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TVGC President Karin Ryon with Giovanna Maffetone, SCCC scholarship recipient on April 11. Photo courtesy of Three Village Garden Club

Representatives from Suffolk County Community College attended the Three Village Garden Club meeting at the Setauket Neighborhood House on April 11  to present the Three Village Garden Club Scholarship to Giovanna Maffetone. This scholarship is offered to Suffolk County Community College students enrolled in the Environmental Science/Forestry program, specifically targeting students planning to transfer to a four year SUNY ESF program.

Chris Williams from the Suffolk Community College Foundation presented a $5000 scholarship check to Giovanna. Also in attendance was Vladimir Jurukovski, Academic Chair of Biology at the SCCC Ammerman campus.

The Three Village Garden Club is happy to support young people who are pursuing careers in horticultural science, wildlife science, ecology, environmental science, landscaping, forestry, and plant science. Additional scholarships are awarded to students from Ward Melville High School and SUNY Farmingdale.

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Michael French in front of a mobile radar antenna.

By Daniel Dunaief

Michael French

 

When he was in elementary school in Hamden, Connecticut, Michael French was several miles away from an event that would shape his life. A tornado touched down, causing extensive damage, knocking out power lines and injuring 40 people. The violent storm was traumatizing, causing him to hide in the closet during routine summer storms.

By the time French attended college at Cornell University, these powerful and potentially devastating storms had become an “interest and fascination,” he said, leading him to major in atmospheric sciences.

After graduating from college, he received an offer from Professor Howard Bluestein at the University of Oklahoma (OU) for a master’s program. A consultant for the movie Twister starring Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton, Bluestein was one of the first to put a weather radar on the back of a truck to collect data in severe storms and tornadoes. French also earned his PhD at OU.

These days, French, who is an Associate Professor in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University, spends parts of his time traveling to places in the southeast in trucks with unique and emerging instrumentation, typically Doppler weather radar, gathering data about severe thunderstorms and tornadoes.

French has seen about 25 tornadoes. The closest he’s come to these violent storms is about a kilometer away, which occurred in 2004. When he’s conducting research, he is more concerned about lightning, which frequently occurs around thunderstorms that produce tornadoes.

When he’s collecting data, French has to get out of the truck to stow the antenna among other tasks. “Automatically, that means you’re in danger,” French said. “There’s nothing you can do about it, except try to minimize your time” outside. Two or three times when he was earning his PhD, lightning struck within a quarter of a mile of his location.

Better sampling

In his research, French described himself as a “pure observationalist.”

A main theme of his research is whether the nationwide network of fixed-site radar can be used by forecasters to predict whether a thunderstorm will produce a tornado and, if it does, how likely it is to be a significant or violent storm. 

French is also interested in exploring what leads to tornado dissipation and whether forecasters can use radar analysis to make dissipation predictions.

Looking at time scales of 30 seconds or fewer, he studies how tornadoes evolve, including how they tilt, how their intensity changes with height, and their motion. He can estimate these characteristics with phased-array radar technology, in which the beam of the radar is steered electronically.

Scientists like French can tap into archived data from a network of 160 radars stationed throughout the country. He would like to use information from the past 10 to 15 years to analyze hundreds of supercell thunderstorms to find commonalities among those that produce tornadoes and those that don’t.

“Ideally, in the future, such information, to the extent it exists, can be leveraged by forecasters to better assess the likelihood of a storm producing a tornado,” French explained.

Many of his ideas for research projects come from reading the results of papers from colleagues who use computer models to simulate storms and tornadoes. In a model, the scientists can control conditions like temperature and humidity. French thinks about ways to verify the findings using observational data.

Funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, French participates in the Propagation, Evolution and Rotation in Linear Storms field experiment (called PERiLS). 

Running from February through May in the southeast, the experiment studies tornadoes within a different type of storm, referred to as squall lines. The tornadoes that form in these storms persist or form overnight, often hitting while people are sleeping and are unprepared to protect themselves.

He is working with Stony Brook Professor Pavlos Kollias in using mobile phased array radar to collect data over short time scales of these squall lines when they’re producing tornadoes.

In areas where people live in mobile homes, these squall line tornadoes can lift the home, damaging homes and threatening the lives of people as they sleep.

Exciting findings

French uses a radar called dual polarization, which provides information about the size, shape, orientation and type of precipitation. He is interested in whether this technology can identify differences in storms to predict the formation of tornadoes.

In dual polarization, there are a few signatures of storms that hold some promise of differentiating between those that produce tornadoes and those that don’t.

Working with an algorithm to identify the ZDR column, which is a proxy for the size of the updraft, developed by Darrel Kingfield at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, French analyzed 200 supercell storms and found that the ZDR column was larger in storms that produce stronger tornadoes and was smaller or nonexistent in storms that did not.

Forecasters don’t have a way yet to automate the size of the ZDR column in real time.

In an email, Bluestein suggested that French’s studies, including on how tornadoes dissipate, can “contribute to improved short term forecasting.”

Bluestein, who has seen over 100 tornadoes, also suggested that two papers from French that related drop size distributions estimated from polarimetric radar data in supercells were “original and rather novel. This work has implications for estimating the intensity of pools of cool air in storms, which can be related to tornado formation.”

