Community

Stock photo

St. Catherine of Siena Hospital in Smithtown will host a community blood drive in its Medical Office Building, 48 Route 25, Lower Level Conference Rooms on Monday, March 8 and Tuesday, March 9 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. To remain in compliance with the federal guidelines for social distancing, appointments are strongly recommended; walk-ins welcome. To make an appointment, please call 631-862-3523 or 800-933-BLOOD or visit www.nybc.org.

From left, Darren and Sal St. George discuss 'The Top 5 People Who Make Us Laugh' during a recent virtual conversation through Sachem Public Library.

By Tara Mae

For fans of classic movies, old Hollywood trivia, and celebrity icons, the show must go on. So when COVID-19 redefined the boundaries of normal life, St. George Productions reimagined the entertainment it provided to its audiences. After years of creating live educational theatrical events, it moved its endeavors online and began hosting digital lectures and virtual museum tours. 

On Mondays at 10 a.m., St. George Productions, through Zoom, offers virtual journeys into the past. “We celebrate entertainment’s leaders, legends, and icons through lectures and virtual road trips,” said Darren St. George in a recent interview. He and his father, Sal, manage the business and oversee all its operations. 

A virtual visit to the John Wayne Museum in Iowa

Focusing on the lives of notable historical figures, mainly of stage and screen, the talks feature Sal’s personal insights from his years in the business. They also draw on his experience as a pop culture historian and adjunct professor at Long Island University and other schools. 

Sal and Darren are motivated by their desire to teach the public about entertainment history and its impact on the culture. “Even if there was no pandemic, keeping the memories alive of these great entertainers is essential,” Sal said. 

The virtual tours are of museums dedicated to celebrities and cultural icons, such as actor Clark Gable and Frank Capra’s 1947 classic holiday film, It’s a Wonderful Life. “We did the Clark Gable Museum, which then let other museums know. The It’s A Wonderful Life Museum let the Jimmy Stewart Museum and Donna Reed Museum know,” Sal said. 

This word-of-mouth method of promotion has proven effective, with museums now reaching out to St. George Productions to arrange virtual visits, according to Darren. Usually conducted by executive directors of the museums, the private tours are free to the public. The company does not make a profit from them. 

“We are doing this to help support the museums themselves; we come from the museum world. We love this subject matter. Dad and I are going to be talking about this regardless; if you give us an opportunity we want to learn more,” Darren said. 

Before the pandemic, the company developed and produced educational theatrical works for organizations closer to home like The Ward Melville Heritage Organization and the Smithtown Historical Society. Creating informative entertainment is both a profession and a passion for the team.  

“I have always been self-employed in the entertainment business in one form or another. Everything I do is a stepping stone to the next program. We are reaching a lot of people, and who would have thought that we could do this, working off a computer, out of a house,” Sal said. 

A virtual visit to the Clark Gable Museum in Ohio

The business started over thirty years ago, when Sal was developing content for Walt Disney World. “I was approached by the head of historic services for Suffolk County — it had just restored Deepwells [Farm]. Rather than be a small fish in a big pond at Disney, I chose to be here and support the museum world,” he added. 

Darren, whose mother, Mary, also works for the company, joined the family business at a young age. He has worked both on the stage and behind the scenes, as the roles required. In recent months, his job has evolved to providing technical support for online content. 

“Working with my dad is a dream come true. Working with family has always been what I strove for. It has been challenging due to COVID, but every week we’re guaranteed to sit down and have a great time. It just so happens that people are watching,” Darren said.  

This camaraderie transcends family ties and extends to viewers who tune in from around the country, allowing people to bond through common interests and retreat into the comfort of fond memories.

“Our guests motivate us so much. Times are hard, and this has turned into something for all of us to look forward to; an encouraging moment to come together and enjoy celebrities and movies we have all appreciated for so many years. It is incredible — we would have never been able to do this without Zoom, etc. Besides, how often do you get to travel to Wyoming, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Georgia, Idaho without leaving your living room?” he said.  

The next lecture will be “Influential Women of Comedy: Part II” on March 8 at 10 a.m. All programming is free, with a suggested donation. For more information about the lectures and museum tours, visit www.stgeorgelivinghistory.com. 

Carole Ganzenmuller, right, with her brother Richard Spence at an event a few years ago. Photo from Ganzenmuller

In September, Richard Spence, 64, of Selden, died of a heart attack.

