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Museum organizers, standing outside the former Rocky Point train station, will soon put the stories of Long Island’s veterans on full display. From left, museum curator Rich Acritelli, VFW Post 6249 Cmdr. Joe Cognitore and museum committee member Frank Lombardi. Photos by Raymond Janis

The Rocky Point Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6249 is embarking on an ambitious quest to showcase the stories of Long Island’s veterans.

Organizers will launch a veterans museum on Dec. 7 at the site of the former Rocky Point train station, situated just across the street from the post’s headquarters at the intersection of Broadway and King Road.

‘It’s about giving back to the community and making positive impacts within the community.’

— Frank Lombardi

Joe Cognitore, commander of Post 6249, said the planned museum represents an extension of the VFW’s programs and outreach initiatives.

The idea of erecting a veterans museum in Rocky Point has been decades in the making. Cognitore said the post unsuccessfully attempted to purchase a nearby drugstore before acquiring the former train station property through a community giveback from a neighboring developer.

The museum will serve to “educate the community, with an emphasis on young adults,” Cognitore said.

Rich Acritelli, a social studies teacher at Rocky Point High School and an adjunct professor of American history at Suffolk County Community College, has been performing the historical research and archival work for this project and will serve as museum curator upon its opening.

The post seeks to cast a wide net, Acritelli said, featuring the stories of veterans throughout the Island rather than narrowly tailoring the exhibits to the immediate locale.

“This is more of a broader” undertaking, he said. “It’s not just Rocky Point or Sound Beach. It can be East Hampton, Huntington, Wyandanch,” adding, “There aren’t too many places like this [museum]” on Long Island.

Inside the planned veterans museum in Rocky Point. From left, Frank Lombardi, Rich Acritelli and Joe Cognitore.

Acritelli said he plans to cover “every inch of this museum” with military equipment, historical relics, uniforms, collectibles, books and other memorabilia. Plans for rotating exhibits are also in the works.

Cognitore suggested that, within the broader national context, younger generations are gradually losing touch with American history. He said the post aims to regain that historical connection through this museum.

“We need to know that history,” he said.

Frank Lombardi, a member of the museum committee at Post 6249, envisions local veterans offering firsthand accounts of actual historical events, comparing and contrasting their recollections to popular fiction.

“If we showed a movie like ‘Platoon,’ you can show the movie, and then you can have some of the Vietnam veterans talk and say, ‘This is what it was really like, and these are the inaccuracies in the movie,’” he said.

For the museum’s organizers, each of whom has served in the U.S. Armed Forces, this endeavor represents the next iteration in their service.

Cognitore said the project is a necessary means for processing his wartime experiences and providing greater historical understanding to those who have not witnessed the brutality of war.

This bazooka will soon be on display along with military equipment, historical relics, uniforms, collectibles, books and other memorabilia.

“Working on this helps me free myself of all the things I did see or did do and kind of makes me happy to know that positive things are happening because of where I was and what I did,” the post commander said.

Acritelli said he regretted leaving the service because of the camaraderie shared among his compatriots. He said the museum and its collaboration has inspired similar feelings from his days in the military.

He maintains that Long Island’s vets are valuable primary sources in telling the local and national history.

“There are a lot of stories,” he said. “We want to make this into a large primary source.”

Lombardi remarked that he hoped the museum could inspire greater historical awareness and understanding of the realities of war while bringing community members together.

“It’s about giving back to the community and making positive impacts within the community,” Lombardi said. “We all grew up here locally on Long Island, and it’s important to recognize those who have come before you.”

Acritelli notes the active role that community members can play in preparing the museum for its launch date at the end of the year.

“We need people to donate things,” he said. “If they have basements and garages and old boxes full of stuff, they can give that to us or put it on loan,” adding, “We’ve got to build up some inventory.” 

Potential donors should contact Acritelli by email at [email protected].

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The Pediatric Infectious Diseases Group at Stony Brook Medicine’s new regional tick-borne disease center, located in the Hampton Bays Atrium. From left, Dr. Andrew Handel, Dr. Dalia Eid, Dr. Christy Beneri and Dr. Sharon Nachman. Photo from Stony Brook Medicine

Stony Brook University is planning to open the first and only dedicated tick clinic in the northeast on Monday.