Dinner table conversations

A resident of Stony Brook, French lives with his wife Jennifer, who is a hydrometeorologist at Vieux & Co. The couple met when they were at the University of Oklahoma. 

French said his wife, who storm chased when she was in Oklahoma, knows the safety measures he uses to mitigate the risks. 

While French studies these storms because of their destructive power and the need to understand more about how and where they will form, he also has an appreciation for them.

At a distance, when these storms aren’t impacting people and when he can’t hear the roar of the wind, French describes tornadoes as a “wonder of nature” that have an “aesthetic element to them that is really astounding.”

As for his childhood concern about these storms, French feels that he “ultimately channeled [his fear] in a positive way.”

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Barn owls can catch their prey in complete darkness due to their acute sense of hearing. Pixabay photo

By John L. Turner

John Turner

As you begin to read this article please pause for a moment and take stock of your immediate surroundings. What do you feel? Your fingertips feel the largely smooth texture of the surface of the newspaper (perhaps using Meissner corpuscles as I have since learned) and your legs and back feel the chair you’re sitting in. What do you see? Obvious is the fine print of this article and other articles and different shades of color contained in this  edition. Lift your gaze to look around a palette of several dozen colors. As for smell? Maybe the aroma of your morning coffee or tea accompanying this reading experience. 

Maybe your dog is curled up nearby. While you’d have no reason at this moment to think about it, the worlds you and your dog are currently experiencing are very different. Our entire set of sensory skills — which allows us to perceive and react to the world, varies markedly from a dog’s.  We see color while dogs experience a more limited palette. We can detect many scents and odors but is far surpassed by the capability of dogs. 

Some research papers indicate their ability to detect smells — “their sense to detect scents” — is 100,000 times more sensitive than ours. And as far as hearing goes, your furry pet far surpasses your ability in what it can hear, especially noises at higher ranges (remember a dog whistle which, when blown, cannot be heard by the person blowing it but is definitely heard by the dog?)    

Now, let’s expand this idea outward to capture, say, some animal groups that might inhabit your backyard, such as birds, bats and insects. These groups perceive a very different world than we do. It is well known that some bird and insect species, for example, perceive ultraviolet or UV light, which humans, with rare exceptions, cannot (UV is the light spectrum below a wavelength of 380 nanometers). And a UV illuminated world for them is very different than the world illuminated for us. Certain floral patterns which we can’t see stand out as runways on flower petals for UV capable insects. Birds that have, to our eye, plumage that looks drab, actually have feather coats that radiate under UV light. 

As for bats, their famous ability to echolocate — emitting high pitch sounds (too high for us to hear) to locate prey with a high degree of accuracy — is a sense and capability so far outside the realm of human experience as to seem “other worldly.” Several bird species also are capable of echolocation. In the Western Hemisphere that includes the oilbirds of northern South America. 

Numerous marine mammal species also are known to echolocate — dolphins, as but one example. And unlike bats whose echolocation skills enable them to “only” detect the outer contours of their prey, dolphins can “see” inside their targets to perceive their organs and skeleton.    

Another hard to grasp sense of birds is their ability to detect and utilize the Earth’s magnetic fields which they use to migrate effectively. Researchers aren’t fully sure of the mechanism allowing them to achieve this, but it appears to involve proteins in a bird’s retina. 

‘An Immense World’

And I do mean hard to grasp — I’ve read, several times, the same explanatory article in Scientific American on the details of the current hypothesis regarding magnetic field perception in birds and how it aids their migration and I don’t fully understand what’s going on — involving stuff like cytochrome proteins in a bird’s retina, a blue photon hitting the cytochrome causing an electron to jump from an amino acid to a dinucleotide molecule which create a certain spinning of electrons that are, in turn, influenced by the Earth’s magnetic fields which the bird is able to utilize in determining direction. And I’ve left off the last most complicated steps…call me stupid but amazed!  

Many other species, such as sea turtles and spiny lobsters, but not us humans, also are known to navigate by using the planet’s magnetic fields but the mechanisms they employ are less well understood. These “other worldly” abilities, and so many more which are so different from ours, are richly revealed in a wonderful, recently published book, An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us, by Ed Yong. As the subtitle suggests, Yong takes the reader through dozens of examples of how animals perceive the world in a very different way than we do, using senses we either don’t have or that are far more sensitive or acute. The book is 355 pages of profound discovery and a most worthwhile read. 

As an example of the first are animals that can hear or transmit infrasound (below 20Hz), like whales and elephants. Humans can hear sounds as low as about 20 Hz, sounds lower than that are imperceptible to us unless extremely loud, so infrasound is outside our normal perceptive world. Not so with elephants who regularly communicate with infrasound, often involving elephant herds separated by impressive distances such as several miles. 

Whales, using the medium of water, easily make sounds that easily exceed this distance, with the blue whale, the largest animal on the planet, generating sounds that can carry many hundreds, if not thousands of miles, in the ocean. When first suggested the idea was thought implausible even ridiculed; it is now widely accepted.  

