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Photo from Fountaingate Gardens

Gurwin Healthcare System recently held a celebration to commemorate the newly completed  Fountaingate Gardens Independent Living complex, now fully open on their Commack campus.

Photo from Fountaingate Gardens

The $115 million. 129-luxury apartment Life Plan Community is a unique concept in senior living, the newest such community on Long Island, and the final piece in Gurwin’s full continuum of care for seniors. Fountaingate Gardens opened for limited occupancy in May with the completion of The Terraces residential building and the 20,000+ square-foot Clubhouse. The Parkview, the largest residential building on the complex, was the last to receive a certificate of occupancy, representing full completion of the project.

With more than 200 guests in attendance, Stuart B. Almer, President and CEO of Gurwin Healthcare System offered a champagne toast, celebrating the milestone for the organization.

“We are thrilled to celebrate with our community members, staff, board members and those who have worked tirelessly to bring Fountaingate Gardens to life,” said Almer. “We have worked so hard to complete this long-envisioned Life Plan Community for Gurwin and we are honored to be offering Long Islanders a way to truly age in place with peace of mind.”

Throughout the celebration, which took place within the state-of-the-art Clubhouse, guests toured the facility by following a “wellness path” through a variety of rooms demonstrating the community’s Blue Zone-inspired lifestyle. The Blue Zones — areas throughout the world where people live the longest — encourage a lifestyle aimed at improving health and longevity through specific habits. Each room also featured giveaways, various Blue Zone-inspired menu items prepared by the talented in-house culinary team, and activities including a performance by the Aqualillies, synchronized swimming entertainment, in the Clubhouse’s heated saltwater pool.

“It is amazing to celebrate this official opening,” said Ryan Grady, Executive Director of Fountaingate Gardens. “It’s wonderful to see members proud of and excited to show off their new home, thrilled to start this new and exciting chapter of their lives. We are pleased to be able to offer this unique retirement lifestyle to help Long Islanders live the best of their lives!” 

Pictured in photo in stofrom left, Ryan Grady, Executive Director of Fountaingate Gardens; Jennifer Kennedy, Vice President of System Integration at Gurwin Healthcare System; Stuart B. Almer, President and CEO of Gurwin Healthcare System; Bert Brodsky, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Gurwin Healthcare System; and Cary Wolf, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Fountaingate Gardens.  

Visit www.FountaingateLI.org or call 631-715-2693 for more information.

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Two bastions of commerce and culture joined forces on Saturday, Oct. 22, for a night of fright and fun at Port Jefferson Station’s Train Car Park.

The Spooktacular Music Festival was a three-hour production co-hosted by the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Chamber of Commerce and the local affiliate of the School of Rock, the largest music school franchise nationwide. The event showcased the talents of local student musicians while bringing community members together for a night out.

Tracie and Jaime Smith have owned the Port Jefferson-based franchise of the School of Rock for 12 years. They described the music school as a place connecting like-minded youth with a shared passion for music.

“A lot of the kids that come to the School of Rock don’t quite fit in in public school,” Jaime Smith said. “When they come to our school, they are exactly who they are, and they’re accepted for that, regardless of age, race, it doesn’t matter.” He added, “They all share that common goal of art, and they do a heck of a job expressing that on stage.”

This sentiment held on Saturday night as the student performers entertained hundreds of spectators on the Train Car Park’s main lawn, playing songs across various genres, such as classic rock and punk rock. 

Tracie Smith offered her perspective on the evening, saying that the event closely aligned with the music school’s organizational principles.

“We pride ourselves on getting the kids on stage,” she said. “It’s not just taking a guitar lesson in your basement and never doing anything with it. We get the kids on stage multiple times per year, and they get to rock out,” adding, “It helps them build their confidence and meet other like-minded kids.”

While the School of Rock has held the event in years past, this marked the first year the performance was held at the Train Car Park. Jennifer Dzvonar, president of PJSTCC, was also present during the event and discussed how it all came together. 

“We’re trying to get some more community events over here at the Train Car Park, so together we said, ‘Bring it here, and we’ll do it in collaboration with the chamber,’” she said. “We have some chamber members here setting up some tables. It’s open to the community, free admission, and with live music and fun.”

For Dzvonar, this event marks just the next chapter in a string of recent positive developments for the Greater Comsewogue area. According to her, boosting recreational use at the Train Car Park has been the chamber’s priority for years. 

