Arts & Entertainment

4-20-23 RIbbon cutting ceremony for the Murray Pasternack Radio Frequency & Microwave Technology lab.

Farmingdale State College (FSC) recently dedicated the Murray Pasternack (’60) Lab for Radio Frequency and Microwave Technology, unveiled during a ribbon-cutting ceremony to also celebrate his $1.4 million gift to FSC, which is also the largest gift made by an individual in the College’s history. Previously he provided two $500,000 gifts to support the launch of an honors program at the College.

The lab will enable students to train using industry-leading equipment including vector network analyzers, spectrum analyzers, RF signal generators, noise sources, mixed domain oscilloscopes, and more. RF components are the active and passive parts that are used to assemble wireless receivers and transmitters. These components are used in many diverse applications including radio, TV, radar, GPS, cell towers, and medical electronics.

 “It was important to me that we build a lab where we can train the next generation in this technology,” said Pasternack, who is the founder and CEO of Pasternack Enterprises, a world-class supplier of radio frequency and microwave components. “The need for wireless is growing at a time when the number of engineers is decreasing. I aim to reverse the trend.”

The lab now provides students with upgraded radio frequency and microwave technology equipment and will support new course offerings for the Electrical Engineering Technology Department in the School of Engineering Technology making it a leader in educating the RF engineers.

“Murray’s gift has modernized and expanded a program that addresses the needs of today’s high technology firms, on Long Island and beyond,” said FSC President John S. Nader. “His commitment to creating opportunities for our students is inspiring, and we are grateful for his generosity.”

Pasternack’s interests include building a pipeline of engineers needed to meet the rapidly growing workforce demands of a dynamic and growing industry including in-demand jobs on Long Island.

“One of the companies I’ve invested in is just down the street from Farmingdale, and we need excellent engineers to succeed, so this is a good arrangement for everyone. Farmingdale educates them in my lab, then we can hire them on after graduation.”

“Like every great engineer and philanthropist, Murray identifies opportunities to “fix things” or make them better and sees giving as a tool to propel the College forward,” said Matthew Colson, Vice President of Development & Alumni Engagement at FSC. “We are so grateful to have him set an example of how extraordinary philanthropy can improve outcomes for students.

See more photos from the event here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/farmingdalestate/sets/72177720307795308/

A scene from last year's event. Photo from SBU

May is designated as National Skin Cancer and Melanoma Awareness Month and with summer right around the corner, it’s important to know how to keep your family sun-safe during all your outdoor activities. On Saturday, May 13, don’t miss an interactive, fun, educational and free event for the whole family that promotes sun safety and provides information about preventing skin cancer. Stony Brook Cancer Center and Stony Brook Dermatology Associates are hosting free skin cancer screenings, followed by its family-friendly event at Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove featuring activities like:

  • Interacting with Long Island Aquarium critters

  • Mascot appearances from Stony Brook’s Wolfie, Urban Air’s Urbie, Splish from Splish Splash, LI Aquarium’s Jimbo Jaws and Splashes of Hope’s Vincent Van Monkey

  • Magic tricks, a balloon artist, a caricaturist and face painting fun for the whole family

  • Striking a pose in a photo booth

  • Free giveaways and discount coupons from community partners

  • And more!

WHEN:

Saturday, May 13, 2023

Skin Cancer Screenings – 11AM – 12PM

Block the Sun, Not the Fun Event – Noon to 3 PM

WHERE:

Screenings:

Stony Brook Dermatology Associates

1320 Stony Brook Road

Building F, Suite 200, Stony Brook, NY 11790

Block the Sun, Not the Fun Event:

Smith Haven Mall Center Court

313 Smith Haven Mall, Lake Grove, NY 11755

WHO:

Healthcare experts from Stony Brook Medicine during skin cancer screenings

Representatives from healthcare and community partners

According to the American Academy of Dermatology, skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the U.S. with 1 in 5 people being diagnosed with it in their lifetime. Stony Brook healthcare experts will be on hand to answer questions and provide resources pertaining to sun safety, including prevention and resources for skin cancer screening.

For a breakdown of what you need to know to be sun safe this summer check out these videos featuring Dr. Tara Kaufmann & Dr. Robert Hayman. They discuss sun safety, share facts about ultraviolet (UV) rays, and offer guidelines and resources on skin cancer concerns.

For more information about the event visit,

https://cancer.stonybrookmedicine.edu/CancerCenterEvents/SunSafety23

 

Lou Gehrig with his teammates June 21 1939. Photographer unknown

By Daniel Dunaief

‘The greatest of all, the game which seems to breathe the restless spirit of American life, that calls for quick action and quicker thinking, that seems characteristic of a great nation itself, is baseball.’

Photographer Charles M. Conlon, 1913

Jackie Robinson, Lou Gehrig, Yogi Berra, Babe Ruth, Roberto Clemente and pictures of numerous other legends of the baseball diamond are coming to the Long Island Museum in Stony Brook.

Starting May 18 and going through October 15, the History Museum at the LIM is featuring two baseball exhibits.

In one, called Picturing America’s Pastime, the museum is showcasing a collection of images from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s Archive. In the other, called Home Fields, the museum has brought together objects and photos from the Ducks field in Central Islip, the new and old Yankee Stadium, Shea Stadium, Citi Field, Ebbets Field and the Polo Grounds. The objects come from regional private collections, including some from the Shea family for whom the home of the original Mets was named.

The museum, which charges $10 admission, is hosting a members only opening reception on June 15. Membership costs $40 for an individual and $60 for a family. At the reception, the museum will serve baseball-inspired food, including Cracker Jacks and popcorn.

