Community

Photo by Tom Caruso

PURE AUTUMN

Tom Caruso of Smithtown recently snapped this closeup of a pot of mums at Pantaleons Farmstand in East Setauket. He writes, ‘[The photo] captures my favorite fall colors. It was late afternoon when my wife and I stopped by the farmstand to buy some pumpkins, gourds and mums. The afternoon sun bathed these mums in a golden light that was too good to pass up.

Send your Photo of the Week to leisure@tbrnewspapers.com

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The Comsewogue Public Library hosted a food drive as part of the SCLS’s annual Great Give Back event. All those who donated food also got to adopt a pumpkin. The library hosted other activities and community service opportunity, though many were based online due to the pandemic. Photo by Kyle Barr

Though, like so many things, the Comsewogue Public Library’s participation in the annual Great Give Back couldn’t go on like normal, residents and patrons still came out to donate to the needy.

The Suffolk County Cooperative Library System’s annual Great Give Back Event asks partnered libraries to allow patrons a day of opportunities for service-oriented experiences. This year, the Comsewogue Public Library hosted a food drive with all non-perishable food and items going to Long Island Cares. Anybody who showed also got to pick out a small pumpkin spread out on the library’s lawn outside the main door.

Nicole Cortes, the Children’s and Teen Services Librarian/Children’s Program Coordinator said about 30 people came on Saturday and more on Sunday to drop off food. Each were given a pumpkin for their troubles. Those boxes are normally located in the library itself, and Cortes said they are regularly filled by their patrons.

“Sometimes we’ve done fall festivals, other years we’ve done volunteer fairs, this year it was a little bit trickier but we not only wanted to share ways for our patrons to give back, but also to give them something because it has been a hard year,” she said.

In addition to the food drive, the library presented ways for young people to claim community service hours virtually, whether it was sending encouragement and/or gratitude cards to Mather Hospital, becoming a pen pal to a resident of the Atria South Setauket senior living community in Centereach or even spending an hour to draw out a positive message to brighten somebody’s day using chalk.

The library also offered a list of local organizations adults could volunteer with, whether it is the Long Island State Veterans Home in Stony Brook or the Sweetbriar Nature Center.

Black-throated Blue Warbler. Photo by Luke Ormand

By John L. Turner

I have always wanted to have a vegetable garden with fruit trees and bushes to grow food for my family, but the Nassau County house we lived in for 35 years, unfortunately, just didn’t have the yard space. In that small space my effort at growing veggies and herbs was restricted to pots of tomatoes and basil on a wooded back deck and I simply had no room for bushes or trees.

But moving to Setauket, on a property with a long back yard, gave ample opportunity to construct a large garden, and construct I did. Surfing the Internet in general, and Pinterest specifically, I scrutinized dozens of different designs, layouts, and materials before finally settling on the idea of two raised, double concrete block beds, one in the shape of the letter “S”, the other its mirror image and one more rectangular bed in the front (I’ve since expanded the garden about 50% by adding on two wings).

I liked the idea of the concrete blocks because it meant not having to spend so much time with 65-year-old knees on the ground, concrete because it will never rot out and need to be replaced, and because I could plant herbs in the hollows of the blocks. The S-letter configuration would allow easy access to any part of the two beds. I planted twenty blueberry and twelve raspberry and blackberry bushes along with a very young fig tree around the garden’s perimeter. A peach and Italian Plum tree are on order.

I had several motivations for the garden. I have long wanted to live more sustainably and one way to do that is to eat healthy, pesticide- and fertilizer-free foods close to where they’re produced. Well, I never use pesticides or fertilizers and I couldn’t get much closer than the 200-foot distance between the garden and kitchen. And given the omnipresence of the COVID pandemic and its regular and depressing drumbeat of death filling the world with despair, I needed to participate in something that was life affirming and enriching. I had embraced the saying: “When the world wearies and society fails to satisfy, there is always the garden.”