Stunned by the loss, the extended family confronted the difficulty of planning a funeral during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We felt we had to be strict. My mother is 91, so we were diligent in who was coming and who was not able to come.”

— Carole Ganzenmuller

Carole Ganzenmuller, Spence’s sister, knows firsthand the suffering and difficulty the pandemic has created for mourning families. Ganzenmuller works as a funeral director’s assistant at East Setauket-based Bryant Funeral Home, where she and the staffs at so many other funeral homes on Long Island and around the country grappled with restrictions on the kinds of personal support people could normally provide after the loss of a loved one.

“We couldn’t do the normal funeral,” Ganzenmuller said. “We felt we had to be strict. My mother is 91, so we were diligent in who was coming and who was not able to come.”

Indeed, she said many of the extended relatives from out of state couldn’t attend the funeral for Spence, who served in active duty for the Navy for four years and as a reserve for two years. He was buried at Calverton National Cemetery.

While the family did have visitation and used Zoom, Ganzenmuller said they didn’t “go through the normal process.”

She said her children, who are in California and were on lockdown, knew they couldn’t attend.

“We didn’t want that many people around my mom,” Ganzenmuller said.

Telling people not to come was a “very hard thing to do” as it cuts the grieving process and the goodbyes become more complicated, she added.

The grandchildren couldn’t embrace their grandmother, which would have provided the customary comfort
and support.

Ganzenmuller’s family has had several members play active roles in serving the country through the armed forces. Her late brother William, who died at the age of 43, served in the Air Force, while her oldest brother Gary is a Marine veteran who served in Vietnam. Her late father Robert was in the Merchant Marine.

“We hang an American flag with great pride,” she said.

Sad as it was for Ganzenmuller and her family to lose Spence this fall, she recognized that they had more opportunities to grieve her brother than people who lost loved ones in the spring of 2020, during the earlier part of the pandemic.

In some cases, Ganzenmuller recalled how she went to a cemetery on her own, bringing a casket without a family along.

“I was going to Calverton where the families could not attend the funerals,” she said. She said the “Hail Mary” prayer on behalf of the families when she brought the deceased to the cemetery.

The increasing number of deceased people Ganzenmuller bought to the cemetery or the crematorium made her feel as if she were “in a war zone.”

“I felt a little blessed that my family was allowed to have what we had.”

— Carole Ganzenmuller

Ganzenmuller’s family had an honor guard for her brother, and the flag was presented to her mother.

“It’s very special,” she said. She has thought of all the people who couldn’t receive that honor. In fact, she said some religious officials didn’t feel comfortable entering the funeral home, so those services occurred outside.

“What was a normal ritual was no longer a normal ritual for people,” Ganzenmuller said.

The pandemic changed the way people could grieve and could say goodbye.

“I felt a little blessed that my family was allowed to have what we had,” she said. “I’m sure the healing process was tougher” for people during the early months of the pandemic, regardless of what caused a close friend or family member to die.

Through all the funerals, some of which continue for COVID-19, Ganzenmuller appreciated how the staff at Bryant Funeral Home and in the industry as a whole pulled together as a team.

“We’re saying to ourselves, ‘There’s hopefully light at the end of the tunnel when masks will come down and people can grieve in a normal way,’” she said. “They want to hug their family, they want to cry on them — and not give the elbows anymore.”

Stock photo

Theatre Three Food Drive

Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson will hold a Theatre Three Cares food and personal care items drive to benefit the Open Cupboard food pantry at Infant Jesus Church on Saturday, March 6 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Food items needed include Mac & cheese, canned pasta, pasta sauce, tuna, peanut butter, jelly, coffee, sugar, flour, mustard, mayonnaise, ketchup, cooking oil, oatmeal, pancake mix, pancake syrup, black beans, rice, boxed milk, juice, canned fruit, healthy snacks, fresh chicken and ground beef and hot dogs.

Personal care items needed include shampoo, conditioner, soap, baby shampoo, diapers, pull-ups, baby wipes, deoderant, feminine pads, toilet paper, razors, toothbrushes and toothpaste.

Donations will be collected in the back of the theater on the south side of the building. They are also accepting donations of grocery store gift cards and cash to purchase whatever else is needed. If you prefer, you can remain in your vehicle for a contact-free drop off. For more information, call Brian at 631-938-6464.

Indian Hills Country Club. File photo by Sara-Megan Walsh

By Chris Cumella

The Town of Huntington Planning Board will soon be releasing results from their research on the geographical region in their Final Environmental Impact Statement for The Preserve at Indian Hills project.