Picturing America’s Pastime

In one of the pictures, photographer Charles Conlon captured a determined Ty Cobb successfully stealing third base on July 23, 1910, with the throw going by New York Highlanders third baseman Jimmy Austin. Unlike the instant gratification of modern-day digital photographs, Conlon didn’t know he caught and immortalized the moment until later, when he developed the picture.

The exhibit mixes intimate photos of heroes and legends, with a picture from an unidentified photographer of Yankee legend Lou Gehrig holding court in the dugout with his teammates on June 21, 1939 at Yankee Stadium after returning from the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. Diagnosed with amyotropic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, which is now widely known as “Lou Gehrig disease,” Gehrig gave his speech in which he declares himself “the luckiest man on the face of the Earth” 13 days after the photographer snapped the dugout picture.

“He’s having this semi-private moment with his second family,” described Joshua Ruff, the Co-Executive Director of Collections and Programming at the Long Island Museum. “It’s just amazing that somebody had the wherewithal to capture that photographically and to save that memory for us.”

The pictures also feature an image of Jackie Robinson, clad in a Montreal Royals uniform, entering the Dodgers clubhouse on April 10th, 1947, five days before Robinson became the first black player in Major League Baseball and seven years before the Supreme Court struck down segregation in public schools in Brown vs. the Board of Education. In the photo, taken by William C. Greene, Robinson is holding up a baseball glove in the air and entering a door with the words “Dodgers Club House” above and “Keep Out” below.

The pictures featured in the exhibit are “much more than about the history that’s being achieved on the field,” Ruff added.

The Picturing America’s Pastime exhibit also includes a photo of the 1920 St. Louis Giants from the Negro League, as well as the Muskegon Lassies with the team bus in 1947.

In a snapshot from Chicago’s Comiskey Park in May 1916 by an unidentified photographer, “Shoeless” Joe Jackson sits on the ground with four bats across his right knee. The photo was taken four years before Baseball Commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis banned Jackson and seven of his teammates for life from the sport for the Black Sox scandal of 1919.

The pictures also include more recent heroes, such as Japanese sensation Ichiro Suzuki, photographed by Brad Mangin in 2006 at Oakland’s McAfee Coliseum. In his trademark move before he hit, Suzuki is tugging at the right shoulder of his uniform with his left hand while holding the bat vertically in his right.

Home Fields

The Home Fields exhibit, meanwhile, features a collection of paraphernalia from local ballparks, such as a bleacher from the old Yankee Stadium, and seats from the Polo Grounds (where the Yankees and, for two years, the Mets played), Shea (home of the Mets) and Ebbets Field, where the Brooklyn Dodgers played before leaving in 1958.

The museum, which has a Derek Jeter bat from 2007, will display a World Series ring from 1969, when the Miracle Mets defeated the heavily favored, 109-win Baltimore Orioles that included stars Brooks Robinson and Jim Palmer.

A replay of seven minutes of the fifth and final game from the 1969 NBC radio broadcast will play in the background, providing ambient baseball sounds for guests. The museum is coordinating a revolving slide show of images from that game in the Home Fields exhibition.

The museum also has a piece of the outfield fence from Shea and pieces of the scoreboard from Yankee and Shea stadiums.

A private collector loaned the museum the on deck circle from 2000 subway series between the Mets and the Yankees. In that series, which was the third consecutive World Series victory for the Yankees, Yankee pitcher Roger Clemens threw a piece of Met Mike Piazza’s broken bat towards the Mets catcher as he made his way towards first on a foul ball, bringing both teams out of their dugouts.

Ruff suggested that the exhibits could spur a range of memories from fans of all ages. Born in Baltimore, he calls himself a “lifetime baseball fan” whose favorite players are Cal Ripken Jr. and Eddie Murray. He has loved attending Mets and Yankees games.

Ruff likens these two exhibitions to “playing in the sand box. Hopefully, that will be the same for people that walk through. Whether you’re a fan of the Mets, the Yankees, the Reds or whoever your team is, there’s a lot to appreciate and enjoy when you come see these shows.”

The Long Island Museum is located at 1200 Route 25A in Stony Brook. For more information, call 631-751-0066 or visit www.longislandmuseum.org.

Ashley Brooke and Bel Powley in a scene from 'A Small Light'. Photo from NatGeo

Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel

‘But even an ordinary secretary or a housewife or a teenager can, within their own small ways, turn on a small light in a dark room.’ — Miep Gies

No figure is more iconic than Anne Frank. Whether seen as an ordinary girl in extraordinary times, or a remarkable individual robbed of her potential, her short life and terrible death epitomize the darkest era of the twentieth century. And while her memory transcends decades, she should be remembered as a person with hopes and aspirations, feelings, and foibles. Anne Frank was not a symbol; she was a human being.

The Diary of a Young Girl—often called The Diary of Anne Frank—appeared in its original Dutch in 1947. The first English translation, Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, was published in 1952. 

Bel Powley shines in her role as Miep Gies in A Small Light. Photo courtesy of Nat Geo

The diary was given to Anne as a thirteenth birthday present on June 12, 1942. She chronicled her life in this book and two school exercise books. On March 29, 1944, she listened to a London radio broadcast by the exiled Dutch Minister for Education calling for the preservation of “ordinary documents … simple everyday material” as a testimony to the plight of Dutch civilians under the Nazi regime. She began revising the entries with this in mind. Her final entry was on August 1, 1944, three days before her arrest and deportation. Miep Gies and Bep Voskuijl, two of the brave people who helped hide the Frank family, saved the loose pages of the manuscript. After the war, they gave the papers to the only surviving occupant of the attic, Anne’s father, Otto.