Now, with the availability of public funds and political will, those plans are bearing fruit. “We have always been trying to get this up and running,” she said. “Phase one is trying to get the park usable for the community, so they’re going to be making a walking path in here, we’re getting a parking lot and we’re going to get a playground.” She added, “Hopefully, that should be completed by the end of this year. If not, then the beginning of next year.”

After these improvements are executed, the chamber plans to use the historic train car on-site for community tourism. In addition, plans are in place to repurpose some of it as office space, providing chamber members with new headquarters.

“Our vision is coming to fruition finally,” Dzvonar said. “This is exactly what we wanted for the community — a place to come, a place for kids and adults, a place for anybody. Basically, the motto of the chamber is to bring local businesses and the community together. This is a hub for that.”

Jaime and Tracie Smith have observed a gradual shift in the area throughout their time running the music school. For them, the arts will continue to play a central role in the area’s burgeoning cultural renaissance.

“What we’ve seen in the over a decade that we’ve been here is a movement toward families and the arts and a dedication to the community,” Jaime Smith said. “There has been a real movement forward toward creating something different here … and music always brings people together.”

Tracie Smith added to this perspective, touching upon how the COVID-19 pandemic has brought more families from New York City onto Long Island. Given these trends, she sees reason for optimism.

“We’ve seen such a nice bump in our enrollment post-COVID,” she said. “We’ve seen a lot of new families, a lot of resurgences, a lot of people moving from the city to come here, so we’re looking forward to the future for sure.”

— Photos by Raymond Janis

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Alex Sutton died of a heroin/fentanyl overdose on April 8, 2018. That year he was one of nearly 600 people on Long Island whose death was caused by a fatal overdose. This year statistics are no better, in fact Suffolk County has the MOST O.D. deaths of any county in New York State, with more than 500 deaths so far.

Alex’s mother, Carole Trottere, is hosting an event to mark what would have been his 35th birthday by giving out a FREE slice of pizza and a drink at her son’s favorite pizza place, Station Pizza, located at 1099 N. Country Road in Stony Brook on Saturday, Oct. 29 from noon to 5 p.m. The offer is for the first 100 customers. The Suffolk County Police Department will also be present to give out Narcan, with training instruction. Trottere hopes this will help raise awareness of the fentanyl epidemic. And help save lives.

“Every death from overdose affects so many people…parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, and colleagues. It’s like a spider web of grief for those left behind,” said Trottere. “Fentanyl is the deadliest drug to ever hit the streets and is responsible for nearly 70% of nationwide drug deaths. I want to plead with anyone thinking about it to not spin that Roulette wheel. Don’t take a chance. It may sound silly to say that death is permanent, but it’s the truth. There’s no do-over.” For more information call 631-275-5277.

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Frank Melville Memorial Park. Photo by Gene Sprouse

By Leah S. Dunaief

Leah Dunaief

Last week I wrote about the pleasure of getting away, even for a day, and enjoying the foliage season in lower New England. This time I want to wax rhapsodic (well, in a manner of speaking) about the special places we love here in the neighborhood. 

Do you have such a special place? By which, I mean a place you go when you want to enjoy the beauty of the area, where you can sit and relax and let concerns just melt away for a few minutes. Or where you can go to think out troubles peacefully, deciding what to do next. Or maybe, you just want a bucolic walk.

One such location for me is the Frank Melville Memorial Park, not far from 25A and my office in Setauket, but nicely hidden from view. Opened in 1937 as a memorial to Frank Melville Jr., it was the brainchild of his wife, Jennie MacConnell Melville, and his son, Ward Melville. While it is privately owned, the park is open for the pleasure of the public every day from sunrise to sunset.

So who was Frank Melville, you might ask, and how did it happen that a park is dedicated to him?

Frank Melville Jr. started by selling shoes to the residents from his sailboat on a fixed schedule, as he and his family of wife and small children circumnavigated Long Island. Eventually, he founded the Thom McAn brand with J. Franklin McElwain, a New Hampshire shoe manufacturer, exactly one hundred years ago. Their first retail shoe store in New York, selling a few simple styles at a low fixed price, then expanded to hundreds of stores across the US, becoming the largest footwear retailer in the country with 1400 stores. The brand name was eventually bought by Sears 86 years later. 

As they grew wealthy, the Melvilles, who lived in Manhattan, bought a second home for themselves in Old Field, and became increasingly philanthropic, donating local land for community benefit, including what is now the campus for Stony Brook University. And it was Ward Melville, who visualized and created Stony Brook Village in 1941, the first outdoor mall in the country, and to this day, a fun daytime destination.