There is another garden saying: “There are no gardening mistakes, only experiments.” Well, I conducted my first “experiment” when I planted too many plants too close together, ensuring a vegetable jungle in the weeks and months ahead. The beans didn’t behave themselves despite my effort to “grow them vertical,” climbing on everything around them and their viny web and the tomato tangles made it a wee bit difficult to get some of the beans and cherry tomatoes once ripe.

Despite the tangle creating more shade than is preferable, all was good though and the eggplants (graffiti, Japanese, American) tomatoes (Beefsteak, heirloom, and two types of cherry), squash (Spaghetti, Butternut, zucchini), cucumbers, artichokes, strawberries, broccoli romanesco, one lonely artichoke bought on a whim, collard greens, beets, kale, swiss chard, corn, many types of melons, numerous pepper varieties, leeks, and basil filled the beds. Herbs I diligently planted in the hollows of the blocks included parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme (an ode to Simon and Garfunkel), dill, mint, chocolate mint, lavender, cilantro, and oregano.

Watching countless YouTube videos about vegetable gardening I soon learned the value in “going vertical” as a means to incorporate more veggies. So to add vertical dimension to the garden I arched cattle panels — four foot wide, sixteen foot long meshed metal fences — over the paths, connecting to the beds. The panels provided a surface for the squash, beans, and tomatoes to grow on, thereby using space more efficiently and allowing me to plant more veggies in the beds.

All was good until the local deer paid a visit. The first night they were surreptitious, revealing their presence with only a scattered hoof prints in the beds and a few nipped peppers. And here I made a true mistake. Applying human and clearly non-deer logic, I assumed the deer discovered the garden, explored it, and made the decision that given their very modest amount of damage, that it generally wasn’t to their liking. Well, the next night they returned and “liked” it a lot more, in fact I might use the word love — they devastated the peppers and beets, and ate all of the broccoli and the swiss chard but one. With the help of my son Travis, a Rube Goldberg style, yet effective eight foot high deer fence was soon installed and has worked like a charm since.

One unexpected result in the garden were the appearance of mystery veggies and fruits I never planted, springing up in places where I didn’t plant them. Indicating the presence of seeds in the eight yards of topsoil/compost mix I used to fill the beds were some cantaloupes, melons, and tomato varieties I hadn’t bought. At first I was confused and then it dawned on me — unless screened very well there are a lot of seeds in soil, as evidenced by how quickly neglected dirt piles at construction sites start to sprout growth.

There was enormous satisfaction for starting something and then letting nature go at it. I marveled at the rapid growth of the plants, their strength and vitality, as they prospered due to the simple combination of adequate water, ample sunlight, and rich soil. Within a month eggplants, two inch high plants when planted, had grown to three feet and started blossoming in multitudes, their beautiful purple petals the texture of tissue paper contrasting with the bright yellow pistils. Tomatoes grew six to eight feet in two months and squash, adorned with brilliant flowers, rested atop the archways. Melons and cucumbers splayed this way and that. By late summer life was riotous in the garden.

And the scents and smells — basil, thyme and rosemary, in full sunlight, effervescing aromas into the air around them, the addictive smell of the good earth when trowel intrudes the surface to make room for planting a small pepper plant filled with so much promise. And the taste of vine-ripe tomatoes, so tomatoey (is that a word?) filling both palate and nose with the unique smell of this ubiquitous member of the nightshade family.

Birds were omnipresent throughout the gardening season. A pair of red-tailed hawks, screeching overhead, gave cause to gaze skyward; this pair bred, I think, in the nearby state-owned Patriots Hollow property. Catbirds regularly “meowed” from the bushes around me and a mockingbird regaled in song on a daily basis amidst the sweet whistling song of Baltimore Orioles.

Both Carolina Wrens and Song Sparrows often perched on the panel arches, probably eyeing which tomato they were going to pierce! Speaking of perched birds on panels — as I was harvesting cherry tomatoes on an October morning Emmy, one of my Springer Spaniels, flushed a bird from the ground. It flew toward me and momentarily perched on the top of a cattle panel. Suddenly and delightfully, three feet away at eye level was a resplendent male Black-throated Blue Warbler. Eye candy in the garden.