Ed Yong, author of An Immense World
Photo by Urzula Soltys

Or how about being able to feel the warmth of another person’s body that is not close to you but rather is several feet away? 

Well, you’ve entered the realm of rattlesnakes which can detect the infrared radiation given off by a mouse from several feet away. And their ability to strike prey just by heat detection is so accurate that blindfolded rattlesnakes can successfully hunt.     

As for senses more acute than ours we turn to the hearing of a barn owl. In well-known (and well designed) experiments, barn owls were capable of routinely seizing prey in complete and utter darkness and they have a special feature we lack. Their ear openings are asymmetrically placed, positioned at slightly different heights on the side of the head. So not only can they accurately determine if a sound is coming from their left or right, in the vertical plane (something we do well), they can also tell where the maker of the sound is in the horizontal plane, since if the sound is coming from below, sound waves will reach the lower ear milliseconds before they reach the higher ear, the bird’s brain can process this information and pinpoint its prey.   

And then there’s electricity generation. Electricity runs through the human body and is vital to human life. Elements like sodium, magnesium, calcium, and potassium, which we ingest through food and supplements, have electrical charge and enable us to perform basic tasks like nerve generation and transmission and the creation of a heartbeat through muscular contraction. It is reported that the energy output of a resting human adult is equivalent to powering a 100 watt light bulb. 

Some animals take electricity, though, to a new level. The best example involves electric eels. By discharging ions within electrocytes, which are specialized cells in specialized organs, the world champion eel has the ability to generate 860 volts of electricity — that’s nearly eight times the strength of the electricity available from your home’s wall outlet and is enough to debilitate and perhaps kill you. While we have little to worry about, not so for the fish and other aquatic animals that share the eel’s domain.    

As Yong’s impressively detailed book repeatedly illustrates, the animals that share our planet display a mind-bogglingly rich suite of survival skills for which one article cannot begin to do justice. Let me prove it by one tiny slice of life — a single shorebird species — the Red Knot, a medium sized bird with a robin red colored breast and a spangled pattern of gold, buff, tan, and black on its back.  Overwintering in the southern part of South America, flocks of Red Knots move north on the continent in April, launching in mid-May from the beaches of northern Brazil, driven by invisible impulses which we cannot understand, flying unerringly north toward the East Coast of the United States. 

Shaming human triathletes by their efforts, they will fly nonstop for several days as they traverse the waters of the western Atlantic, using the Earth’s magnetic fields, perhaps also using the Sun’s polarized light, propelled by breathing in a way so much more efficient than the human respiratory system. Their heart will have beaten perhaps a million beats and their wings flapped several hundred thousand times during this leg. 

They land, perhaps along Long Island’s South Shore or southern New Jersey, and begin to feed voraciously, sustained by tiny packets of protein in the form of horseshoe crab eggs — the perfect snack food. They feed so effectively that in a week to ten days they can add 50% more weight onto the weight they had upon arrival; in some cases they may double their weight in the form of subcutaneous fat. 

Gaining enough stored energy they head further north for the last leg of their improbable flight, landing in the High Arctic, perhaps guided by those magnetic fields to the same hummock of dwarf tundra plants where, the year before, they established a breeding territory. They have finished their almost impossible to comprehend 9,000 mile long journey. Just one remarkable story illustrating the unique senses and abilities of species, in a global tapestry of species’ stories that collectively form the planet’s book of life. 

A resident of Setauket, John Turner is conservation chair of the Four Harbors Audubon Society, author of “Exploring the Other Island: A Seasonal Nature Guide to Long Island” and president of Alula Birding & Natural History Tours.

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Beef with a copy of Charles Armstrong's book

By Melissa Arnold

Author Charles Armstrong

A few years ago, Smithtown resident Charles Armstrong was looking forward to a long, lazy summer break from high school. Then, everything changed when doctors found a tumor in his brain. He was only 15 years old.

Throughout the course of his intense treatment regimen, Armstrong was comforted and entertained by his family’s sweet new dog, Beef. In fact, Beef had such a special personality that someone suggested he write a book about her.

And that’s exactly what he did. Now 18 and thankfully cancer-free, Armstrong decided to share his story to help other kids with cancer feel a little less alone. His debut book, The Dog Named Beef and Her Superpower, focuses on Beef’s relationship with Charlie as she works to help him feel better. It’s light and approachable for young kids, and includes a note from Armstrong in the back that goes into more detail for older readers. The book has cute illustrations throughout and some real pictures of Beef and her family at the end. Kids stuck in bed will enjoy the activity pages that were wisely included as well.

Did you ever consider writing a book prior to your illness?

I wasn’t much of a creative kid. In fact, I had to take extended English classes because I struggled with it. I always told my parents I hated reading. But then in my junior and senior year of high school, I had a few teachers tell me that they really liked my writing. After my treatment, I realized I actually liked to read and started writing things on my own.

Charles Armstrong and Beef

Did you have any warning signs that something was wrong prior to your diagnosis?