A stage adaptation premiered on Broadway on October 5, 1955. Adapted by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett (supposedly handpicked by playwright Lillian Hellman), the well-received production emphasized the hopeful aspects, highlighting (but perhaps ignoring true context) the signature quote: “Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart.” 

In 1959, this version was brought to the screen in the equally lauded version. It was not until 1997, when Wendy Kesselman revised and re-envisioned the play, there was an Anne Frank properly representing the true darkness and struggle, divesting itself from the earlier incarnation’s occasional saccharine. The BBC produced a television film in 2019 with an entirely new script.

Of the cinematic incarnations, the most powerful is Anne Frank: The Whole Story (2001). Due to a conflict between the producers and the Anne Frank Foundation, the creators were denied access to quote Anne Frank’s writings. Instead, according to producer David Kappes (in a private interview), the ninety-year-old Miep Gies was used as a primary source to tell Frank’s history. (Gies passed away in January 2010 at 100.) This account takes Anne beyond the annex, following her through deportation to the Westerbork transit camp, transport to Auschwitz, and finally, her death in Bergen-Belsen.

Gies told her story in the memoir Anne Frank Remembered: The Story of the Woman Who Helped to Hide the Frank Family (1987). Subsequently, she was featured in the Academy Award-winning documentary Anne Frank Remembered (1995). 

[The following is based on a viewing of the first two episodes of A Small Light.] 

Now, National Geographic has produced A Small Light, an eight part miniseries streaming on Disney+ and Hulu. This begs whether there is a need for another screen version of the story. If it is A Small Light, the answer is a resounding “yes.” 

Masterfully directed by Susanna Fogel (from a screenplay by Tony Phelan, Joan Rater, William Harper, and Ben Esler), A Small Light takes Miep Gies from the sidelines. It presents her center in a wholly realized and beautifully dimensional account. The series is an inversion of previous Anne Frank stories. Rather than the claustrophobic fear of being surrounded by the horrors of the outside, this is the terror of living day-to-day in a world with danger at every corner and every turn.

Episode one opens in 1942. Miep Gies (Bel Powley) bicycles with a frightened Margot Frank (Ashley Brooke) through the streets of an idyllic Amsterdam festooned with Nazi banners interspersed with “Resist” graffiti. Miep is attempting to get Margot through a Nazi checkpoint. The scene is taut, tense, and done in quick, sharp cuts.

Before they reach the front of the line, the action shifts back to 1933. After a night of drinking, Miep joins her large, adopted family for lunch, having slept until 2 p.m. Her frustrated parents suggest that if she cannot find a job, she marry her adopted brother (who, unbeknownst to his parents, is gay). Miep lives a leisurely, almost bucolic life. 

After an awkward interview, Otto Frank (Liev Shreiber) engages the unskilled Miep as a secretary. Brash and temperamental, she still learns the business and begins to find her place in the organization. Life goes along with Miep meeting her eventual husband, the shy Jan (Joe Cole), in a bar. 

On May 10, 1940, the Nazis invaded the Netherlands. Within five days, they had taken over the country. Laws change, and the harsh Nazi abuse transforms into greater crimes. (It is not until the middle of episode two that we see the brutality of the round-ups.) The infamous yellow star appears on clothing. 

Eventually, Otto shares the plan of taking his family, along with his employee Hermann Van Pels’ family, into hiding and asks for Miep’s help, to which she immediately agrees. However, Otto changes the moving date when his older daughter Margot receives deportation papers. The first episode returns to the opening scene as Miep gets Margot through the checkpoint and into the annex, the first glimpse of the hiding place.

The second episode shows the earliest days of the new life. On the inside, attitudes are already fraying as the Franks attempt to adapt. Miep must deal with the already frustrated and often frustrating individuals living like prisoners. She also faces the challenges of keeping the secret as well as finding food, ration books, etc. Husband Jan aids Miep but also begins his own journey to help the persecuted. This episode ends with the dentist, Fritz Pfeffer (Noah Taylor), completing the members of the attic.

The cast is uniformly exceptional. Liev Schreiber makes for a slightly mercurial but effective and compassionate Otto. Amira Casar’s Edith Frank is a stronger, more demanding Edith. Billie Boullet is an exceptional Anne, shining and passionate but grounded in reality. Ashley Brooke hits the right gentle notes as the reserved Margot. Joe Cole grows Jan throughout, going from reticence to strength with a charm that comes through.

But the center is Bel Powley’s exceptional Miep. She grows from the lackadaisical party girl and reluctant employee to a ferocious, committed portrait of real courage. Whether flirting with a butcher to get a better chicken or resigned to revealing the true situation outside the attic walls, her reality and depth are flawless.

From an educational standpoint, the series is invaluable. The current curriculum rightfully deals with turning bystanders into upstanders and changing the bullying narrative. Miep Gies reminds us never to stand by; as individuals, we must choose to make a difference. We must do more and must do better. For that alone, her story is beyond important. The fact that A Small Light is art presented with raw integrity elevates the message to a higher level.

Upside-Down Honey Cheesecakes

By Heidi Sutton

This Sunday is Mother’s Day, a celebration to honor the woman who made you, well, you. After the Mother’s Day brunch is arranged and the cards and flowers are picked out, it’s time to show your mom just how much she means to you by making a dessert fit for a queen. Here are three delicious ideas.