“In all of my communities, I reach out to area residents to gain their input to achieve the best results.”

— Jim Tsunis

Northwind Group CEO Jim Tsunis said he is determined to start construction on what he said would be one of the most extraordinary projects on the East Coast. The Preserve is a planned senior residential community through the construction of new units along the Indian Hills golf course and country club, giving residents views from what Tsunis describes as “one of the most beautiful country clubs on Long Island.”

The goal of Hauppauge-based developers Northwind and Nelson Pope Voorhis, land surveyors of Melville, is to respect the country club’s land while blending in a new community. They hope to see home values in the area soar over time. Tsunis’ development team said it has mitigated the environmental impacts from constructing these units through public input. 

“In all of my communities, I reach out to area residents to gain their input to achieve the best results,” Tsunis said.

NPV submitted a response detailing specific comments that were addressed to them through the gathering of town input, such as the requests for marked pedestrian crosswalks and maintaining steady traffic of vehicles, pedestrians and golf carts, all of which have been claimed to be resolved.

The Draft Environmental Impact Statement was designed in 2019 to gather public feedback and utilize it to adjust the project to bridge compromises between the developers and residents. The Town Board presented a notice of completion for the FEIS in August 2020. However, some in the community thought the inquiries were anything but complete.

“The Town of Huntington now has to do what they call a findings statement,” said John Hayes, president of the Fort Salonga Property Owners Association. “They write down their recommendations for the developers and the proposed development.”

Hayes and the association have opposed much of the development’s progress since the draft became viewable in 2019. He expressed his surprise once he found out the FEIS was proposed to be completed from what he calls “an understatement” that he and several local community members highly contest.

Of the total 86 units expected to be built around the Indian Hills Country Club’s perimeter, 36 of them reside a few hundred feet from a labeled coastal erosion hazard area. This 2,500-foot bluff of land is nestled between the Long Island Sound and the country club, chiseled by the rising water levels every spring and summer, washed away and cleared by the passing of every fall and winter.

“The problem is not only that you have this 2,500-foot fault line, but if you are going to build 86 houses, the nitrogen level is governed by wastewater. That makes it even more unstable.”

— John Hayes

Hayes detailed how the nitrogen levels in the Sound could increase with the new units’ construction.

“The problem is not only that you have this 2,500-foot fault line, but if you are going to build 86 houses, the nitrogen level is governed by wastewater,” Hayes said. “That makes it even more unstable.”

Tsunis and his team will require a preliminary subdivision approval from the Town of Huntington in order to start work soon.

The rate of shore recession proves worrisome for environmental professionals concerned that winter storms will continue to remove sediment on the beach and tear away at the base of the bluffs.

“It’s dangerous,” said state Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket), chair of the state’s Assembly Committee on Environmental Conservation. “There’s a very large body of clay that runs along the base of the bluff. The weight of water in the soil is enough to squeeze toothpaste-like clay onto the beach every winter.”

Englebright and his state Assembly committee colleagues were able to measure the rate of erosion in the Baiting Hollow area of Riverhead, where they found dune forms that ran north and south, more than a mile in length from top to bottom. Today, he says that what is left is no more than a few hundred yards of dunes, the rest of which has been eroded since sea levels increased in the Sound.

While reviews for the Indian Hills project are still currently underway to maintain and improve the development shortly, there is still a distance between the property owners association and Northwind.

“We have never turned down talking with the developers,” Hayes said. “We met with them more than three times, and yet we have never been anywhere near an agreement.”

by -
0 67
An aerial view of Smithtown from the Town of Smithtown Draft Comprehensive Plan

While many are pleased that the Town of Smithtown has laid out comprehensive draft plans for each of its hamlets, some residents are concerned with several of the proposals.

“I think we got a lot of areas of town that would make you scratch your head, and say why are there houses next to businesses, next to industry.”

— Mike Cooley

We Are Smithtown, an advocacy group for town residents, hosted an online community forum about the town’s comprehensive plan March 1 to summarize officials’ suggestions and share residents’ concerns, as well as give participants a chance to share their thoughts. Approximately 85 residents took part in the forum.

The plans

In December, the town released its Draft Comprehensive Plan and initiated the State Environmental Quality Review process. Virtual public outreach meetings were held separately for Commack, Hauppauge, Nesconset, Kings Park, St. James and Smithtown proper in January and February. In 2019, the town began the process with public meetings where town officials presented maps and offered interactive sessions. An online questionnaire was also made available at the beginning of the process.