Supported by doctors from Stony Brook Medicine’s Meeting House Lane Medical Practice and Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, the new regional tick-borne disease center, which is located in the Hampton Bays Atrium, will provide by-appointment treatment for children and adults for tick bites and diagnose tick-borne illnesses.

The timing could be especially important for people with tick bites, as the previous warm winter allowed more ticks and their eggs to survive.

“They are out there, happily laying eggs and the eggs will hatch,” said Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital.

Brian Kelly of East End Tick and Mosquito Control donated the center’s suite which includes a reception area, two exam rooms, two private offices for consults and a nurse’s station, for 10 years.

“Between the beautiful weather in the winter and the nice weather in the summer, ticks are outside,” Nachman said. “I’m thrilled we’re doing it now. There’s no time like the present to move forward and work with the community to get this done.”

Tick checks

Health care providers urged parents, caregivers and anyone who spends quality time in nature to do regular tick checks.

Ticks can be so small that they look like a little freckle. These ticks can harbor diseases beyond the dreaded and oft-discussed Lyme Disease. Other diseases include babesiosis, ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis.

In general, Nachman urged patients not to send ticks they pulled off themselves into the center.

“It’s the tick that they didn’t see that’s also putting them at risk,” she said. The clinic will determine the type of tests to run based on the symptoms.

For tick bites, as with many other health challenges, time is of the essence.

A tick that’s attached itself to a human for fewer than 48 hours likely won’t lead to an infection. Someone with a tick bite for about 48 hours might get a single dose of an antibiotic. People who had a tick bite for over that period might develop a rash or even facial palsy, in which one side of the face droops for an extended period of time.

Doctors work with patients to try to hone in on the date of a possible tick bite.

“We do pretty good guessing,” said Nachman. “We don’t need to be perfect: we need to be pretty close.”

Ticks are present throughout Suffolk County.

Health care workers urge people to spray their clothing with DEET. While ticks aren’t always easy to see, people can find them by feeling a new lump or bump on their skin.

Removing ticks

Nachman advised people to wipe an area with a tick down with alcohol before trying to remove an embedded insect.

Using a flat edged tweezer, the tick removers should grasp the insect and slowly back it out.

“Don’t grab the tick and yank,” Nachman cautioned. The mouth parts of the tick have an adhesive, which can leave some of the parts inside the infected person.

Nachman, who will be at the center on Mondays, also urged people not to use petroleum jelly or match sticks.

The hours at the center will adjust to the demand. In the winter, when ticks are less prevalent, the center may have more limited appointment times.

One of the advantages of the center is that the health care providers can track patients over time who have been infected.

Doctors can also sign patients up to become a part of a registry. By tracking people who have tick-borne infections, doctors might also address questions that are part of the science of diseases like Lyme.

“There may be better treatments or better tests” down the road, Nachman added.

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The animals will stay at the farm – for now

File photo by Nancy Trump

Grazing animals on the Sherwood-Jayne historic farm in East Setauket will keep their home — for now.

After area residents protested plans to rehome the elderly pony and four sheep, mourning the slated loss of the bucolic, historical scene on Old Post Road, Preservation Long Island is pausing the process pending consultation with local stakeholders. 

PLI, a nonprofit that preserves historic buildings and uses them to inform and engage the public, owns the Sherwood-Jayne property and had decided the animals were not central to their mission, especially since they also brought possible increased liability. The society’s executive director, Alexandra Wolfe, was hoping to find appropriate new homes for the animals this summer. 

After news of the plans spread, frequent farm visitor Kaleigh Wilson of Rocky Point started an online petition. Wilson, who used to work at neighboring Benner’s Farm, has been visiting Sherwood-Jayne Farm as long as she can remember and knows the property’s caretaker Susanna Gatz well. 

“We didn’t really know what to do about it or how to push back,” Wilson said. So she tried the petition. “I was hoping to create the space for community members to speak up.”

She created the Change.org petition on a Friday night and sent it out by text to people she knew cared about the farm, she said, and by Saturday morning there were already 500 signatures. By press time, the petition had nearly 2,400 supporters.

