsome boy who loves the camera. Come meet him today! 631-727-5731, ext. 1

Meet Charm

Just look at that face! This lovely senior is Charm, currently up for adoption at Little Shelter in Huntington. Charm loves to be pet and will meow at you until you give her some attention and much needed love. She is also a very good eater; she loves her wet food and treats. So if you’re looking for a cat who’s a little older and just wants to be loved then Charm is your girl. 631-368-8770, ext. 36

Clark

Meet Clark

The cool kid on the block, meet Clark, a six-year-old Terrier mix waiting at Little Shelter in Huntington for his furever home. Though having little opportunity for socialization in his previous environment, he displays an innate sense of confidence and an outgoing personality, clearly pronouncing himself ready for adoption! This clever fellow knows how to win friends, influence people, and make himself indispensable! Once you meet him, you’ll be bowled over by his enthusiasm for life and his capacity to love. 631-368-8770, ext. 21

Check out the next Paw Prints in the issue of Nov. 10.

Paw Prints is generously sponsored by Mark T. Freeley, Esq.

 

Photo from Unsplash

By Matthew Kearns, DVM

Dr. Matthew Kearns

As Halloween approaches, we usually worry about chocolate toxicity, but let’s not forget about grape and raisin toxicity. Grapes and their dehydrated form, raisins, have been implicated in kidney damage (sometimes severe irreversible damage). There is also still debate as to how many grapes or raisins are toxic to pets. Let’s take a closer look at grape and raisin toxicity to see if we can shed some light on what we do know about this nebulous topic.   

Unfortunately, the exact toxic substance to dogs in grapes and raisins is still not completely known and neither the color of the grape, nor seeded versus seedless makes a difference. However, although this has not been completely verified, there has been somewhat of a breakthrough recently. 

A compound in grapes called tartaric acid has been speculated as the toxic culprit. Previously, experts felt that high concentration of a type of sugar component called monosaccharides was to blame, whereas others blamed a compound called tannins. Additional theories do not implicate anything in the grape itself, but rather the growth of certain fungi on the grape and toxins produced called aflatoxins, or pesticides sprayed on grapes.  

The toxic dose or quantity of grapes and raisins is also up for debate. There does seem to be a genetic component associated with which individual dogs are more sensitive grapes or raisins. An article published in 2009 reviewed the charts of almost 200 dogs over a 13-year period. The study found some dogs ate over two pounds of raisins without developing any signs of poisoning, whereas others developed irreversible kidney failure with as little as three grams of grapes or raisins. 

Just to give you some perspective as to what three grams is: your average grape weighs 5 grams, and a raisin weighs about 0.5 grams. As little as one grape or six raisins could be toxic to your dog. However, some dogs will not get sick, or require large amounts of grapes/raisins before any damage is done. A good rule of thumb is 1 grape/raisin per 10 pounds should be a concern.

There is no antidote once the patient starts showing symptoms so this is truly an example of, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. Symptoms of toxicity include lethargy, loss of appetite, vomiting, and increase in thirst/urination. These patients were less likely to make a full recovery. Some were euthanized before discharge. The patients that did better in the same 2009 study were those in which the owners witnessed the ingestion and brought to a veterinary clinic immediately where veterinarians were able to induce emesis (force vomiting) and give activated charcoal ASAP. 

In conclusion, although veterinarians are closer to determining the toxic component (tartaric acid), we are not sure why some dogs are more sensitive than others and what is a toxic dose. Therefore, keep grapes and raisins away from your dog when possible and, if you witness your dog eating grapes or raisins, bring him or her immediately to your veterinarian’s office or an emergency clinic for treatment.  

Dr. Kearns practices veterinary medicine from his Port Jefferson office and is pictured with his son Matthew and his dog Jasmine.

Teammates celebrate their victory on Saturday. Photo by Jim Harrison/ Stony Brook Athletics

The Stony Brook men’s soccer team came out on top on Oct. 8 with a 2-0 victory at home over CAA opponent College of Charleston. The Seawolves first scoring opportunity came in the 30th minute when freshman defender Jon Jelercic blasted a shot into the top left corner of the net. This was the first career goal for the freshman. 