Mike Cooley, vice president of the group, said at the March 1 forum that a lot of what residents see around town is due to piecemeal planning since there hasn’t been a comprehensive plan since 1957. He said in 2015 there was a draft plan but it wasn’t adapted.

“I think that’s why a lot of our downtowns and our main streets look the way they do, and maybe not what you picture as Main Street USA or what you’ve seen in some other places,” Cooley said. “I think we got a lot of areas of town that would make you scratch your head, and say why are there houses next to businesses, next to industry.”

He added that 97% of the town is already developed.

Housing wants

We Are Smithtown vice president Phyllis Hart said while the town talks about people wanting affordable housing, many are asking for single-family homes not apartments. She said in the town’s plan on page 40 it’s stated that 77% respondents to a town survey said they encourage or strongly encourage single-family residential. There were 44% who wanted the town to discourage or strongly discourage duplexes.

“The town is looking to throw up apartments in every vacant piece of land, which will not maintain the residential feel and character of this area,” she said. “The town has not made a clear case of why this is necessary.”

“The town is looking to throw up apartments in every vacant piece of land, which will not maintain the residential feel and character of this area. The town has not made a clear case of why this is necessary.”

— Phyllis Hart

We Are Smithtown has shared concerns about potential multihousing units in Hauppauge and The Preserves in Nesconset where developers broke ground in October. Hart made a case to why single-family homes, that add residential character, keep people in the area. Property values have increased in the town for decades, she said, and buying a home is an investment while homeowners contribute to the tax base. She added that Smithtown’s population has been stable for the last 50 years, and there is no mass exodus as many developers and town officials claim when talking about the importance of affordable apartments.

The group and other residents have been vocal that some of the proposed apartments in the area aren’t affordable.

“We had an influential developer speak with us recently and gave us an eye-popping statement,” Hart said. “With large state and local subsidies, a one-bedroom apartment in this area would be as low as $2,000 a month. As low as $2,000 a month? Affordable for who? Most Apartments in this area are over that.”

She said for most affordable housing is about a house’s price and taxes, and there’s a need for more starter homes, townhouses and condos to enable people to start putting roots down in a community. Hart added developers have said they can’t build affordable apartments without tax breaks, which she said leads to the IDA giving them tax breaks in the millions. She added that the developer gets the tax break, while apartment complex dwellers use town and school district services.

Gyrodyne problems

James Bouklas, We Are Smithtown president, said the forum presenters didn’t have time to go over all the developments, but touched on Gyrodyne in St. James. Groups such as We Are Smithtown and the Three Village Civic Association have protested in the past the proposed plans to the former Flowerfield property which includes subdivision of the 75-acre-property to build a 150-room hotel with a restaurant, two assisted living centers, two medical office parks and a 7-acre sewage treatment plant.

“This is simply too big for St James, and I can’t even imagine something this size and scope that doesn’t transform our community.”

— James Bouklas

“This is simply too big for St James, and I can’t even imagine something this size and scope that doesn’t transform our community,” Bouklas said.

He added a development such as what Gyrodyne has proposed is inconsistent with the town’s draft plan and pointed out page 56 of the plan.

“It discusses that highly traveled corridors are not compatible with commercial development,” Bouklas said. “There’s an  idea that a very high-traffic corridor shouldn’t be promoting commercial development. You know, 25A is one of those high-traffic corridors.”

There are also environmental concerns about the property, he said, as the property was once used to manufacture helicopters. People fear that industrial solvents may be in the ground and other legacy toxins. He said any toxins could destroy nearby Stony Brook Harbor and groups have called for a forensic environmental audit to be done on the property.

“Is there a plume that we don’t know about?” he said. “Are we going to be disturbing it by all this development and are we going to be allowing that into our drinking water? Is this going to be the next Superfund site.”

Judith Ogden, a participant in the meeting and Head of the Harbor trustee, said she is working with the newly formed St. James-Head of the Harbor Neighborhood Preservation Coalition.

She said one of the concerns brought to her attention after sitting in on the town’s virtual public outreach meeting for St. James is that it’s the second most densely hamlet with the least amount of open space.

She agreed that Gyrodyne’s proposed development is not in agreement with the comprehensive plan. Residents are also concerned about talks that Bull Run Farm on Mills Pond Road in St. James may be slated for an assisted living facility, she said.