Upside-Down Honey Cheesecakes

Recipe courtesy of Bon Appétit

Upside-Down Honey Cheesecakes

YIELD: Makes 12 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

1/3 cup water

3 8-ounce packages cream cheese at room temperature

2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar

1 cup sour cream

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 large eggs, room temperature

Assorted fresh berries (for garnish)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 300°F. Butter twelve 3/4-cup ramekins or custard cups. Place 1 cup sugar, honey, and butter in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until butter melts and mixture is blended.

Increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil. Whisk until mixture darkens slightly and candy thermometer registers 300°F, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat; add 1/3 cup water (mixture will bubble vigorously); whisk to blend. Divide topping among ramekins (about 2 tablespoonfuls for each). Divide ramekins between 2 roasting pans and chill while preparing filling.

Using on/off turns, blend cream cheese and brown sugar in processor, scraping bowl occasionally. Add sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla; process until smooth. Add eggs 1 at a time, processing just to blend between additions. Divide filling among ramekins.

Add enough hot water to pans to come halfway up sides of ramekins.

Bake cheesecakes until set, about 35 minutes. Remove from roasting pans and chill until firm, about 1 hour. 

Run thin knife around sides of ramekins. Invert onto plates, scooping any remaining topping from ramekins over cheesecakes. Garnish with berries.

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

Recipe courtesy of Redbook

YIELD: Makes 12 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2/3 cup sour cream

Topping

1 quart strawberries, hulled, thickly sliced

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream

3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 350° F. Line 12 standard muffin cups with paper liners. In medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In large bowl with mixer on medium, beat butter and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then vanilla. With mixer on low, alternately beat in flour mixture and sour cream until combined. Continue to beat on medium until batter is thick and smooth.

Spoon batter into a zip-top bag. Snip a 1/2-inch corner from bag and fill liners slightly less than two-thirds full. Bake 24 to 26 minutes, or until lightly golden and a pick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 5 minutes; remove cupcakes from pan and cool completely.

Toss strawberries several times in a bowl with sugar and lemon juice until very syrupy. In large bowl, beat cream, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla until soft peaks form.

Use a skewer to poke several holes into top of each cupcake. Spoon some syrup from bowl over top, allowing it to absorb into cupcakes. Top with sliced berries and a dollop of cream. Arrange a few sliced berries in cream and drizzle with remaining strawberry syrup.

Frozen Raspberry Layer Cake

Recipe courtesy of Country Living

Frozen Raspberry Layer Cake

YIELD: Makes 8 to 10 servings

INGREDIENTS:

2 10 3/4-ounce frozen pound cakes, crusts removed, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick slices

3 cups vanilla ice cream, slightly softened

4 cups raspberry sorbet, slightly softened

1 pint fresh raspberries, rinsed and picked over

3 tablespoons Chambord, or other raspberry-flavored liqueur

DIRECTIONS:

Prepare the pan: Trace and cut out a 9-inch circle from parchment paper and fit it into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.

Cut out a 3- by 27-inch strip of parchment and fit around inside of pan. Tape to secure parchment paper and set aside.

Assemble the cake: Cover bottom of pan with a single layer of pound cake slices and spread ice cream evenly over cake. Freeze until ice cream hardens – about 25 minutes.

Spread 2 cups sorbet over ice cream, followed by another layer of pound cake slices. Return cake to freezer for 10 minutes.

Combine raspberries and Chambord together in small bowl. Remove cake pan from freezer and place berries evenly over cake. Top with a final layer of pound cake and remaining sorbet. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and freeze until firm  at least 4 hours.

Catch a screening of 'Brave' at the Cinema Arts Centre on Mother's Day.
PROGRAMS

Baby Animal Day

Suffolk County Farm, 350 Yaphank Ave., Yaphank will host a Baby Animal Day on May 13 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (last entry at 3 p.m.) Bring your family and friends to enjoy a day on the farm with baby animals, wagon rides, food trucks, games, and more! All guests ages 3+ are required to have a ticket. Tickets are $15 per person in advance at eventbrite.com, $20 at the gate. Call 631-852-4600 for more information.

Teddy Bear Clinic

Long Island Explorium, 101 E. Broadway, Port Jefferson hosts a Teddy Bear Clinic on May 13 from 1 to 3 p.m. Don’t miss this unique workshop with special guests from Stony Brook University. Bring in your favorite teddy bear for a check-up and learn about health and wellness in a fun and interactive way.

Stony Brook University Nursing Department will be on hand to help you check your teddy’s vital signs, give them a vaccine shot, learn to bandage boo-boos, check mental health, and promote body positivity and good nutrition. This event is free with admission of $5. Register at www.longislandexplorium.org. For more information, call 631-331-3277.

Crafternoons at the library

Children ages 3 to 12 are invited to drop by Emma Clark Library, 120 Main St., Setauket  on May 13 between 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. to make a Mother’s Day-themed button sign. Open to all. No registration required. Questions? Call 631-941-4080.

Books in the Barn

Smithtown Historical Society’s new Books in the Barn program for ages 3 to 5 with parent/caregiver continues on May 15 and 22 from 10 to 10:45 a.m. Meet at the newly refurbished Franklin O. Arthur Farm, 239 E. Main St., Smithtown to listen to stories about farms, barns and animals. Then visit with the chickens, bunnies, sheep, ponies and barn cats that call the farm home. Free. Open to all. To register, visit www.smithlib.org/children, call 631-360-2480, ext. 140 or visit in person. 