Wilson said she hopes PLI will ultimately decide to change course, as she doesn’t understand how removing the animals and Gatz could enhance the preservation of the space. “Susanna’s living this legacy in this space that it was meant to be lived,” the petitioner said, pointing out that Gatz, who cares for the animals and the property, processes raw wool from the sheep into fabric — according to the virtual tour of Sherwood-Jayne available on PLI’s website, Howard Sherwood also used wool from the property’s sheep to have blankets made. “It’s not just the animals — it’s her practicing a slower way of life that’s so important that we keep alive.”

Gatz had previously been asked to move by early fall, but Wolfe at PLI said they haven’t made any decisions regarding the property’s custodian just yet.

Brookhaven Town Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook) also stepped in, speaking directly with Wolfe to encourage PLI to seek out a local advisory board. [See op-ed.]

Kornreich is grateful PLI has decided to hit pause. “I think it shows responsive stewardship that they are listening and responding to community concern,” he said.

The intensity of response surprised PLI, which is involved in some local history-related events, like Culper Spy Day with the Three Village Historical Society, and which has had partnerships with The Long Island Museum in Stony Brook and Gallery North in East Setauket. Wolfe at PLI said the organization hopes to consult its local partners before deciding how to move forward.

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File photo from the Town of Brookhaven website
By Jonathan Kornreich 

Over the years, residents of Long Island have unfortunately become accustomed to the sight of our farms, meadows and forests being paved over and replaced by housing developments with ironic names that refer back to what was lost.

On the other hand, we are fortunate to have numerous historical societies, land trusts and other civic organizations, as well as public ownership of historically and environmentally significant parcels, serving as a counterbalance in the struggle to protect our way of life and to preserve the special places that make our community such a desirable place to live. These local organizations are part of the fabric of our community. Their board members, directors, staff and volunteers are our friends and neighbors — local residents who understand our past and are invested in our future.

The Sherwood-Jayne Farm on Old Post Road in East Setauket is a jewel of the community. Built around 1730, the site was an operational farm for more than 150 years. For many residents, a drive down Old Post Road meant a view of the bucolic farm setting which includes historic structures, fields, meadows, pasture and of course, a peaceful flock of sheep and an old pony named Snowball. Even if it was only a momentary glimpse of the animals in passing, generations of residents have been reminded that elements of our agrarian past still survive, and not just in names like Sheep Pasture Road or Sherwood-Jayne Farm.

Sherwood-Jayne is owned by an organization called Preservation Long Island. It owns four historic properties: two in Huntington, one in Sag Harbor and the one in East Setauket. According to their website, their mission is to “celebrate and preserve Long Island’s diverse cultural and architectural heritage through advocacy, education and stewardship of historic sites and collections.” This is a vital function, and one which is best done in partnership and consultation with the local community.

Recently, the community became aware of a proposal by PLI to discontinue the residency of the animals at Sherwood-Jayne. Coming from an organization dedicated to the preservation of our cultural heritage, this proposal was difficult for many people to accept, and the negative public reaction has been understandable.

After consulting with a number of highly involved residents about the matter, we agreed that PLI should consider recruiting an advisory board of local residents to help explore ways to build bridges between their organization and our community. This would go a long way to addressing the perception that PLI is not really a local organization, and dispel some of the mystery about their intentions, which I believe are good and worth supporting. 

In a frank conversation with PLI’s executive director, Alexandra Wolfe, I communicated these concerns and feedback on behalf of the community. She indicated that PLI would put a pause on any action related to the animals while they reevaluate their plans and work on developing a sustainable course of action that prioritizes the well-being of the animals while being sensitive to the cultural context of the property.

I am grateful to Preservation Long Island for their responsiveness to the concerns of our residents. More than that, I am thankful to them for their excellent stewardship of our cultural heritage. I look forward to seeing them expand their presence in our community and continue building strong working relationships with our existing organizations.

 

Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook) is Town of Brookhaven councilmember for District 1.  

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A scene from 'Notorious.'
The six-film retrospective will coincide with the legendary director’s birthday and will feature many of his most iconic films
Alfred Hitchcock on the set of Psycho. Photo credit Eve Arnold. 1959-1960.