We found great joy in harvesting the bounty of vegetables and using them in various recipes. Swiss chard with raisins and pine nuts, collard greens with turkey bacon, various eggplant dishes, sautéed peppers and leeks, roasted tomatoes and beets, and fresh blueberries were but a few of the meals the “back 40”provided. Often the veggies never made it to the house — occasionally a salt shaker would accompany me to the garden. I’m not sure there’s anything tastier than a sweetened, freshly picked cherry tomato sprinkled with a little dash of salt.

I also found joy in composting. All the veggie discards from food prep ended up in a large jar regularly brought to the compost bin. With each jar dump the product of this year’s garden was being recycled, for use as a soil supplement next year, connecting this year to the next. I felt good about this, in knowing I wasn’t adding waste to the garbage stream the town picks up at curbside which is incinerated with the ash being dumped at the town landfill, but rather was used to make soil that will nurture the growth of future plants.

After the first year, I’ve learned a lot about gardening; things done well and things done poorly, some reflecting beginner’s luck while others were gained through experience and insight. What is most clear to me is that I obtained so much more than a bounty of tasty vegetables as I too gained a bounty of lessons, experiences and memories. This reminded me of one last quote by a gardener who noted: “I like gardening. It’s a place where I find myself when I need to lose myself.”

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

Parker

MEET PARKER!

This week’s shelter pet is Parker, an 8 to 9-year-old Chihuahua and COVID orphan currently waiting at the Smithtown Animal Shelter for his furever home.

Parker’s mom loved him very much and it shows. This little guy adores all people, cats and friendly dogs big and small. He was over-indulged by his prior owner and some bad habits developed. He has resource aggression and needs a home that is comfortable managing this, giving him strict rules and structure and a parent that understands he is 100% worth the effort.

Parker is adored by every person that meets him. Unlike most Chihuahuas, he loves meeting new people and going on adventures. This poor boy has been through the ringer and needs a family that won’t give up on him.

He is neutered, microchipped and up to date on his vaccines.

If you are interested in meeting Parker, please call ahead to schedule an hour to properly interact with him in the shelter’s Meet and Greet Room. The Smithtown Animal & Adoption Shelter is located at 410 Middle Country Road, Smithtown. For more information, please call 631-360-7575 or visit www.smithtownanimalshelter.com.

By Barbara Anne Kirshner

“My only hesitation about visiting the exhibit hall on July 3rd to write the article on your motorcycle exhibit is that my dachshund Park’s birthday is that day. I know it must sound silly, but I don’t want to leave him at home on his birthday. He’s a perfect little gentleman when he travels, so could I possibly bring him with me?”

The cheerful voice of the curator replied, “I love dogs. I don’t mind at all. In fact, I think it’s sweet you don’t want to leave him home on his birthday. Anyway, we’re very dog friendly.”

I assured her, “We have a stroller that he loves, so he won’t be just walking around the exhibit hall.” “No problem. I’m looking forward to meeting him,” she responded cheerily.

We arrived at the Ward Melville Heritage Organization’s Educational and Cultural Center, an impressive white colonial style building with black shutters anchoring Stony Brook Village, at the appointed time. We must have been a sight indeed with a long-haired dachshund in a stroller heading into the lobby.

A smiling woman with a bubbly voice met us. “Nice to meet you,” she extended her hand in greeting then looked in the stroller. “And this must be Park, the birthday boy.” Park’s head cocked to one side at the sound of his name. In addition to Park and his stroller, I was laden by my shoulder bag filled with writing pads and pens, my cell phone to record if necessary and my camera; all of which had to be juggled to accept the hand extended in greeting.

She led us into her office where I got a run-down of the fifty different bikes on display. Then she escorted us into the exhibition hall where a guided tour was provided.