Welcome, Summer Birds

Sunken Meadow State Park, Sunken Meadow Parkway, Kings Park presents a Tiny Tots program for ages 3 to 5, Welcome, Summer Birds on May 18 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.  The program will connect children and their parents with nature through short walks, animal visitors, and crafts. To register, please visit Eventbrite.com and search #NatureEdventure.

THEATER

‘Flat Stanley’

John W. Engeman Theater, 250 Main St., Northport presents The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley from May 27 to July 2 with a sensory friendly performance on June 10 at 11 a.m. Stanley Lambchop is your ordinary, everyday, run-of-the-mill, ten-year-old. For Stanley, life is too normal. He longs to travel the world, do something amazing! Careful what you wish for, Stanley! One morning, Stanley wakes up really, REALLY flat! In a whirlwind musical travelogue, Stanley scours the globe for a solution to his unusual problem. He’s stamped, posted and mailed from Hollywood to Honolulu and beyond hoping to once again become three dimensional. All seats are $20. To order, call 631-261-2900 or visit www.engemantheater.com.

‘Cinderella’

Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson closes its children’s theatre season with its original retelling of the poor waif Cinderella from May 27 to June 17 with a sensory sensitive performance on June 4 at 11 a.m. The classic love story finds its power in a pumpkin, a palace, a prince —e and a young girl whose belief in herself can overcome any obstacle. When her Fairy Godmother adds a dash of excitement, the magical possibilities are endless. Don’t miss this musical enchantment for the entire family. All seats are $10. To order, call 631-928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com. 

FILM

‘Brave’

Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Ave., Huntington continues its Cinema for Kids! series with a screening of Brave on Mother’s Day, May 14 at noon. Passionate and fiery, Merida is a headstrong teenager of royal upbringing who is struggling to take control of her own destiny. When Merida’s mother, Queen Elinor, is transformed into a bear, mother and daughter must work together to find a way to reverse the spell, all the while attempting to placate feuding lords and avoid the kingdom’s most renowned bear hunter—King Fergus himself. Rated PG. Tickets are $12, $5 children 12 and under. Visit www.cinemaartscentre.org.

The kids are cool, the cars are hot, and the tunes are always rockin’ and rollin’ when one of the most beloved musical comedies of all time, Grease, returns to select theaters nationwide to celebrate its 45th anniversary on Sunday, May 14 and Wednesday, May 17, courtesy of Paramount Pictures and Fathom Events.

Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta in a scene from the film. Photo courtesy of Fathom Events

When young lovers Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) and Danny (John Travolta) suddenly find themselves reunited after a summer fling at Rydell High and separated by opposing cliques. They must decide if they can overcome their differences and rekindle their romance before their summer dreams are ripped at the seams. The film also stars Stockard Channing, Jeff Conaway, Frankie Avalon, Sid Caesar, and Joan Blondell, and boasts an iconic soundtrack that includes “You’re The One That I Want,” “Summer Nights,” “We Go Together,” and “Hopelessly Devoted To You.”

The screening includes an exclusive featurette from film historian Leonard Maltin, examining the hit musical’s continued impact and influence throughout the years. 

Locally the film will be screened at Island 16 Cinema de Lux in Holtsville, AMC Loews Stony Brook 17 and Showcase Cinema de Lux in Farmingdale on May 14 at 4 p.m. and again at 7 p.m. and on May 17 at 7 p.m.

Special anniversary screenings continue into the summer with Hairspray in June, National Lampoon’s Vacation in July and Enter the Dragon in August. To order tickets in advance, visit www.fathomevents.com.

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ARIAS AND DUETS St. Paul’s United Methodist Church hosts a night of opera on May 12. Photo courtesy of Opera Night Long Island
Thursday May 11

Lunch & Learn

Huntington Historical Society continues its Lunch & Learn series with a presentation by Bill Bleyer titled The True Story of the Culper Spy Ring at Matteo’s Restaurant, 300 Jericho Turnpike, Huntington from noon to 2 p.m. $55, $50 members includes a gourmet three-course meal, dessert and house wine. To register, visit www.huntingtonhistoricalsociety.org or call 631-427-7045.

Friday May 12

An Evening of Opera

St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 270 Main St., Northport hosts a concert by Opera Night Long Island at 7:30 p.m. featuring opera, operetta, art songs and musical theater excerpts by ten artists including Puccini’s “La Boheme” and Verdi’s “La Traviata.” Refreshments will follow. $10 donation at the door. For more information, call 631-261-8808 or visit www.operanight.org.

Saturday May 13

Birdwatch-Architecture Tours

Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum, 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport will offer an early morning Birdwatch and Architecture Tour with the Vanderbilt’s director of curatorial affairs at 8 a.m. Participants will enjoy the unique opportunity to view the Vanderbilt estate in the early dawn hours, when the grounds are still closed but the birds are active. Sturdy hiking footwear is strongly suggested. Participants are asked to bring their own binoculars. Tickets are $12 at www.vanderbiltmuseum.org.

Greenway Trail Clean Up

In conjunction with the Town of Brookhaven’s 2022 Great Annual Clean Up, the Three Village Community Trust hosts a cleanup of the Setauket and Port Jefferson Station Greenway Trail at 9 a.m. Meet up with Friends of the Greenway volunteers at trailhead at Hallock Ave. and Route 112 in Port Jefferson Station. For more info, email [email protected].