I was out riding my bike with some friends right after school got out for the summer in 2020. It was a hot day, and my head really started to hurt. I had lots of pressure in my head, along with black spots in my vision and nausea. I came home and told my parents, and they figured it was heat exhaustion, but decided to be on the safe side and take me to the doctor. Not long after that, results of the scans came back to show a ping pong ball sized tumor in the center of my brain. It flipped our whole world upside down.

It was a type of tumor called a pineoblastoma. The tumor was causing spinal fluid to build up and I developed hydrocephalus, so I had surgery to address that, and then the biopsy confirmed it was cancer. During a second surgery, they were able to remove 99 percent of the tumor. After that, I had six weeks of radiation and six months of chemo infusions at Stony Brook.

It’s hard for anyone to face cancer, but it’s even rarer for young people to be in that position. Were you lonely?

It was tough because the COVID pandemic was also going on at the time, so there were a lot of restrictions on hospital visitors. But the staff did whatever they could to keep me connected to people while I was in the hospital. I would stay there for four or five days every month as part of my treatment routine. But my mom was able to take time off of work to stay with me, and I was able to use my phone to text with friends.

Did you have pets growing up?

Yes! We had both a cat and a dog when I was younger. My brother has a ferret, and we also have a bird. 

Whose idea was it to get a dog?

It was a family decision. After our first dog passed away, we took some time to grieve and after a while we decided to go to an adoption event at Last Chance Animal Rescue in June of 2020. That’s where we met Beef. My brother and I volunteered there when we were younger.

What drew you to Beef?

She was so timid and hiding in the back of the area, but when we approached her she got so excited and licked our faces. We all fell in love with her right away. Other people were looking at her, but we said, “No way, this is our dog now!” As it happens, she had been up for adoption for several months before we met her. I guess she was waiting for us.

Many animals are known to be very caring, especially when a family member is sick. Did Beef treat you differently?

We hadn’t had her for that long when I got sick, but she could tell that something was wrong in the house. She knew we were distraught, and at night she would always snuggle with me.

How did she help you? Did she affect your family too?

She just always knew what to do to lift me up, whether it was putting her head on my shoulder or chasing her tail to snap me out of a rut. On days when I was feeling okay we would play together. She makes all of us laugh. There’s a scene in the book where she does a handstand, and something very similar to that actually happened. She’s so emotionally intelligent and funny.

Why did you decide to write a book about your experience?

Going through all of the treatment associated with cancer, I had support from so many different directions. I wanted to find a way to provide that support in some way to other kids My cousin’s girlfriend joked that I should write about Beef, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized it could help other kids that were going through an illness. Beef is a funny dog, and the story could help them feel some of the love she showed me in that time.

Did you self-publish or use a traditional publisher?

I self-published through Amazon KDP. They made it very simple. It’s a lot of work, but the process was pretty streamlined and it was a great experience overall.

Who is the illustrator?

The illustrator is Inga Buccella. My mom found Inga on Etsy, and she was so enthusiastic about being a part of the book when I told her my story.

What was it like for you when the book arrived?

It felt so surreal to hold it in my hands. It still doesn’t feel real to think of myself as a published author, but it’s great.

How are you doing now? What are you up to?

I had my most recent scans a few months ago, and they showed that I am still cancer free. I work a couple different jobs and am interested in getting into marketing. I’ve been working out a lot and just did my first Spartan race! I also got a chance to be a part of a short student film in New York City.

What is the target age for the book? 

I wanted it to be accessible to as many kids as possible. I think it would be right up the alley of kids between the ages of 3 and 7, though other age groups might find it relatable, too.

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The Dog Named Beef and Her Superpower is available now at Amazon.com. Keep up with Charles on Instagram @charlesparmstrong, and follow Beef’s antics on TikTok @the_dog_named_beef.

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Ratatouille
Ratatouille

MEET RATATOUILLE!

This week’s featured shelter pet is Ratatouille, a five year-old female domestic shorthair mix up for adoption at the Smithtown Animal Shelter. 

A total cuddle bug, Ratatouille loves people, and is a big fan of getting her head scratched. She is super sweet, affectionate, and friendly. She has a reactive skin condition called Eosinophilic Granuloma that causes her to have some itchy and discomforting lesions on her lip and her side. Fortunately, these lesions are not contagious to other animals, but they do require steroid treatment from time to time. 

Ratatouille is ready for her new home, and we know that perfect home is out there somewhere for her.

If you would like to meet Ratatouille, please call ahead to schedule an hour to properly interact with her in a domestic setting.

The Smithtown Animal & Adoption Shelter is located at 410 Middle Country Road, Smithtown. Visitor hours are currently Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Sundays and Wednesday evenings by appointment only). For  more information, call 631-360-7575 or visit www.townofsmithtownanimalshelter.com.

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AS YOU WISH Catch a screening of 'The Princess Bride' at the Cinema Arts Centre on April 30.
PROGRAMS

Spring Festival at the Hatchery – This event has been postponed to May 6.

Join Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery, 1660 Route 25A, Cold Spring Harbor for a Spring Festival fundraiser on April 29 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (rain date May 6) Enjoy music, games, kid’s fishing, food, environmental exhibitors and live animal encounters. Admission is $7 adults, $6 seniors, $5 children ages 3 to 12. Call 516-692-6768 for more information.