When I walk through the park, which surrounds the duck pond with leafy and varied greenery now changing colors, I marvel at the generosity and vision of the Melville family in fashioning such a jewel for anyone who wishes to enjoy its paved path, picture postcard views and many benches. It is such a place of respite for those of us who work just around the corner and those who come with their dogs from farther away. 

Dogs are welcome, as long as their owners pick up after them. We sat on one of the benches last Saturday and called out, “Hello, Dog,” to the various pooches as they walked by with their owners. The dogs immediately veered over for a pat, and sometimes the owners lingered for a chat. 

It was quite a social affair on a beautiful fall afternoon for dogs and people.

One of the people we met as we strolled along was Anita Lago, an energetic woman from Stony Brook who discovered the pond and the park eight years ago and has been coming over to enjoy the swans regularly since then. When she was found cleaning out the stray fishing lines and other detritus that might enmesh the fowl, she was offered a pail and a rake by the foundation that oversees the park and invited to be official. And so, she can be found at water’s edge, when she is not at her full-time job, a hard-working volunteer helping to keep the pond clean and the swans and other fowl safe.

The Frank Melville Memorial Park is supported by donations from a grateful public. It’s that kind of place, one that brings out the best in all of us as it gifts to us all year round.

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OH GASTON! Only two more chances to see 'Beauty and the Beast Jr.' at the Engeman Theater. The show closes on Oct. 30. Photo from John W. Engeman Theater

PROGRAMS

Trick or Treat at the Heckscher

Families are invited to celebrate Halloween at the Heckscher Museum of Art, 2 Prime Ave., Huntington on Oct. 27 to Oct. 30 from noon to 5 p.m. Create a spooktacular art activity, make a haunted Digital Action painting, and take home a festive treat! 380-3230, www.heckscher.org

Haunted House workshop 

Boo! A new kid’s weekend workshop is haunting The Atelier at Flowerfield, 2 Flowerfield, Suite 6 and 9, St. James on Oct. 29 from 10 a.m. to noon. Join Miss Linda in some Halloween fun as she teaches you how to paint this cute haunted house painting just in time for Halloween! $50 per child includes an 11×14″ canvas and art supplies. To register, visit www.theatelieratflowerfield.org. For more info, call 250-9009.

Fall Fishing

Join the staff at Caleb Smith State Park Preserve,581 W. Jericho Turnpike, Smithtown for a morning of Fall Fishing on Oct. 29 from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Discover the different types of fishing poles, tackle, and bait, and which is best to use in a freshwater 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 ages 6 to 15. Advance reservations required by calling 265-1054.

Haunted Hatchery

Calling all ghosts and goblins, spiders and bones … Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery, 1660 Route 25A, Cold Spring Harbor will host a Halloween event on Oct. 29 from 2 to 5 p.m. Families are welcome to join them for a not-so-scary Haunted Hatchery. Trick-or-Treat your way through their outdoor grounds. Admission fee is $7 adults, $6 seniors, $5 children ages 3 to 12. 516-692-6768, www.cshfishhatchery.org

Trick or Treat Trail

Join the Farmingville Historical Society on Oct. 29 for a Trick or Treat Trail at Farmingville Hills County Park, 503 Horseblock Road, Farmingville from noon to 3 p.m. Come in costume and trick or treat along a trail while learning about the history of candy. Fill your bag with real, full-size candy treats. The entry fee is $12 per trick or treater. Parents are welcome to escort their children without paying. Please note this is not a haunted trail. Rain date is Oct. 30. All Trick or Treaters must pre-register at www.farmingvillehistoricalsociety.org.

Lil Monster Halloween workshop

Benner’s Farm, 56 Gnarled Hollow Road, E. Setauket hosts a Lil Monster Halloween Workshop on Oct. 29 and 30 from 3:45 to 5:45 p.m. Make a tye-dye craft, a cookie decorating craft, a lil’ monster or bat craft, and end the day with a tour of the farm with a tractor ride. Come in costume if you like. For ages 3 to 7. $40 per child. To register, call 689-8172.

Halloween Festival and Parade

Community Association of Greater St. James will host a free Halloween Festival & Costume Parade for children ages 2 to 12 at Celebrate Park on Lake Avenue in St. James from noon to 2 p.m. on Oct. 30. 