As we strolled our way around each cycle with me snapping pictures and scribbling notes, the curator, a font of knowledge, filled in the historic facts connected to some of the cycles. My boy sat with his head leaning on the front bar of his stroller just taking in the sights and listening attentively to her explanations as if he understood and appreciated the information. I wrote feverishly trying to latch on to every word she spoke with back up of my cell phone recorder for anything missed.

Our tour lasted over two hours and at the end the curator marveled at how well-behaved Park was the entire time.

“Well, you must do something special for this very good boy,” she said.

“I intend to,” I agreed.

She suggested, “If you go back toward the main road, you will come to a fork, make the right, that will bring you up a hill toward the stores on the right and a big lawn, a park, on the left. He might enjoy the park.”

“Perfect,” I exclaimed. “Park does enjoy going to parks!”

We giggled at that, then Park and I took off in the direction of the lawn and quaint shops. We came upon a restaurant named Latitude 121 then but has since changed management and is now called Sweet Mama’s. This restaurant has an ice cream parlor in the front where Park and I stopped for a few scoops of vanilla. He licked the cup clean, then followed it up with a water chaser. Once satiated, we explored the great lawn fronting the Stony Brook Village shopping area.

An inviting bench seemed to call to us so we took up brief residence there. A slight breeze played with Park’s luxurious long ears as we sat immersed in this picturesque setting. In the distance, boats and kayaks glided leisurely over the tranquil waters of Long Island Sound. People on blankets or beach chairs dotted the lawn. Some passed by, smiled at my little man who seemed perfectly content to take in the summer day sitting by my side on that bench. A peacefulness embraced us. We were two friends who took a break from life’s hectic activity to cherish this moment in time on my boy’s birthday. We were happy, content, carefree, and undisturbed by the bustle of life.

A few weeks later, Park and I were back at Park’s bench, this time to celebrate my birthday. And every July 3rd and again on July 16th Park and I return to our Stony Brook bench that I nicknamed Park’s bench to celebrate our birthdays. We enjoy stepping out of our busy lives to luxuriate in the serenity of these pastoral surroundings.

Park is 14 years old now, but still healthy and strong. I don’t know how many future birthdays we will be blessed to share together, but even after he is no longer in this world, I will visit Park’s bench and give thanks for the times we spent here together. And I’m sure my boy will look down at me from his place in heaven and find some way to let me know he is still sitting next to me on Park’s bench.

Miller Place resident Barbara Anne Kirshner  is a freelance journalist, playwright and author of ‘Madison Weatherbee —The Different Dachshund.’

The Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce and the Port Jefferson Business Improvement District hosted Pumpkin Mania, a fun Halloween event featuring professional pumpkin carving demonstrations by Ian Cinco of Maniac Pumpkin Carvers LLC and a carved pumpkin contest on East Main Street in Port Jefferson Oct. 17.

Photos by Barbara Ransome and Kyle Barr

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Photo courtesy of Vanderbilt Museum
The Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum, 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport will thank First Responders, Frontline Workers, and their families by offering them complimentary admission on Saturday and Sunday, October 24 and 25, from noon to 5 p.m. “We salute the brave men and women who make sacrifices and face danger every day to respond to emergencies, work the front lines, and keep us safe during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Elizabeth Wayland-Morgan, executive director of the Vanderbilt.
(This includes police and firefighters, emergency medical technicians, teachers and school employees, utility and healthcare workers, cashiers in grocery and general merchandise stores, truck drivers, and people who work in food-processing, maintenance, and agriculture.)

“We’re offering free admission because these people are our neighbors and they provide essential services,” Wayland-Morgan said. “They risk physical injury and exposure to toxic substances and to the coronavirus,” she said. “It’s hard on their spouses, families and children. A fun day at the Vanderbilt is one way to thank them.”

Guests will be asked for ID cards or proof of affiliation.

The Hall of Fishes, the Vanderbilt marine museum, is open as are the collections galleries and the wild-animal dioramas. The Mansion living quarters remain closed. The Reichert Planetarium will remain closed until New York State permits theaters to reopen.

For more information, visit www.vanderbiltmuseum.org.