Ogden added during the hamlet meetings, the town sometimes says what is convenient but not accurate. She gave the example of town officials saying the county would be buying the development rights to BB and GG Farm on Route 25A down the road from Gyrodyne. However, at the time of the meeting the farm owners had not yet agreed to Suffolk County’s offer and the deal did not go through.

As of Feb. 25, a letter was sent to the owners from the Suffolk County executive’s office saying the offer from the county had expired, this after a 60 days extension requested by the owners back in December.

Ogden said many in the coalition are concerned that open spaces are disappearing, and they are asking residents to call and email town Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R) and Town Board members and ask for a moratorium on large-scale plans until the comprehensive plan is finalized.

Bouklas said all questions, concerns and suggestions from the meeting are being compiled and will be sent to the town.

For more information about We Are Smithtown, visit www.wearesmithtown.org.

Long Road to Freedom: Surviving Slavery on Long Island available online

The Long Island Museum (LIM) has announced the release of its latest online publication: Long Road to Freedom: Surviving Slavery on Long Island. 

Based on the 2019 exhibition of the same name, the publication, written by LIM’s curator Jonathan M. Olly, Ph.D, focuses on the experiences of people of color from the 17th to 19th centuries. 

The five-chapter publication explores the topics of how slavery operated, how African Americans resisted bondage, navigated the era of emancipation, and built communities in the decades after slavery, from Brooklyn to the Hamptons. 

Cover image

“It’s important to remember,” says Olly, “that people of color have been a part of every Long Island community since the beginning. They worked in all industries, raised families, built communities, and contributed to our shared history and culture in ways that are remembered and celebrated, and also being rediscovered through historical research and archaeology.”

“Some of today’s challenges, such as de facto housing segregation, are rooted in the complex relationships between Black and white Long Islanders in the 18th and 19th centuries. To learn how we got to this point is essential to recognizing biases, fighting discrimination, and meeting our responsibilities to present and future generations. The Long Island Museum’s exhibition, and now this publication, are small steps in that direction,” he said. 

More than fifty organizations, companies, governmental offices and private individuals contributed objects and digital images to the exhibition that ran from February 15 to May 27, 2019 in the Art Museum. The unprecedented collection of material in one place for only a limited time prompted the desire for a publication that would provide a permanent record of the exhibition. 

The publication of Long Road to Freedom: Surviving Slavery on Long Island was made possible through generous funding from LIM’s premier exhibition sponsor, MargolinBesunder, LLP as well support from Baird Private Management Group, Bank of America, New York Community Bank Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts, the Peter & Barbara Ferentinos Family Endowment, the Mary & Phillip Hulitar Textile Collection, the Long Island Museum Director’s Advisory Circle and public funding provided by Suffolk County.

Panel Discussion

Join the Long Island Museum via Zoom on Wednesday, March 10 at 5:30 p.m. as they host a moderated panel discussion to coincide with the release of the Museum’s new publication Long Road to Freedom: Surviving Slavery on Long Island!

The live conversation, moderated by Darren St. George, Director, Education & Public Programs, Preservation Long Island, will feature an esteemed panel including Jonathan Olly, Curator Long Island Museum, Professor Mark Chambers, and Lynda Day Professor of Africana Studies, Brooklyn College- CUNY The program will highlight the Museum’s new publication and discuss ways that historians, museums and professors are working to make Long Island’s past more accessible. Current approaches to teaching Black history, as well as how conversations around Northern (and specifically Long Island) slavery has changed over the last few decades will also be examined.

Registration is FREE, but limited and will be taken on a first come, first served basis. Please email [email protected] to reserve your spot today! You will receive an email within 48 hours to confirm your spot and a Zoom link a day before the event.

To view the publication or download a free printable copy visit the LIM’s website at www.longislandmuseum.org.

ABOUT THE LONG ISLAND MUSEUM:
Located at 1200 Route 25A in Stony Brook, the Long Island Museum is a Smithsonian Affiliate dedicated to enhancing the lives of adults and children with an understanding of Long Island‘s rich history and diverse cultures. The LIM will reopen for the spring season with new exhibitions on Friday, March 19, 2021 and modified museum hours, Friday through Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. For more information visit: longislandmuseum.org.

 

Photo from Councilman LaValle's office

On Feb. 24 Councilman Kevin LaValle and Suffolk County Legislator Nick Caracappa joined other community leaders in welcoming Lidl Grocery Store to Selden at their grand opening-ribbon cutting ceremony. Located in the Selden Plaza shopping center at 211 Middle Country Road in the former Best Market, the new store is the fourth Lidl location in the Town of Brookhaven, including Lake Grove, Patchogue, and Center Moriches. 