Storytime Under the Stars

See your favorite Halloween storybooks come to life during Storytime Under the Stars at the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Planetarium, 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport on Oct. 30 from 6 to 7 p.m. Children are invited to wear their Halloween costumes and bring their favorite stuffed animal. $8 per person. www.vanderbiltmuseum.org. 

Thankful Thursday at the Vanderbilt

The Suffolk County Vanderbilt Planetarium, 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport continues its Thankful Thursdays series on Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. Join them for a family-friendly planetarium show titled Dynamic Earth: Exploring Earth’s Climate Energy followed by a look through a telescope at the night sky (weather permitting). Free but registration is required by visiting www.vanderbiltmuseum.org. For more info, call 854-5579.

Patriots & Poultices

Save the date! Ward Melville Heritage Organization presents a family fun experience at the Thompson House (1709), 91 North Country Road, Setauket on Nov. 5. Can you help Dr. Thompason find clues, elude the British, create authentic cures and escape to Connecticut? Interact with artifacts, explore the history of the American Revolution and the power of medicine while helping Dr. Thompson treat his most ailing patients. Sessions will be held at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. $10 per person, $7 per child 12 and under. Registration is required by calling 751-2244.

THEATER

‘Beauty and the Beast Jr.’

John W. Engeman Theater, 250 Main St., Northport continues its children’s theater season with Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Jr. on Saturdays at 11 a.m. and Sundays at 10:30 a.m. through Oct. 30. This Disney love story tells of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the hideous Beast, a young prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved the curse will end. If he does not learn his lesson before the last enchanted rose petal falls, he and his household of enchanted objects will be doomed for all eternity. All seats are $20. To order, call 261-2900 or visit www.engemantheater.com. 

FILM

‘Hotel Transylvania’

Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Ave., Huntington continues its Cinema for Kids series with a screening of Hotel Transylvania on Oct. 30 at noon.  One special weekend, Dracula (Adam Sandler) has invited all his best friends — Frankenstein and his wife, the Mummy, the Invisible Man, the Werewolf family, and more — to celebrate his beloved daughter Mavis’s (Selena Gomez) 118th birthday. For Dracula catering to all of these legendary monsters is no problem but the party really starts when one ordinary guy stumbles into the hotel and changes everything! Rated PG. Tickets are $12 adults, $5 children ages 12 and under. Visit www.cinemaartscentre.org.

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Photo from Stony Brook Athletics

The Stony Brook volleyball team fought hard in a back-and-forth battle, but ultimately fell to CAA foe Northeastern in five sets in Boston on Oct. 23. The team started out strong, claiming the first set, 26-24. With the match tied at 20-20, the Seawolves and the Huskies engaged in a back-and-forth contest that saw the Seawolves victorious. 

The Huskies took control of the next two sets, with the second set ending in a close finish, 25-21, and the third in a dominating 25-9 win. The Seawolves then bounced back with a gritty effort to take the fourth, 27-25. Stony Brook was unable to keep the momentum rolling as Northeastern secured the final set, 15-9. 

The Seawolves were led offensively by junior outside hitter Leoni Kunz, who tallied a game-high 16 kills, and sophomore outside hitter Erin Garr, who totaled 10. 

“Northeastern does a lot of things to make you uncomfortable and they did that with their serving and tempo today. We were trailing the play too often and that forced us to make decisions under stress. That said, I thought our fight was good and that we bounced back after a tough third and start to the fourth set. We need to make some adjustments tomorrow, but we mostly need to manage the serve-and-pass game better and stop Northeastern from going on runs,” said head coach Kristin Belzung. 

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Metro photo

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, Theatre Three will host a holiday food drive on Sunday, Oct. 30 from 9 a.m. to noon. Please help those in need during these difficult times. Items will be collected at the Infant Jesus Church food pantry, 110 Hawkins St. (off Myrtle Ave.) in Port Jefferson Village. 

While all non-perishable items are gladly accepted, the pantry is in special need of turkey or grocery store gift cards/vouchers, turkey gravy, stuffing, yams, canned fruit and vegetables, cranberry sauce, juice, coffee, tea, shelf stable milk and butter. Other food and personal care items in short supply include cereal, complete pancake mix, pancake syrup, oil, Maseca corn flour, healthy snacks, shampoo, conditioner and baby wipes. Cash is also gratefully accepted.

For more information, please call 631-938-6464.