Pottery and Craft Show

The Brick Clay Studio & Gallery, 2 Flowerfield, Suites 57 & 60, St. James will hold a Spring Outdoor Pottery and Craft Show from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Featuring one of a kind hand-made pottery, artwork, crafts and live music. Proceeds from bowl and raffle sales will be donated to World Central Kitchen/Ukraine. The  Gallery Shop will also be open. Admission is free. Visit www.thebrickstudio.org or call 833-THE-BRICK for more info.

Spring Craft Fair

Just in time for Mother’s Day, Northport High School, 154 Laurel Hill Road Northport hosts an outdoor Spring Craft Fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with over 125 artisans featuring one of kind creations and designs including original art, photography, jewelry, crafted candles and natural soaps, artisanal foods, textiles and select gift items with live music and refreshments. fFree admission. Event will be moved indoors in case of inclement weather. For more info, call 631-846-1459.

Saturdays Poetry Reading

All Souls Church in Stony Brook presents a virtual Second Saturdays Poetry Reading via Zoom from 11 a.m. to noon. Hosted by Suffolk County Poet Laureate Richard Bronson, the featured poet will be Weslea Sidon. An open-reading will follow; all are welcome to read one of their own poems.  For more information, please call 631-655-7798.  Participants can access the program through the All Souls website https://www.allsouls-stonybrook.org/

Mother’s Day Painting Workshop

The Atelier at Flowerfield, 2 Flowerfield, Suite #6 & 9, St. James will hold a Mother’s Day Silk Painting workshop with artist Genevieve Jezick from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Learn how to paint silk and create a beautiful piece to give as a gift or keep for yourself. $75 per person. To register, call 631-250-9009 or visit theatelieratflowerfield.org.

Beyond the Boat Walking Tour – this event has been canceled 

The Whaling Museum, 301 Main St. Cold Spring Harbor hosts a Beyond the Boat Walking Tour at noon and again at 2 p.m. Join them to celebrate and explore the women and mothers of Cold Spring Harbor’s Historic Main Street. Hear about what life was like in a 19th-Century coastal village when many of the men were out at sea. Discover the struggles these women faced, along with the challenges historians have when reconstructing their stories. Tour includes a stop at the Old Methodist Church on Main Street for a brief complimentary talk by Preservation Long Island. $15 participant; $10 museum members. To register, visit www.cshwhalingmuseum.org.

Spring Farm Festival

Smithtown Historical Society, 239 E. Main St., Smithtown presents a Spring Farm Festival from noon to 4 p.m. with children’s games and crafts, pony rides, petting zoo, sheep shearing, food trucks, local vendors and more! $5 per person. Call 631-265-6768 for more information.

Old Burying Ground Tour

Join the Huntington Historical Society for a tour of Huntington’s earliest public burying ground, established soon after the Town’s 1653 founding, at 4 p.m. You’ll view stunning folk art and beautiful epitaphs while listening to stories of Huntington’s residents and rich history. All tours begin at The Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Building, 228 Main Street Huntington. $15 per person, $10 members, $5 children. To register, call 631-427-7045.

Grounds and Sounds Concert

Grounds and Sounds Cafe at the Universalist Unitarian Fellowship, 380 Nicolls Road, East Setauket welcomes Toby Tobias and his ensemble in concert at 8:45 p.m. Toby and his band play modern folk and jazz, influenced by funk and world rhythms. The fantastic arrangements and joyful, exhilarating sounds of the band inspire and entertain. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. for an Open Mic session. Tickets are $15 per person, available in advance at www.groundsandsounds.org and at the door. Light refreshments for sale. For further information, call 631-751-0297.

A Night of Comedy

The Comedy Club @ Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson returns with another outrageous night of stand-up comedy on the Second Stage at 8 p.m.  Come early and enjoy a glass of local wine or beer from the bar’s extensive selection. Then sit back, relax and enjoy an evening of non-stop hilarious fun with comedians Matt Burke, Jim Dailakis plus a surprise guest. Tickets are $45. To order, call 631-928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com.

Sunday May 14

Mother’s Day at the LIM

Celebrate mom with a visit to the Long Island Museum, 1200 Route 25A, Stony Brook today from noon to 5 p.m. with free admission  for all mothers and grandmothers. Spend the afternoon exploring the museum’s beautiful 9-acre campus featuring a world-renowned Carriage Museum, Art Museum, historic buildings, vibrant herb garden, one-room schoolhouse and outdoor art installations. For more information, call 631-751-0066 or visit www.longislandmuseum.org.

Monday May 15

TVHS lecture

Three Village Historical Society continues its lecture series at the Setauket Neighborhood House at 7 p.m. with a presentation titled Smallpox in Washington’s Army: Disease, War and Society during the Revolutionary War. Guest speaker SUNY Empire State College Professor Dr. Ann Becker will discuss the impact of this dreaded disease on both armies as well as the civilian population in the American colonies during the Revolutionary War. Suggested donation/free for members. To register, visit www.tvhs.org. For more information, call 631-751-3730.

Tuesday May 16

NSJC Social Club event

North Shore Jewish Center Social Club, 385 Old Town Road, Port Jefferson Station invites the community to a screening of the documentary A Walk Up Broadway with David Hartman and Historian Barry Lewis at 11 a.m. Bagels, cream cheese and coffee among other refreshments will be served. $5 per person, $3 members. Call 631-928-3737 for more information.

An evening of Swing Dance

Swing Dance Long Island, a non-profit social dance club, holds weekly dances every Tuesday evening at the  Huntington Moose Lodge, 631 Pulaski Rd. Greenlawn with beginner swing lessons at 7:30 p.m. and dancing from 8 to 10:30 p.m. Singles and beginners are welcome.  No partner necessary. Admission is $15 on DJ night,  $20 on band night on the third Tuesday of the month. Call 516-521-1410.