Lidl’s history dates back to 1973, when the first modern Lidl store opened in Ludwigshafen, Germany. With only three employees and about 500 products, this small store became the foundation of Lidl’s far-reaching expansion. During the 1990s, they began opening stores outside of Germany and within a few years, had stores all across Europe.

They now operate approximately 11,200 stores, are active in 32 countries, and employ more than 310,000 people globally. In June 2015, they established their U.S. headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, and now sell their award-winning products in more than 100 stores in nine states across the East Coast.

Leg. Nick Caracappa makes a statement during the grand opening of Lidl in Selden

“I welcome Lidl to Selden, as their commitment to Long Island has been steadfast. I look forward to them servicing our community as well. What makes Lidl a welcome addition to Selden is its commitment to environmental responsibility, and its effort to support groups in addressing hunger,” said Legislator Caracappa.                                                    

“I welcome the new Lidl food market to Selden and encourage people to stop by. They are well known for discount prices and for their community outreach, and I look forward to working with them in the future to benefit the Selden residents. Congratulations and good luck in the new location,” added Councilman LaValle.  

Pictured in top photo, from left, are Linda Miller, President of the Selden Civic Association; Lenore Paprocky, President of Greater Middle Country Chamber of Commerce; Robert Pepe, Lidl Selden Store Manager; Leg. Caracappa; and Councilman LaValle. 

Lidl is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. For more information, call 844-747-5435 or visit www.lidl.com/contact-us.

Bryan Beasley and his wife Mary were thrilled to present the gifts to Chief Nursing Officer Mary Jane Finnegan and Chief Operating Officer Michael Silverman who will oversee their distribution to the lucky winners!

Long Island’s newest Chick-fil-A restaurant, located at 530 Smithtown Bypass, officially opened for business on March 4. The restaurant will bring approximately 100 full- and part-time jobs to the community. Long Island-native, Bryan Beasley, the local owner/operator of Chick-fil-A in Commack and Smithtown is looking forward to welcoming and serving the greater Smithtown community, with hours of operation from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Saturday. The restaurant will open via drive-thru only. Guests can take advantage of contactless ordering and payment through the free Chick-fil-A mobile app or through online ordering.

In place of the traditional Chick-fil-A First 100® Grand Opening celebration, the restaurant honored 100 local heroes making an impact at St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center in Smithtown with free Chick-fil-A for a year on Feb. 26 and will donate $25,000 to Feeding America. The funds will be distributed to partners within the greater Smithtown area to aid in the fight against hunger locally.

 Locally Owned and Operated

Bryan Beasley, a Long Island-native, began his journey with Chick-fil-A after a life-altering medical event made him reevaluate his career in the financial services industry. Beasley realized that while he loved helping his clients give back to their communities, he wanted to focus his career on giving back to his own community. In 2016, Beasley opened his first Restaurant, Chick-fil-A Commack, where he will continue to serve as the Operator while simultaneously leading the Chick-fil-A Smithtown team. Grounded in the vision of serving hospitality to positively influence his community and expanding the reach of Chick-fil-A’s mission and values, Beasley spends much of his free time supporting local youth sports and leadership initiatives within the community.

Bryan Beasley with the restaurant’s mascot.

Beasley and his family continue to honor the medical team that saved his life after a virus attacked his heart in 2011, with what he’s named “The Thankful Hearts Project.” Each year, his family encourages others to join them in performing intentional acts of kindness to honor the medical team.

“Having been born and raised on Long Island, and now raising my own family here, I could not be more excited to expand Chick-fil-A’s reach in the place that has shaped who I am today,” said Beasley. “Chick-fil-A Smithtown will further our efforts to serve great-tasting food with genuine hospitality to our community, while also providing personal and professional growth opportunities that I hope will shape a successful future for our Team Members.”

About Chick-fil-A, Inc.

Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A, Inc. is a family owned and privately held restaurant company founded in 1967 by S. Truett Cathy. Devoted to serving the local communities in which its franchised restaurants operate, and known for its Original Chick-fil-A® Chicken Sandwich, Chick-fil-A serves freshly prepared food in more than 2,600 restaurants in 47 states, Washington, D.C., and Canada.

More information on Chick-fil-A is available at www.chick-fil-a.com