Beginning on Friday, Aug. 11 at 7 p.m. and running through Wednesday, Aug. 16, the Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Ave., Huntington will present a retrospective of the films of master director Alfred Hitchcock. For six consecutive days, the Cinema will present a daily screening of one of Hitchcock’s greatest films. Each of the six film screenings will feature an introduction by local film historians who will discuss the history of the film, provide, and explore the impact of some of Alfred Hitchcock’s most influential and acclaimed works.

Considered the father of the thriller genre, and dubbed the “Master of Suspense”, Hitchcock directed over fifty feature films throughout a career that spanned from the silent era in the 1920s into the late 1970s. Today, he is regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema, having pioneered many editing and camera techniques that have since become staples of modern cinema. Known for his signature blend of macabre, suspense, sex, and offbeat humor, Hitchcock is still among the most admired of film directors.

The films included in the retrospective are Psycho, Strangers on a Train, Rear Window, Notorious, Vertigo, and Shadow of a Doubt.

The Cinema Arts Centre hopes to offer both Hitchcock fanatics, and those looking to see the films for the first time, the rare opportunity to see these groundbreaking and exhilarating films on the big screen.

Film info:

Janet Leigh in Psycho. Alfred Hitchcock. 1960. Paramount Pictures. Image courtesy of Universal Film Exchange.

Psycho
Friday, August 11 at 7 p.m.
Introduction by Film Historian Glenn Andreiev
Alfred Hitchcock’s landmark masterpiece of the macabre stars Anthony Perkins as the troubled Norman Bates, a man with an interest in taxidermy and a difficult relationship with his mother, whose old house and motel are not the place to spend a quiet evening. Nobody knows that better than Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), the ill-fated traveler whose journey ends in the notorious shower-scene. First an investigator, then Marion’s sister (Vera Miles) search for her, the suspense mounting to a terrifying climax where the mysterious killer is finally revealed. (USA, 1960, 109 mins, English | Dir. Alfred Hitchcock)

Strangers on a Train
Saturday, August 12 at 7 p.m.
Introduction by Film Historian Philip Harwood
“Your wife. My father. Criss cross.” In Alfred Hitchcock’s standout thriller, adapted from the 1950 novel by Patricia Highsmith, the cheerful yet malevolent Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker), recognizes his fellow train passenger, tennis pro Guy Haines (Farley Granger). After an introduction and a round of drinks, they continue their conversation over lunch. Revealing his knowledge of Guy’s marital problems, Bruno offers an interesting proposition: quid pro quo murders. Appalled, Guy declines, but the chance encounter will set in motion a bizarre and deadly chain of events. (USA, 1951, 101 mins, English | Dir. Alfred Hitchcock)

 

James Stewart in Rear Window. Alfred Hitchcock. 1954. Paramount Pictures. Image courtesy of Universal Film Exchange

Rear Window
Sunday, August 13 at 7 p.m.
Introduction by Film Historian Glenn Andreiev
In this intriguing, macabre visual study of obsessive human curiosity and voyeurism, renowned New York magazine photographer L. B. “Jeff” Jeffries (James Stewart) enters his last week of home confinement, bored and anxious, and stuck inside with a broken leg. Jeff has been spending his days sitting in a wheelchair, watching his neighbors through the rear window of his Greenwich Village apartment. Despite the skepticism of his fashion-model girlfriend (Grace Kelly), Jeffries becomes convinced he has witnessed a murder and is set on solving the mystery. (USA, 1954, 112 mins, English | Dir. Alfred Hitchcock)

 

Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant in Notorious. 1946. RKO Radio Pictures. Image courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Notorious
Monday, August 14 at 7 p.m.
Introduction by Film Historian Philip Harwood
A thriller of rare perfection, Alfred Hitchcock’s Notorious represents a pinnacle of both its director’s legendary career and classic Hollywood cinema. In this anguished romance shot through with deception and moral ambiguity, Ingrid Bergman plays Alicia, a woman with a checkered past recruited by Devlin (Cary Grant), a suave intelligence agent. Only after she has fallen for Devlin does she learn that her mission is to seduce a Nazi industrialist (Claude Rains) hiding out in South America. (USA, 1946, 102 mins, English | Dir. Alfred Hitchcock)