Wednesday May 17

TVHS Awards Dinner

Old Field Club, 86 West Meadow Road Setauket hosts the Three Village Historical Society’s 43rd Awards Dinner and Celebration from 6 to 9 p.m. with entertainment by the Suffolk Trio. Each year the Three Village Historical Society Board of Trustees and Award Committee awards local businesses, residents, homeowners, Society members and youth who have made significant contributions in helping with Preserving our Shared Heritage within the Three Village area. Tickets are $75 per person, $65 members. To order, visit www.tvhs.org or call 631-751-3730.

Thursday May 18

Atelier lecture

Join the Atelier at Flowerfield, 2 Flowerfield, Suite 15, St. James for a free “Seascape Plein Air” lecture and demonstration by artist Kirk Larsen from 2 to 4 p.m. Larsen, whose exhibition “WOW! You’ve Gotta See This” is currently on view at Atelier Hall, will demonstrate his “en plein air” technique. For more information, call 631-250-9009 or visit www.theatelieratflowerfield.org/lectures.

Walking Tour and Pub Crawl

The Huntington Historical Society presents a Walking Tour and Pub Crawl at 6:30 p.m. Led by Town of Huntington Historian, Robert C. Hughes, these walking tours will guide you through the notable buildings and events in the history of Huntington Village. Along the way participants will stop at local establishments, (with a great history or in a historic building) to enjoy some refreshment before continuing the tour. The tour will begin at the Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Building, located at 228 Main Street in Huntington Village. $25 per person, $20 members. Call 631-427-7045  to reserve your space. 

Vanderbilt Museum lecture

Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum, 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport continues its lecture series with a presentation titled Coastal Playland: Developing the Sound with Kara Murphy Schlichting  at 7 p.m. in the Planetarium. Schlichting’s lecture will draw heavily from her 2019 book New York Recentered: Building the Metropolis from the Shore focusing not on Robert Moses and grand scheme planning but on the lesser-known local businesses, developers, and government officials whose efforts profoundly shaped coastal communities throughout the metropolitan region. Tickets are $10, members free, at www.vanderbiltmuseum.org.

Theater

Summer Shakespeare Festival

The Carriage House Players kick off the 34th annual Summer Shakespeare Festival in the mansion courtyard of the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum, 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport with The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) on May 12, 13 and 26 at 8 p.m. and May 14 and 21 at 7 p.m. Three Shakespeare enthusiasts attempt to do the impossible: Act their way through all of The Bard’s 37 plays in one night. They comedically stumble their way through in a hilarious race against the clock, and what they don’t remember, they simply make up on the spot! Tickets are $20, $15 children under 12. To order, visit www.vanderbiltmuseum.org.

‘Cabaret’

Star Playhouse, Stage 74 at Suffolk Y JCC, 74 Hauppauge Road, Commack, presents Cabaret on May 13 and 20 at 8 p.m. and May 14 and 21 at 2 p.m. Daring, provocative and exuberantly entertaining, Cabaret explores the dark and heady life of Bohemian Berlin as Germany slowly yields to the emerging Third Reich. Tickets are $32, $25 seniors and students. Call 631-462-9800 x-136 or visit www.starplayhouse.com to order.

‘The Sound of Music’

Up next for the John W. Engeman Theater, 250 Main St., Northport is The Sound of Music from May 18 to July 2. The final collaboration between Rodgers & Hammerstein was destined to become the world’s most beloved musical. Featuring a trove of cherished songs, including “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” “My Favorite Things,” “Do Re Mi,” “Sixteen Going on Seventeen” and the title number, The Sound of Music has won the hearts of audiences worldwide. Tickets range from $80 to $85. To order, call 631-261-2900 or visit www.engemantheater.com. 

‘Something Rotten!’

Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson continues its Mainstage productions with Something Rotten! from May 20 to June 24.  Living in the shadow of Renaissance rock star The Bard, two brothers set out to write the world’s first musical in this hilarious mash-up of sixteenth-century Shakespeare and twenty-first-century Broadway. But amidst the scandalous excitement of opening night, the Bottom Brothers realize that reaching the top means being to thine own self be true—and all that jazz! Contains adult humor and situations. Tickets are $35 adults, $28 seniors and students, $20 children ages 5 and up. To order, call 631-928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com.

Class Reunions

Ward Melville High School Class of 1973 will hold its 50th reunion at the Setauket Neighborhood House, 95 Main St., Setauket on Sept. 9, 2023 from 6 to 11 p.m. For ticket information, contact Tibo Dioguardi at [email protected]

Save the date! Port Jefferson High School Class of 1964 will hold its 60th reunion at the Meadow Club, 1147 Route 112, Port Jefferson Station on Oct. 17, 2024. For more information, email Mike Whelen at [email protected].

Island Harvest Food Bank and the National Association of Letter Carriers urges residents to leave a bag of non-perishable food near their mailbox on Saturday, May 13, to help Long Islanders struggling with hunger and food insecurity. Photo courtesy of the National Association of Letter Carriers.

Island Harvest Food Bank, the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC), and the United States Postal Service (USPS) are pleased to announce the return of the annual Stamp Out Hunger®, the nation’s most extensive one-day food collection campaign. This year’s Stamp Out Hunger food drive is on Saturday. May 13 and all food collected in Nassau and Suffolk counties will benefit Island Harvest in providing much-needed supplemental food support to more than 300,000 Long Islanders who face hunger and food insecurity, including nearly one-third who are children.