Spring Fishing at Caleb Smith

Caleb Smith State Park Preserve, 581 W. Jericho Turnpike, Smithtown presents Spring Fishing 101 on April 29 from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Join the staff at scenic Willow Pond for a children’s introduction to catch and release fishing. Discover more about the different types of fishing poles, tackle, and bait, and which is best to use in a fresh water pond. View casting demonstrations and a lesson on the different types of fish that make Willow Pond their home. Then stay for some catch and release fishing. Poles, tackle, and bait will be provided. For children under age 15. $4 per child, $8 parking fee. Reservations are required by calling 631-265–1054.

Hands-on Art 

Registration now underway! The Long Island Museum, 1200 Route 25A, Stony Brook presents an after-school program for grades K-4 titled Hands-On Art on Tuesdays, May 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Inspiration is all around us! Explore artworks at the museum and experiment with a variety of  media and techniques to create your own masterpieces. Fee is $100 per child. To register, visit www.longislandmuseum.org and click Learn and Explore. For more information, call 631-751-0066, ext. 214.

Rocket Through the Solar System

Sunken Meadow State Park, Sunken Meadow Parkway, Kings Park presents a Tiny Tots program for ages 3 to 5, Rocket Through the Solar System, on May 4 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. This program will connect children and their parents with nature through short walks, animal visitors, and crafts. $4 per child. To register, visit Eventbrite.com and search #NatureEdventure. Questions? Call 631-269-4333.

THEATER

‘Seussical the Musical’

The John W. Engeman Theater, 250 Main St., Northport presents Seussical the Musical on Saturdays at 11 a.m. and Sundays at 10:30 a.m. through April 30. “Oh the Thinks You Can Think!” Dive into the colorful world of Dr. Seuss as The Cat in the Hat tells the story of Horton, an elephant who sets off to save a speck of dust containing The Whos from destruction. All seats are $20. To order, call 631-261-2900 or visit www.engemantheater.com.

‘The Adventures of Peter Rabbit’

Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson kicks off spring with The Adventures of Peter Rabbit from April 5 to 29. Join Peter Rabbit, Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-Tail, Mrs. Rabbit, Benjamin Bunny and the McGregors in this delightful adaption suggested by the characters created by Beatrix Potter. All seats are $10. To order, call 631-928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com. 

FILM

‘The Princess Bride’

The Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Ave., Huntington continues its Cinema for Kids! series with a screening of The Princess Bride, a fairy tale adventure about a beautiful young woman and her one true love who must scale the Cliffs of Insanity, battle Rodents of Unusual Size and face torture in the Pit of Despair to save her from the evils of the mythical kingdom of Florin, on April 30 at noon. Rated PG. Tickets are $12, $5 children 12 and under. Visit www.cinemaartscentre.org.

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STAYING AFLOAT Come cheer on the teams at Stony Brook University’s 34th annual Roth Regatta on April 28. File photo by David Luces/TBR News Media
Thursday April 27

Comedy fundraiser at the LIM

Long Island Museum, 1200 Route 25A, Stony Brook hosts a Laugh Till You Give! comedy fundraiser in the History Museum featuring comedy legend Bobby Collins at 6:30 p.m. $100 per ticket includes wine, beer, refreshments and appetizers. Proceeds support the LIM’s education programs and exhibitions. To order, visit www.longiwlandmuseum.org. For more info, call 631-751-0066, ext. 247.

Long Island Guitar Festival

The Long Island Guitar Festival continues tonight at the Setauket Presbyterian Church, 5 Caroline Ave., Setauket at 7:30 p.m. and runs through April 30.  Scheduled performers include Berta Rojas, Laura Snowden, João Luiz & Friends Quartets, Boyd Meets Girl, Harris Becker, James Erickson, Laura Lessard, Octavio Deluchi, Gabriele Leite, Eduardo Gutterres, Penelope Shvarts, The Hofstra University Chamber Choir and many more. Master Classes will be given by Laura Snowden and João Luiz and luthier Brian Itzkin will lead a discussion/Q&A on Guitar Building in Granada, Spain. For a full schedule of events and tickets, visit www.ligfest.net.

Friday April 28

Long Island Guitar Festival

See April 27 listing.

SBU Roth Regatta

Stony Brook University, 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook hosts its 34th annual Roth Regatta at Roth Pond at Roth Quad from 1 to 4:30 p.m. with a pregame opening at noon. A Stony Brook University tradition since 1989, the event showcases students in single, two and four-person homemade cardboard boats trying to sail across the campus’ 200-yard Roth Pond in a high-spirited and festive competition that marks the beginning of final exams.

An Evening of Jazz

The Jazz Loft, 275 Christian Ave., Stony Brook presents jazz fusionist trombonist Ray Anderson in concert at 7 p.m. Anderson’s performance is part of the launching of the Jazz Loft’s new Institute for New Music, an affiliate of the Jazz Loft, which will serve as an “musical and artistic incubator” by providing time and space to new artists in a supportive setting. Anderson will be joined by Mark Helias on bass and Moshe Elmakias on piano. Tickets are $30 adults, $25 seniors, $20 students $15 children at www.thejazzloft.org.