Photo from TVHS

It’s a sign of the times. The Three Village Historical Society’s 26th annual Spirits Cemetery Tour has gone virtual with a spooky stroll through yesteryear.

From Oct. 23 to Nov. 1, visitors to the Society’s website (www.tvhs.org) will be able to “Meander Through Memories” and enjoy a past Spirits Tour from 2008. Carolyn Hendrickson Strong (actor Holly Brainard), local resident and member of the first graduating class of female Army nurses, who valiantly served during both World War I and the flu pandemic of 1918-1920, has graciously agreed to guide viewers into the past. 

The Spirits Cemetery Tour is an annual event that functions as the introduction to the Society’s traditional fundraising season. Guides take groups of visitors through the Setauket Presbyterian and Caroline church cemeteries, where they interact with “spirits” who lived and died in the Three Village area. Dressed in a manner befitting the time and place from which they hail, these travelers regale audiences with tales of what their lives were like decades, even centuries, ago.

Due to COVID-19, the tour cannot proceed as it has in previous years. So, the virtual tour is a way for individuals to enjoy a remote walk through history and support the Society. Strong will introduce viewers to  citizens of the past — John Willse (John Broven); Celia Swezey Hawkins (Elizabeth Kahn Kaplan); Rachel Tobias Holland Hart (Nellie Edwards); Maria Smith Williamson (Stephanie Carsten); Reverend Zachariah Greene (Eric Waxman); and Captain Eleazer Hawkins (Chuck Glaser). Filmed on location in the cemeteries, these costumed interpreters of history reminisce about stories of triumph and tragedy, wonder and woe.

During the pandemic, the Society has moved its activities online, providing digital educational content, including interactive videos and a blog covering a variety of topics pertaining to the history of Long Island and New Yorkers of note. The Society has had to reimagine its fundraising efforts while striving to continue its mission for the public.

As a 501c3 nonprofit, the Society exists to educate people about this area’s rich cultural heritage as well as foster and preserve local history. It relies on donations and money raised through events and programs to support its educational initiatives throughout the year. Upon its launch on Oct. 23, the tour video will be available to the general public.

Although digital, the experience will still be immersive, as the audience gets to witness and listen to dearly departed residents speak through the actors portraying them. So, come meander through memories. Donations are suggested and appreciated. For more information about the upcoming Spirits Cemetery Tour and other outreach endeavors, please visit www. tvhs.org.

Chris and Christine Pendergast

By Fr. Francis Pizzarelli

Father Frank Pizzarelli

It’s hard to believe that autumn is upon us. There seemed to be no summer. The political rhetoric continues to be out of control providing little substance on social policy and a future direction for our nation. The virus seems to be getting a second wind and a record number of young people are overdosing and dying due to heroin and fentanyl. These deaths are escalating at an alarming rate.

Despite this troubling landscape, random acts of kindness continue. Essential workers continue to be heroic and ordinary citizens are reaching out and a making a difference that really does counts.

On the morning of Oct. 14, a local hero went home to his God after a courageous life living with ALS, having spent his life working for a cure and supporting others who have been burdened with this incurable disease.

Dr. Christopher Pendergast, a retired Northport School District science teacher from Miller Place had lived with ALS for more than 28 years — a real light in the darkness. He had been a tireless advocate for research regarding finding a cure. His public advocacy is legendary.

However, what people did not know was the thousands of people across three decades that Chris touched with his selfless compassion, love and empathy. If he knew you were diagnosed with ALS, he and his wife Christine would quietly reach out to offer support.

In 1997 Chris founded the Ride for Life which touched thousands of students and people all over Long Island. He was a prolific writer and a powerful and moving public speaker.

Two weeks before Chris died, we met to talk about his last days. He was concerned about entering hospice. He felt that after 28 years of teaching all of us how to live that maybe he didn’t do enough for others! He already planned his celebration of life after his death; from the wake to the funeral mass to his final resting place. He picked out the readings, the music and the people he wanted to participate in his services. He told me he did all of this so his wife and children would not be burdened when he passed.