“Participating in Stamp Out Hunger is easy,” says Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO of Island Harvest. “Generous Long Islanders are encouraged to leave non-perishable food items in a bag next to their mailbox before the regularly scheduled mail delivery on Saturday, May 13. Then, your USPS letter carrier will do the rest to help make sure that no one on Long Island goes hungry.”

Non-perishable food items to be donated include canned goods, cereal, pasta, rice, boxed juices and shelf-stable milk (please, no food or juices in glass containers). In addition, personal care items such as toothpaste, soap, shampoo, deodorant, and disposable diapers are accepted. All goods donated on Long Island will help replenish Island Harvest’s network of food pantries, soup kitchens and other emergency feeding programs in communities throughout Long Island.

“Every donation, no matter how small, helps our neighbors who are in the unenviable position of choosing between paying for such things as housing, transportation, and medicine or putting food on the table,” said Ms. Shubin Dresner. “I am confident that the past generosity displayed by our Long Island neighbors will help make this year’s Stamp Out Hunger food drive one of the most successful.”

Due to the pandemic, the Stamp Out Hunger food collection was temporarily discontinued in 2020.

Since its inception in 1993, Stamp Out Hunger has collected more than 1.75 billion pounds of food in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands to help address the issue of hunger in America. On Long Island, Stamp Out Hunger brought in over 519,000 pounds of food in 2019 before the event was temporarily suspended from 2020 through 2022 due to the pandemic.

“The National Association of Letter Carriers and the men and women we represent on Long Island are pleased to once again partner with Island Harvest in this year’s Stamp Out Hunger food collection,” said Tom Siesto, 1st Vice President, NALC Branch 6000. “Our carriers often see firsthand the pervasive issue of hunger as part of their daily rounds, and they are eager to help give back to the community and assist in helping Island Harvest Food Bank tackle this important issue.”

This year’s major sponsoring partners with Island Harvest on the NALC Stamp Out Hunger collection campaign include National Grid, JP Morgan Chase & Co., Amazon, Allstate, Bethpage Federal Credit Union, Catholic Health, Nonna’s Garden, Long Island Federation of Labor, MCN Distributors, Dime Community Bank and New York Community Bank. All donations to Stamp Out Hunger are tax-deductible because all the food collected benefits Island Harvest, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

About Island Harvest Food Bank

Island Harvest Food Bank is a leading human services organization whose mission is to end hunger and reduce food waste on Long Island. We accomplish this through innovative programs and services aimed at enhanced hunger awareness, short-term case management, nutrition education, outreach and advocacy initiatives, our Healthy Harvest Farm, a Workforce Skills Development Institute, and efficient food collection and distribution. Our work directly supports children, families, seniors, and veterans who turn to us in times of crisis and supports a network of community-based nonprofit organizations. Island Harvest Food Bank is a member of Feeding America®, a nationwide network of food banks leading the effort to solve hunger in the U.S. To learn more, visit www.islandharvest.org.

 

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney has announced that the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, along with the Suffolk County  Police Department, and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, has partnered with the Fund for  Animal Cruelty Treatment of Suffolk, Inc. (“FACTS”), a 501(C)(3) not-for-profit organization, for the utilization of their animal cruelty crime victims fund.

“Prosecuting an animal cruelty case is unlike any other crime, in that the evidence of the crime  consists of a living, breathing animal that needs to be cared for while the case or investigation is  pending,” said District Attorney Tierney. “Abused or neglected animals require a significant  amount of resources including veterinary care, shelter, transportation, medication, and food. We  have partnered with FACTS so that the money needed for the care and recovery of abused and  neglected animals can be funded by donations, alleviating the burden on Suffolk County  taxpayers.”

“FACTS is proud to partner with the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Suffolk County  Police Department and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office by providing costs of care that benefit  animal cruelty victims,” said Joyce Glass and Barbara Dennihy, co-founders of FACTS. “This  funding allows animal victims to receive necessary care while recovering and cases are pending.  FACTS meets an identified need during the investigation and prosecution of cases, focusing on  victims without a voice. Donations to FACTS allow us to speak for animal victims by providing  the care and treatment they deserve.”

“Animal cruelty cases are particularly disturbing as the victim is defenseless and voiceless,” said  Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney K. Harrison. “This new partnership ensures that  injured or neglected animals receive the necessary care they deserve while the case moves through  the court process. This is a win-win for animal rights as well as Suffolk County taxpayers.”

“Often times, when our Deputy Sheriffs are reporting to a domestic violence situation or similar  crime, they find animals that are also victims of cruelty or abandonment,” said Suffolk County Sheriff Errol D. Toulon, Jr. “This partnership with FACTS will allow us to immediately get  these animals the proper treatment and housing they deserve without worrying about where the  funding for their care is coming from.”

Financial assistance from FACTS will help treat and care for animals that are victims of criminal  animal cruelty investigations that are being prosecuted by District Attorney Tierney’s Biological,  Environmental, and Animal Safety Team.

To kick off FACTS’ fundraising, Kristie Johnson, president of Foos Fire, Inc., a local Suffolk  County fire sprinkler business, and Kristie’s husband, Christopher Johnson, presented FACTS  with a $10,000 check.

If you would like to donate to FACTS, please visit www.FACTSSAVES.org, and click on the  “Donate Now” button.  You can also donate to FACTS on Venmo, to username @factssaves. Donations can be mailed to:  FACTS, 2168 Nesconset Highway, Suite # 310, Stony Brook, New York 11790.