Hawaiian/Polynesian Night

Join the Leo P. Ostebo Kings Park Heritage Museum for a Hawaiian/Polynesian Night at the RJO School auditorium, 99 Old Dock Road, Kings Park at 7 p.m. Featuring dance performances by Island Inspiration NY  and Ohana Mokuloa. Free admission/donations appreciated. Visit www.kpheritagemuseum.net or call 631-269-3305 for more information.

Symphony Orchestra concert

The Northport Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of guest conductor Eric Mahl, will present a concert of classical music concert at Northport High School, 154 Laurel Hill Road, Northport at 8 p.m. Program will include Symphony No. 5 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikowsky, as well as compositions by Samuel Taylor-Coleridge and Ernest Chausson. Tickets are $10 at the door. Visit www.northportsymphony.org.

Friday Night Face-Off

Friday Night Face Off, Long Island’s longest running Improv Comedy Show, returns to Theatre Three’s Second Stage, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson tonight at 10:30 p.m. Using audience suggestions, FNFO pits two teams of improvisers against each other in an all-out championship! Recommended for ages 16 and up, due to adult content. Tickets are $15 at the door – cash only. Call 631-928-9100 for further details.

Saturday April 29

Long Island Guitar Festival

See April 27 listing.

Outdoor Thrift Garage Sale – This event has been postponed to May 6.

Sweetbriar Nature Center, 62 Eckernkamp Drive, Smithtown hosts an Outdoor Thrift Garage Sale fundraiser from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. around the double garage in the Sweetbriar parking lot. Featuring household items, bric-a-brac, antiques, collectibles and other treasures! Money goes back into the wildlife center. Call 631-979-6344 for additional information.

Spring Festival at the Hatchery – This event has been postponed to May 6.

Join Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery, 1660 Route 25A, Cold Spring Harbor for a Spring Festival fundraiser from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (rain date May 6) Enjoy music, games, kid’s fishing, food, environmental exhibitors and live animal encounters. Admission is $7 adults, $6 seniors, $5 children ages 3 to 12. Call 516-692-6768 for more information.

Arbor Day Walk

Town of Brookhaven hosts an Arbor Day Walk at West Meadow Beach, Trustees Road, Stony Brook at 10 a.m. and again at Cedar Beach 240 Harbor Beach Road, Mount Sinai at 2 p.m. Come take a closer look at the trees that shape the landscape and support the ecosystem on these beautiful north shore peninsulas. Bring binoculars to better see the birds and animals that live in or visit these trees. Free but registration is required by emailing [email protected].

Middle Country Community Festival – This event has been postponed indefinitely.

Join the Greater Middle Country Chamber of Commerce for a Community & Music Festival at the Centereach Turf Field, Elks Club Lodge parking lot and surrounding areas along Horseblock Road in Centereach from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Enjoy musical entertainment featuring SouthBound and The Band Easy Street, craft and business vendor tables, food trucks, beer garden, children’s activities and much more. Held rain or shine. Admission for ages 12 and over is $5. For more information, call 631-681-8708.

Antiques and Garden Weekend 

Port Jefferson Historical Society presents the 15th annual Antiques and Garden Weekend at the Port Jefferson Village Center, 101A E. Broadway, Port Jefferson today and April 30 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. featuring  estate and antique Jewelry, quilts, folk art, furniture, vintage linens, artwork, depression glass, memorabilia, retro items, vintage garden items and Suwassett Garden Club Plant Boutique.  Admission is $6. For more information, visit www.portjeff-antiques-garden.net or call 631-473-2665.

Astronomy Day at the Vanderbilt

The Vanderbilt Reichert Planetarium, 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport will celebrate Astronomy Day 2023, an international celebration of educational programs designed to engage audiences in the awe-inspiring fields of Earth and space science, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with crafts, science demos, planetarium shows, solar observing and more. Astronomy Day continues in the evening from 8 to 10 p.m. in the Rose Garden adjacent to the planetarium where visitors will have a chance to see close up views of the Moon and other celestial highlights in the nighttime sky. Daytime activities are free to all visitors who pay general admission. Evening observing is free. Visit www.vanderbiltmuseum.org for more info.

Tea with a Spot of History

Three Village Historical Society continues its Tea with a Spot of History series with a presentation titled The Bald Eagle Comeback on Long Island with Patricia Paladines, co-president of the Four Harbors Audubon Society, at noon. RSVP at [email protected] or call 631-751-3730.

Spring Carnival Fundraiser

Smithtown Nursery School, 490 North Country Road, St. James invites the community to a Spring Carnival Fundraiser from 1 to 4 p.m. with games, face painting, cotton candy, raffle baskets, and a special animal presentation by Sweetbriar Nature Center at 1 p.m. Tickets are $15 adults, $10 per child, children under 2 FREE. Call 631-584-6767 for further details.

Little Shelter Anniversary Celebration – This event has been postponed to May 6.

Join Little Shelter Animal Rescue & Adoption Center, 33 Warner Road, Huntington in celebrating its 96t anniversary with a sweet-treat extravaganza and Garden Party at 3 p.m. Held rain or shine. Call 631-368-8770 for further info.