On the Sunday before he died, Chris came with his wife Christine to the 12 noon Mass at St. Louis de Montfort Church in Sound Beach. That was his Mass — he went every Sunday until very recently. He and his wife were catechists who prepared young people from the parish for confirmation.

That Sunday I shared with his community that he had just begun hospice. On behalf of the community, I thanked Chris for his courage and his power of example all these years. I asked the community to extend their hands in blessing upon our brother.

At the amen, they gave him a standing ovation as a way of saying thank you. On Wednesday, October 14, he peacefully went home to God. The world is a brighter and better place because Chris Pendergast walked among us!

Fr. Pizzarelli, SMM, LCSW-R, ACSW, DCSW, is the director of Hope House Ministries in Port Jefferson.

Falling leaves and cooler weather signal the arrival of the Setauket Artists’ annual fine art exhibit at the Setauket Neighborhood House. Now in its 40th year, the event will be held from Oct. 25 to Nov. 17. What an exciting time for the organization where many of the artists have been together since the very beginning!

Exhibiting artists include Ross Barbera, Ron Becker, Eleanor Berger, Rina Betro, Joan Bloom, Kyle Blumenthal, Joyce Bressler, Renee Caine, Al Candia, Gail L. Chase, Anthony Davis, Julie Doczi, William Dodge, Marge Governale, William Graf, Melissa Imossi, Anne Katz, Flo Kemp, Karen Kemp, Celeste Mauro, Judith Mausner, Lorraine McCormick, Jane McGraw-Teubner, Terry McManus, Eleanor Meier, Fred Mendelsohn, Muriel Musarra, Iacopo Pasquinelli, Paula Pelletier, Joe Reboli, Dino Rinaldi, Joan Rockwell, Robert Roehrig, Irene Ruddock, Carole Link Scinta, Barbara Jeanne Siegel, Angela Stratton, Marie Lourdes Velez, Marlene Weinstein and Patricia Yantz.

Founded by Flo Kemp, the organization has been led by the group’s president Irene Ruddock for the last 15 years. “The health of our artists and community members are most important so we were not planning an in-person show. However, after learning that the New York State allowed art shows if all the guide lines were strictly followed, we decided to go ahead with our celebration,” said Ms. Ruddock. “Fellow artist, Dr. Frederick Mendelsohn is chairing the safety committee to ensure that all precautions are taken,” she added.

A grand opening reception is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 25 from noon to 4 p.m. and the group will host two open house weekends, Nov. 7 and 8 and Nov. 14 and 15 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Two oil paintings, “Eventide” by Margaret Governale and “Poquott Boats” by Al Candia, will be raffled off.

“We will be requiring social distancing of six feet, the wearing of masks, regular sanitizing, and allowing only a certain number of people in at a time as well as many other suggested NYS procedures,” said Dr. Mendelsohn.

Art lover Fred Bryant is honoring the organization again by being its sponsor which will pay for many of the organizations many expenses. This year, because of COVID, the organization needed an outdoor tent with heaters and pre-packaged snacks for people waiting to enter the show. “Fred’s generous contribution will certainly help defray those costs,” said Ms. Ruddock.

The outside tent with heaters will become the waiting area where smaller paintings and unframed paintings and prints will be exhibited. Light refreshments that are individually wrapped will be offered.

Every year, the artists choose an artist whom they honor. This year’s award goes to watercolorist Anne Katz. Ms. Katz is treasurer of the organization as well as being responsible for the brochure. “Anne is  truly dedicated  to this organization, a person who absolutely never says no to any request! We wonder how we would ever do without her. Her work in watercolor and oil is art at its best-luminous light with a joyous tone that speaks to her love of local Long Island scenes,” said Ms. Ruddock. 

The Setauket Neighborhood House, 95 Main St., Setauket presents the 40th annual Setauket Artists’ Exhibition daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Oct. 25 to Nov. 17 (closed Oct. 30 and 31). For more information, visit www.setauketartists.com.