Vertigo
Tuesday, August 15 at 7 p.m.
Introduction by Film Historian Philip Harwood
Alfred Hitchcock’s intensely personal, self-revealing picture, is widely considered to be one of the greatest films ever made. Starring James Stewart as a former detective with a crippling fear of heights, Vertigo, is the story of a man who is possessed by the image of a lost love who becomes increasingly consumed with trying to recreate that image. Co-starring Kim Novak in dual roles, this timeless thriller about obsession is among Hitchcock’s most influential works. (USA, 1958, 128 mins, English | Dir. Alfred Hitchcock)

Shadow of a Doubt
Wednesday, August 16 at 7 p.m.
Introduction by Film Historian Glenn Andreiev
What starts out as a charming portrait of idyllic small-town life gradually darkens into one of director Alfred Hitchcock’s most devastating thrillers. Teenage Charlie’s (Teresa Wright) illusions about her beloved Uncle (Joseph Cotten) are shattered by the suspicion that he may be the diabolical Merry Widow serial killer. As secrets are revealed, she will need to make hard choices that could end up destroying her family. Thought to be Hitchcock’s personal favorite, Shadow of a Doubt is perhaps his ultimate evocation of evil nesting among the ordinary. (USA, 1943, 108 mins, English | Dir. Alfred Hitchcock)

Fees per screening:

Public $15 | Cinema Arts Centre Members $10

You can also purchase tickets or find more information about this and other events on the Cinema Arts Centre website:www.cinemaartscentre.org

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A scene from the 2023 East Northport Fireman’s Fair. Photo by Sofia Levorchick
A scene from the 2023 East Northport Fireman’s Fair. Photo by Sofia Levorchick
A scene from the 2023 East Northport Fireman’s Fair. Photo by Sofia Levorchick
A scene from the 2023 East Northport Fireman’s Fair. Photo by Sofia Levorchick

By Sofia Levorchick

The annual East Northport Fireman’s Fair brought many together during four days of festivities over the past week. 

The fairgrounds, located within the East Northport Fire Department’s green and parking lot, were bustling with excitement as families, friends and individuals of all ages came together to enjoy the featured array of carnival rides, games and food options.

On Friday, Aug. 4, despite concerns of rain in the forecast, the fair had drawn a sizable crowd. Animated screams could be heard from the carnival rides as children and adults fostered an ambiance of pure joy. 

Bruce Grant, coordinator of the fair and member of the East Northport Chamber of Commerce, mentioned that Friday had an impressive attendance, but the other days had seen even larger crowds, likely due to more favorable weather. The popular parade was held Wednesday evening, Aug. 2.

“Wednesday was really full, especially with the parade and all the local departments attending – even ones from Nassau,” Grant said.

Conducted for 80 years, the fair has remained a beloved East Northport tradition that enables firefighters across the Island to volunteer to make the event a success. Their duties included, but were not limited to, distributing and selling food, managing carnival games and overseeing raffles. Notably, the raffle on Saturday night had a grand prize of $5,000.

“We want to raise money to fund the fire department and also give to other charities,” Grant said of the event’s aims. 

Attending these fun-filled festivities was free, though immersing oneself in the various thrills of the carnival required a $35 charge.

Among the attendees was a family partaking in the event for the first time with their toddler, who rode the carousel and happily, with a snow cone in hand, exclaimed that she had so much fun.

Grant suggested that the fair serves as a reminder of how a community can gather with fun and a spirit of celebration, all while working toward a shared goal — to support the fire department and give back to those in need. 

“The fair is not for profit,” Grant added. “It’s to help the community and our members.”

 

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Meet Jeff Corwin at the Smithtown Performing Arts Center on Aug. 27.

By Melissa Arnold

‘We cannot protect what we do not cherish, and we will not cherish what we do not know…’ — Jeff Corwin

Jeff Corwin has been a vocal and passionate advocate for wildlife and the natural world since the 1990s. The celebrated biologist and conservationist is a recognizable face on television, hosting shows including Disney Channel’s Going Wild, Animal Planet’s The Jeff Corwin Experience, and more recently, Ocean Treks and Wildlife Nation on ABC.

From a cobra festival in India and unexplored jungles in South America, to the African savanna and beyond, Corwin continues to teach audiences that our incredible world deserves protection.