Night at the Races

Selden FD Dixon Engine Company 3, 44  Woodmere Place, Selden hosts a Night At The Races at 6 p.m. with the first race at 7 p.m. $10 donation gets you one free bet and chance to win a door prize. Complimentary beer, wine, soda and hot dogs. For more information, call 631-732-1234.

Chamber Choir Concert

The North Shore Chamber Choir presents a spring concert celebrating contemporary composers at the First Presbyterian Church, 107 South St., Port Jefferson at 7 p.m. Program will feature the world premiere of the choral work, “On Being Human,” by Brian Dozier Brown as well as original works by Chelsea Lowe, Ben Yee-Paulson and Voss. Selections from Eric Whitacre, Morten Lauridsen and Gustav Holst. The concert will also feature the Long Island Brass Guild, accompanying the choir as it performs John Rutter’s “Gloria.” A reception will follow. Tickets are $20, available at the door. A second spring concert will be held at St. John the Baptist Church, 1488 North Country Road, Wading River on April 30 at 7 p.m. (free will donation). For more info, email [email protected]. 

Sunday April 30

Long Island Guitar Festival

See April 27 listing.

Antiques and Garden Weekend

See April 29 listing.

Chamber Choir Concert

See April 29 listing.

Caumsett Hike

Join the staff at Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve, 25 Lloyd Harbor Road, Huntington for a 6-mile hike through the Eastern section of the park from 9:45 to 11:45 a.m. to observe the parks beauty. Adults only. $4 per person. Registration is required by calling 631-423–1770.

Spring Village Craft Fair – This event has been postponed to May 7.

Smithtown Historical Society, 211 E. Main St., Smithtown hosts a Spring Village Craft Fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with over 100 vendors featuring crafts, home décor, jewelry and more with festival food and live music. Free admission. Rain date is May 7. For more information, call 631-846-1459.

Silver Chords concert

The Silver Chords presents a free concert, The Times They Are A-Changin’, A Journey Through the Changing World of Music and Culture, at the  Moose Lodge, 631 Pulaski Road, Greenlawn at 2 p.m.  with fabulous gift basket raffles. Call 631-816-5813 for more details.

Classical Music Concert

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at Stony Brook, 380 Nicolls Road, E. Setauket will host a Le Petit Salon de Musique classical music concert featuring acclaimed pianist and Yamaha featured artist Alexandria Le at 2 p.m. Tickets are $20 adults, $15 students with valid I.D., $10 for children ages 12 and under at the door or at www.lepetitsalon.org. Please call 631-751-0297 for group pricing (10 or more). 

Monday May 1

No events listed for this day.

Tuesday May 2

University Orchestra Concert

Stony Brook University’s Staller Center for the Arts, 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook hosts a University Orchestra concert on the Main Stage at 7:30 p.m. Conducted by Susan Deaver, the program will include Turina Procession du Rocio, Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5 and Brahms Violin Concerto with featured soloist Elvina Liu. Tickets are $10 , $5 seniors and students. Call 631-632-2787 to order.

Wednesday May 3

Cinco De Mayo Paint & Sip Nite

Join the Northport Historical Society, 215 Main St., Northport for a Cinco De Mayo Paint & Sip Nite at 6 p.m. Society Director and local artist Caitlyn Shea leads you on a painting adventure using margarita glasses as your canvas! $50 per person includes paint supplies, smocks and Cinco de Mayo-themed beverages. For ages 21+ only. To register, visit www.northporthistorical.org. For more information, call 631-757-9859.

Thursday May 4

SCCC Spring Concert

Suffolk County Community College’s Ammerman Department of Music, 533 College Road, Selden invites the community to a free spring concert in the Shea Theatre of the Islip Arts Building at 7 p.m. featuring a contemporary music ensemble, jazz ensemble and symphonic band. No tickets required.

Theater

‘Pride@Prejudice’

Theatre Three, 412 Main Street, Port Jefferson, presents the Long Island premiere of Pride @ Prejudice from April 7 through May 6. Watch Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy fall in love all over again — this time filtered through the world of the internet. Five actors play nearly two dozen roles in this hilarious and moving homage to Jane Austen’s most beloved novel, Pride and Prejudice. 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.

‘The Scarlet Pimpernel’

The swashbuckling musical adventure The Scarlet Pimpernel heads to the John W. Engeman Theater, 250 Main St., Northport from March 16 to April 30. Percy Blakeney, a proper Englishman, takes on a sword fighting and dashing double identity as The Scarlet Pimpernel to save French citizens from the blood-hungry guillotine. His exploits soon become the talk of Paris, however, the fanatical Agent Chauvelin will stop at nothing to catch the Pimpernel and send him to the guillotine. Tickets range from $80 to $85. To order, call 631-261-2900 or visit www.engemantheater.com. 