The second goal was scored in the 71st minute by sophomore forward Jonas Bickus as he sped past the defenders and tapped the ball home. Jelercic and Bickus had the assist on each other’s goals. 

Senior goalkeeper Edmond Kaiser recorded a clean-sheet, tallying four saves. 

“We got a win and three points so we are obviously very pleased with that, but more importantly the way we played. We’ve been harping all season long that we have to defend well, compete, battle, and play together. Very happy about the clean sheet as well. We put ourselves in a position to win, very happy, very good performance,” said head coach Ryan Anatol.

“We changed our style of playing and the zone around the half line pressed the other team. I think the most important thing for us is the energy, which was totally different today. We are fighting more than ever. It feels special to have a goal and an assist today and I hope that I can keep it going,” said Jon Jelercic

“We won this game because we brought the energy to practice this week. Everyday we worked so hard and I think that we showed that on the field. We have to be focused and keep the same mentality moving forward,” added Jonas Bickus.

The cast of A Kooky Spooky Halloween. Photo by Peter Lanscombe/Theatre Three Productions, Inc.

By Heidi Sutton

Theatre Three was at full capacity last Saturday morning as families with young children came to celebrate the spookiest season with the return of the wonderful musical, A Kooky Spooky Halloween. 

Written by Jeffrey Sanzel and Steve McCoy, it tells the story of a kind ghost named Abner Perkins (Steven Uihlein) who has just graduated from Haunting High School and has been assigned to be the spooksperson for Ma Aberdeen’s Boarding House (known for being the most haunted house in Harrison Corner USA and for having the best toast!) as its last ghost, Baron Von Yost, has recently retired. Abner is given a diploma and a medallion of invisibility and is sent on his way. 

But Abner has a secret — he’s afraid of the dark! The only person who knows his secret is his best friend Lavinda the Witch (Danielle Pafundi) who gives him a nightlight and promises to help him get settled in.

Abner’s first day of haunting is on Halloween and he comes upon Ma Aberdeen (Ginger Dalton) and her boarders the perplexing Petersons — Paul (Liam Marsigliano), Penelope (Stephanie Moreau) and their son Pip (Sean Amato) — and Kit Garret (Samantha Fierro), a girl who “just came from a small town to a big city with a suitcase in her hand and hope in her heart,” stuffing goodie bags for trick-or-treaters in the kitchen.

In one of the funniest scenes in the show, Abner tries out a series of spells, making the group stuff the bags in double time, dance, do jumping jacks, sing, spin like a top, quack like a duck and stick to each other. Just as he is about to undo the last spell, fellow graduate ghost with a grudge Dora Pike (Beth Ladd) appears, steals his medallion of invisibility and nightlight and heads to the bottom of Black Ridge Gulch, the deepest, darkest gorge in the entire world (where it’s really, really dark). Now visible, Abner must convince the sticky strangers to help him get his medallion back. Will he succeed or will his fear of the dark take over?

With the message that everyone deserves to be understood, director Jeffrey Sanzel has assembled an incredible cast to tell this sweet story, with action, suspense, hilarious hijinks, Halloween jokes, and all around fun. The amazing costumes by Jason Allyn, special effects, futuristic lighting and the catchy songs, accompanied on piano by Douglas Quattrock, with special mention to “It’s Ma Who Makes the Toast” and the great rap number “A Need for Speed,” tie it all together for the perfect holiday treat. Your kids will love it!

Ghost pumpkin souvenirs will be sold before the show and during intermission and costumes are encouraged. Meet the entire cast in the lobby on your way out for a keepsake photo.

Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson presents A Kooky Spooky Halloween on Oct. 15 and 22 at 11 a.m. and Oct. 16 at 3 p.m. Running time is one hour and 10 minutes with intermission. Children’s theater continues with Barnaby Saves Christmas from Nov. 19 to Dec. 30. All seats are $10. To order, call 631-928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com.