On Aug. 27, Jeff Corwin will partner with Sweetbriar Nature Center to share stories from his adventures around the world and highlight the challenges faced by a variety of endangered species.

The special event, held at the newly renovated Smithtown Performing Arts Center (SPAC), will serve as a wonderful education event hosted by Sweetbriar, a not-for-profit corporation. 

“The Smithtown Performing Arts Center board is always seeking out opportunities to help out community-based nonprofits and share our beautiful, historic space.” said Michael Mucciolo, board president for SPAC. “Our theater has a long history of attracting families with young kids, and I think they’ll have a wonderful time seeing something they’ve never seen before and learning from such an expert like Jeff.”

Sweetbriar Nature Center is situated on 54 acres of garden, woodland, field and wetland habitats on the Nissequogue River. Hundreds of species of plants and animals call the center home — many arrived as part of their extensive wildlife rehabilitation program.

“Everything that we do here is for the benefit of the animals,” said Janine Bendicksen, curator and wildlife rehabilitation coordinator for the center. “Many of the animals that get brought in to us are often at death’s door, sick enough that they allow a human to pick them up. About half of them are successfully rehabilitated and released back into the wild, which is fantastic.”

A lot of the patients they receive have similar stories, Bendicksen explained. A concerned member of the community might stumble upon an injured animal on their property or while out on a hike and contact their local Animal Control department, which then reaches out to Sweetbriar.

Whether it’s a wounded eagle on a bike trail or a couple of rabbits playing chase in a mechanic’s garage, the staff at Sweetbriar have seen just about everything.

Around 100 of Sweetbriar’s permanent residents are animals that are permanently injured or otherwise unreleasable. A few birds, including a great horned owl named Lily, have been there longer than Bendicksen has — more than 20 years.

Bendicksen studied fine art and art history, eventually finding her way to Sweetbriar as curator. In addition to her work with rehabilitation, she is responsible for creating art displays and supervising creative projects around the property.

“I was one of those kids who people were always bringing their animals to, and I tried my best to help them. Sweetbriar hits on everything that makes me happy,” she said.

The center’s educational team works hard to instill that same wonder and love of nature in people of all ages. This is especially evident during the summer, when hundreds of children from around Long Island come to the center for weeklong enrichment programs or day visits.

Throughout the school year, Sweetbriar also host field trips, opportunities for families, and in-school presentations.

The dual mission of education and rehabilitation is what makes Jeff Corwin the ideal guest speaker for the event, said Sweetbriar board member Maureen Calamia.

“Jeff has a great reputation and deep care for wildlife, especially those species that are borderline extinct. His enthusiasm is such an asset,” she said.

With only four dedicated staff members, Sweetbriar relies on the ongoing support of volunteers and donors. 

“A lot of people unfortunately don’t know what’s going on in their own backyard, or how to treat nature or wildlife. Sweetbriar does a tremendous service through their programming, both in person and also through their social media, which has a global following,” Calamia said. “They are great stewards, and everyone knows to turn to them if there’s an animal in need. This event is a wonderful way to support their hard work.”

“Tales from the Field with Jeff Corwin” will be held on Sunday, Aug. 27 at the Smithtown Performing Arts Center, 2 East Main Street, Smithtown at 7 p.m. General admission tickets are $50 and can be purchased online at www.sweetbriarnc.org or at www.smithtownpac.org. This event is made possible by a grant from the Suffolk County Department of Economic Development and Planning.

Sweetbriar is always in need of donations and volunteers, regardless of experience or skills. Visit their website or call 631-979-6344 learn how you can help.

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Jake's 58. Facebook photo

A $200 million expansion of Jake‘s 58 Casino Hotel, 3635 Express Dr North, Islandia has been approved by the Village of Islandia. As part of this expansion, Suffolk Regional OTB, the casino’s owner, will increase its video lottery terminal capacity by 50% for a total of 2,000 terminals.  Its  hotel rooms will be renovated, there will be increased parking facilities and services and amenities will be upgraded.