Film

‘Radioactive …’

Join the Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Ave., Huntington for a special screening of a new local documentary, Radioactive: The Women of Three Mile Island, on April 29 at 7 p.m. Compelling and significant, the film explores the worst commercial nuclear accident in U.S. history, and the grassroots movement to prevent the nuclear power industry from covering it up. A panel discussion, Q&A and reception with director Heidi Hutner, stars Beth Drazba, Paula Kinney, Linda Braasch, Joyce Corradi, Joanne Doroshow, and editor & producer Simeon Hutner will follow. Tickets are $19, $14 members at www.cinemaartscentre.org.

‘Singin’ in the Rain’

Celebrate St. James continues its Classic Movie Series at the Calderone Theatre, 176 Second St., St. James with a viewing of Singin’ in the Rain on April 30 at 1 p.m. followed by insights, commentary and discussion. Light refreshments will be served. Tickets are $25 per person, $20 seniors. To register, visit www.celebratestjames.org. Questions? Call 631-984-0201.

‘Kiss the Ground’

Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Ave., Huntington will screen the documentary Kiss the Ground on April 30 at 3 p.m. Presented as part of Huntington Interfaith Climate Week, Kiss the Ground is an inspiring and groundbreaking film that reveals the first viable solution to our climate crisis. Narrated by Woody Harrelson. Followed by a discussion with stewardship program advisor and teacher Don Smith via Zoom. Tickets are $8 at www.cinemaartscentre.org.

‘Names, Not Numbers’

Suffolk Y JCCC. 74 Hauppauge Road, Commack invites the community to the premiere screening of a student produced Holocaust documentary Names, Not Numbers at Stage 74 on April 30 at 4 p.m. Featuring inspiring stories of survival from Mrs. Pearl Friend Mrs. Irene Halegua and Mr. Meir Usherovitz. Tickets are $25 in advance at www.syjcc.org, $36 at the door, free for students under age 18. Questions? Call 631-462-9800.

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A Column Promoting a More Earth-friendly Lifestyle

By John L. Turner

John Turner

You’ve just boiled some potatoes, eggs, or maybe rice. Or perhaps it was pasta. If you are like most people the leftover water quickly finds its way down the kitchen sink drain. 

Want a better use for that water? After cooling it (a nice bonus in the winter to let the heat from the water move into the kitchen), use it for making soup, thinning sauces or watering indoor or outdoor plants. Regarding this last use, boiling these and other foods (couscous anyone?) results in water containing minerals and carbohydrates; this enhanced water thus has become a form of liquid fertilizer that can benefit your plants. 

There is one caveat to keep in mind when using the previously used water for your plants — if you salt the water while cooking pasta or other foods do not use it on your plants as it can either damage or kill them; it is fine, though, to use it for making other foods.  

Reusing your cooking water not only captures these minerals and nutrients for the benefit of your plants, it means water used in a more efficient manner — a key element of sustainability.   

A resident of Setauket, John Turner is conservation chair of the Four Harbors Audubon Society, author of “Exploring the Other Island: A Seasonal Nature Guide to Long Island” and president of Alula Birding & Natural History Tours.

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A scene from 'Radioactive'

Never-before-told revelations regarding The Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant accident on March 28, 1979 are the subjects of Stony Brook University Professor Heidi Hutner’s new feature-length documentary “Radioactive: The Women of Three Mile Island.”  The documentary will be shown at the Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Avenue in Huntington on Saturday, April 29 at 7 p.m. and will also include a Q & A moderated by Kelly McMasters with stars Beth Drazba, Paula Kinney, Linda Braasch, Joyce Corradi, Joanne Doroshow, and editor and producer Simeon Hutner followed by a reception.

In addition to actress Jane Fonda, whose fictional film about a nuclear reactor meltdown, “The China Syndrome,” opened twelve days before the meltdown at Three Mile Island, “Radioactive: The Women of Three Mile Island”features: 

  • four concerned mothers who worked tirelessly to ensure the safety of their families; 

  • a two-woman legal team who took their battle for the rights of area residents to the Supreme Court

  • a local doctor who maintains many of her patients may be sick because of the accident; 

  •  a scientist who has initiated a new study regarding the impact of the meltdown on the health of the community; 

  • a reporter who recounts the confusing information reporters received  

The film re-examines the official claim by government and company officials that the accident — the worst commercial nuclear reactor meltdown in U.S. history — caused no injuries or deaths. The documentary examines the implications that continue to this day for the community, its residents, and their descendants.

 Watch the trailer here.

Hutner, an associate professor of  ecofeminism and environmental justice in the Department of English,  produced, wrote and directed the documentary, which focuses on people directly affected by the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant meltdown-the worst commercial nuclear accident in U.S. history.

“Radioactive: The Women of Three Mile Island features: Linda Braasch, Beth Drazba, Joyce Corradi, Paula Kinney, Jane Fonda, Heidi Hutner, Joanne Doroshow, Michelle  LeFever Quinn, Lynne Bernabei, Aaron Datesman, Mary Olson, Dan Steele Braasch, Lake Barrett, Dr. Renu Joshi, Aileen Mioko Smith.  Martijn  Hart serves as director of photography and co-director,  Simeon Hutner serves as producer, and executive producers include Richard Saperstein, Christopher Hormel and Heidi Hutner.

Tickets are $19, $14 members at www.cinemaartscentre.org. For more information, call 631-423-7610.

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