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Photo courtesy of HHS

Old Burying Ground tour

Join the Huntington Historical Society for an Old Burying Ground walking tour oOldn Saturday, Oct. 29 at 3 p.m. Established soon after the Town’s 1653 founding, Huntington’s earliest public burying ground features stunning folk art and beautiful epitaphs honoring Huntington’s residents and rich history. Tour begins at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Building, 228 Main St., Huntington. Tickets are $15 adults, $5 children. For reservations, visit www.huntingtonhistoricalsociety.org.

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Pixabay photo

The St. James R.C. Church’s Parish Bereavement Ministry, 429 Route 25A, East Setauket offers a free peer support group for adults who are grieving the loss of a loved one. In order to participate, your loss must have occurred prior to July 1, 2022. This group is non-loss-specific and is open to men and women of all faith traditions. Meetings will be held on Saturday mornings this Fall; exact dates to be determined based on group needs. As seating is limited, registration is required. For additional information and to register, call the rectory office at: 631-941-4141 x 341 and leave a message.

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Shoreham-Wading River quarterback Dylan Zahn plows his way through a hole dragging a defender. Photo by Bill Landon
Mount Sinai wide receiver Shea Mullahey on kickoff return. Photo by Bill Landon
Mount Sinai wide receiver Shea Mullahey shakes off a defender. Photo by Bill Landon
Mount Sinai wide receiver Drew Feinstein makes the catch. Photo by Bill Landon
Mount Sinai quarterback Jaden Rotella powers his way upfield. Photo by Bill Landon
Mount Sinai senior running back Brett Spallina turns upfield. Photo by Bill Landon
Friday night. Photo by Bill Landon
Friday night. Photo by Bill Landon
Timeout: Wildcats. Photo by Bill Landon
Timeout: Wildcats. Photo by Bill Landon
Mount Sinai wide receiver Drew Feinstein goes up for the pass. Photo by Bill Landon
Timeout: Wildcats. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River wide receiver Michael Casey makes the sideline catch, keeping his feet inbounds. Photo by Bill Landon
Wildcat cheer. Photo by Bill Landon
Mount Sinai quarterback Jaden Rotella breaks free. Photo by Bill Landon
Mount Sinai wide receiver Shea Mullahey jets upfield. Photo by Bill Landon
Mount Sinai quarterback Jaden Rotella fires over the middle. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River wide receiver Liam Kershis looks for an opening. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River wide receiver Liam Kershis sprints to the endzone for the score. Photo by Bill Landon
Mount Sinai quarterback Jaden Rotella fires over the middle. Photo by Bill Landon
Timeout: Wildcats. Photo by Bill Landon
Mount Sinai wide receiver Shea Mullahey eludes a defender. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River senior Ryan Herr in on the tackle. Photo by Bill Landon
Mount Sinai quarterback Jaden Rotella takes the snap for the point after kick. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River wide receiver Liam Kershis finds the endzone. Photo by Bill Landon
Mt. Sinai wide receiver Drew Feinstein makes the catch. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River quarterback Dylan Zahn follows the lead block. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River wide receiver Liam Kershis finds the endzone. Photo by Bill Landon

After a deadlocked score at halftime, the Shoreham-Wading River Wildcats rattled off three unanswered scores in the third quarter, surging ahead at home against the Mustangs of Mount Sinai on Friday, Oct. 21. 

Senior quarterback Dylan Zahn hit wide receiver Kieran Clifford on a 63-yard pass for the touchdown at the 8:27 mark. Zahn then connected with Liam Kershis for the 33-yard play that went the distance for the score six minutes later. 

With 0:17 left in the quarter, Kershis punched in on short yardage to put the Wildcats out front 38-17. Shoreham-Wading River kicker Sean Palmer was perfect on the night, splitting the uprights seven times, one of which was a 24-yard field goal attempt. 

Mount Sinai senior running back Jake Spallina answered back, finding the endzone on short yardage to cut the deficit to 38-23 with eight minutes left. Kershis, who rushed for 121 yards on 14 carries, broke free, covering 27 yards for the score to put his team ahead 45-23 with 3 minutes left in regulation. 

Mount Sinai senior quarterback Jaden Rotella threw deep to wide receiver Drew Feinstein for a 73-yard pass for the score. Feinstein then capped off the drive by running it in on the two-point conversion to trail 45-31, which was the final score. 

Zahn completed 22 of 30 passes for 298 yards and three touchdowns. 

The win lifts the Wildcats to 4-3 on the season, with postseason play kicking off Friday, Nov. 4.

— Photos by Bill Landon

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