After the vote, Phil Boyle, President and CEO of Suffolk OTB, thanked Mayor Allan Dorman and the Village Board for their unanimous support of the project. “Suffolk OTB’s success in the past six years from bankruptcy to becoming a a billion-dollar company is linked to the support that we have received from the Village of Islandia, Mayor Dorman, and local residents. I couldn’t be happier for the Village, our current and future workforce, and Suffolk’s taxpayers, who will benefit greatly from this decision long into the future,” Boyle stated.

James LaCarrubba, Vice President and COO for Suffolk OTB, said, “Jake‘s 58 will truly realize its full potential as a regional entertainment destination thanks to yesterday’s vote. We appreciate the Board’s trust in Jake‘s 58 and its management, and we will continue to be responsible neighbors acting for the public’s benefit.”

Suffolk OTB expects to break ground on the casino expansion in October 2023 and commence hotel renovations in the 4th quarter of 2023. It’s estimated that the expanded casino floor will be open to the public in late-2025, with additional amenities opening in 2026.

 

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Several pieces from the famous Blue Guitar Collection, once on display in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, will be part of the Jazz Loft’s annual John Monteleone: Art of the Guitar Festival

These stunning historic and iconic guitars were once on display at the Smithsonian!

Several pieces from the famous Blue Guitar Collection, once on display in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, will be part of the Jazz Loft’s annual John Monteleone: Art of the Guitar Festival, August 11-12, at the Jazz Loft in Stony Brook. In addition to the blue guitars, the festival will also include an exhibit of iconic and historic guitars, including James D’Aquisto Excel, a Monteleone Mirabella Carmela and a Monteleone Radio City Deluxe.

The vision of a Blue Guitar Collection came from vintage guitar collector, the late Scott Chinery, a major figure in the vintage guitarworld. A lover of the arch top guitar, Chinery said he “often thought that it would be neat… to get all the greatest builders together and have them interpret the same guitar, an 18-inch archtop, in the same color blue.”

The result went beyond anything the various luthiers had ever done.

“We ended up with a collection of the greatest archtop guitars ever made,” Chinery said.

The Blue Guitar Collection was displayed at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History from 1997 through 1998. The Blue D’Aquisto Centura Deluxe, the Benedetto La Cremona Azzurra and the Monteleone Rocket Convertible were featured at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the museum’s “Guitar Heroes” exhibit in 2011. After Chinery’s passing in 2000, the guitars have remained with the Chinery family and in 2021 were passed along to The Archtop Foundation.The Foundation’s goal is to share the collection with everyone.

Numerous samples from the collection will be available to professional musicians looking to record on–or just experience– these wonderful instruments, as part of the guitar festival at the Jaz Loft. Renowned guitar craftsman John Monteleone, will feature two days and nights of demonstrations, exhibits, workshops and performances by Dario Napoli, John Jorgenson, Frank Vignola, Vinny Raniolo and Steve Salerno.

Other iconic guitars on display will include John Monteleone’s Grand Central Station; a trio of blonde D’Angelico New Yorkers, including George Benson’s; James D’Aquisto, Bucky Pizzarelli’s D’Angelico and his very first guitar; a restored Epiphone Deluxe by way of master luthier Cris Mirabella, and a collection of Cris’s own creations including, ‘Carmela.’

The Jazz Loft is located at 275 Christian Avenue in Stony Brook. Tickets for the guitar festival can be purchased here: https://www.thejazzloft.org/tickets

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Owner Cynthia Alfonso Hernandez in front of the Village Hair Studio. Photo from WMHO

The Stony Brook Village Center has announced the newest addition to its open-air center, Village Hair Studio. Currently offering washes, blow-outs, cuts, styling and coloring, the Village Hair Studio will soon offer massages and make-up services. 

Cynthia Alfonso Hernandez. Photo from WMHO

Proprietor Cynthia Alfonso Hernandez was just a little girl in Cuba when she dreamed of owning her own hair studio. At age 16, she and her grandfather made that dream a reality when they constructed her very own backyard salon. She offered services such as cuts, coloring, nails and more. As an adult she moved to Russia, and then Spain. Finally in 2017, she found her new home in the United States, where just five short years later, in 2023, her dream of owning a hair studio came to fruition. 

Operating hours are Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursdays from 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. and Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

To make your appointment, call 631-675-0987.

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