Party City at 610 Broadhollow Road in Melville is closing in May. The announcement was made on March 12. “Party City routinely evaluates our portfolio of stores in response to ongoing consumer, market and economic changes that naturally arise in the business. After careful consideration, the Melville store location will close on May 2, 2020,” the Elmsford, New York-based party supply chain said in a statement.
The store, which shares a shopping center with a Fortunoff Backyard Store, Suburban Eats and Moe’s Southwest Grill, joins over 55 other Party City locations to shutter over the past two years. After the closing, 13 stores remain on Long Island including Centereach, Commack and Stony Brook.
This week’s shelter pet is Peggy, a six-month-old female domestic shorthair kitty currently waiting to be adopted at the Smithtown Animal Shelter.
Peggy came to the shelter as part of the town’s trap-neuter-release program, and she instantly started looking for affection. Peggy is gentle and shy, but she loves to be loved by people! She’s great with children and would do well in a home with other cats. Peggy unfortunately has a ruptured ear drum that causes her to have a chronic stuffy nose. Her perfect home would be a quiet place where she can cuddle and play all day.
Peggy is up to date on her vaccines and has received a full workup (blood work, feline HIV and leukemia tested, physical exam, etc.) by a board-certified veterinarian. If you are interested in meeting Peggy, please call ahead to schedule an hour to properly interact with her in their Meet and Greet room.
The Smithtown Animal & Adoption Shelter is located at 410 Middle Country Road, Smithtown. Walk-in hours are currently Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Sundays by appointment only. For more information, call 631-360-7575.
Joseph Lloyd Manor. Photo courtesy of Preservation Long Island
Preservation Long Island, a regional preservation advocacy nonprofit based out of Cold Spring Harbor, recently announced the launch of The Jupiter Hammon Project, an initiative that aims to expand interpretive and educational programming at the Joseph Lloyd Manor, an 18th-century Long Island manor house owned and operated by Preservation Long Island.
The goal is to engage the site more fully to reflect the multiple events, perspectives, and people that shaped the house’s history including Jupiter Hammon (1711– ca.1806), the first published African American author who was enslaved by the Lloyd family and whose work was published during his lifetime.
Jupiter Hammon’s life and writings offer an exceptionally nuanced view of slavery and freedom on Long Island before and after the American Revolution. His works are especially significant because most literature and historical documents from the eighteenth century were not written from an enslaved person’s point of view. Consequently, Hammon’s writings provide powerful insights into the experience of the enslaved, as well as the social and moral conflicts slavery raised in the newly formed United States.
The Project will include a series of collaborative roundtables discussing the legacy of enslavement on Long Island and the life of Jupiter Hammon. Three public roundtable events have been tentatively scheduled during the summer of this year. Moderated by Cordell Reaves, Historic Preservation and Interpretation Analyst, New York State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, the discussions will be held at the Weeksville Heritage Center in Brooklyn on June 20; the Suffolk County Historical Society in Riverhead on July 11; and the Joseph Lloyd Manor in Huntington on August 8 in an effort to bring together scholars and professionals with local residents, descendent communities, and other diverse stakeholders across Long Island.
These discussions will help develop a new interpretive direction for the historic Joseph Lloyd Manor that encourages responsible, rigorous, and relevant encounters with Long Island’s history of enslavement and its impact on society today.
This innovative project will also provide educational content for the development of revised school curricula and serve as a model approach to program development for other sites of enslavement in the region. It will foster collaborative relationships with local descendants and community stakeholders so that their voices continue to shape PLI’s mission of stewardship, advocacy, and education.
Kicking off the Jupiter Hammon Project is the Literary Landmark Ceremony tentatively scheduled for Saturday, May 30. United for Libraries and the Empire State Center for the Book will recognize the house where Jupiter Hammon lived and wrote (the Joseph Lloyd Manor) as a Literary Landmark. The unveiling of the bronze plaque recognizing Jupiter Hammon and the significance of the Joseph Lloyd Manor will take place as well as poetry readings and tours of the house.
For more information or to register for this free event, call 631-692-4664 or visit www.preservationlongisland.org.
The Centereach store on Middle Country Road promotes clearance sales on March 13.
Photo by Heidi Sutton
All stores on Long Island to close
Modell’s Sporting Goods, the nation’soldest, family-owned and operated retailer of sporting goods, athletic footwear and active apparel is going out of business.
Fourth-generation owner Mitchell Modell made the announcement last Wednesday after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and allowing for the liquidation of all of its 153 stores located in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC. beginning March 13.
Founded in 1889 by Morris A. Modell, the first Modell’s store was located on Cortlandt Street in lower Manhattanaccording to the company’s website.
The retailer known for its “Gotta Go to Mo’s” ad slogan joins several other sporting goods giants including Sports Authority to shutter in recent years as online retail hurt brick-and -mortar sales.
The decision will affect 14 stores on Long Island including Rocky Point, Shirley, Centereach, Bohemia, Commack, Bay Shore and Huntington Station. The Riverhead and Farmingdale locations were closed last year.
“While we achieved some success, in partnership with our landlords and vendors, it was not enough to avoid a bankruptcy filing amid an extremely challenging environment for retailers,” Modell said in a statement on March 11.
“This is certainly not the outcome I wanted, and it is one of the most difficult days of my life … but I believe liquidation provides the greatest recovery for our creditors,” he added. The stores began liquidation sales on March 13.
Although the retailer did not announce it’s last day, Modell’s website states that online sales will continue during the process; Modell’s gift cards, MVP awards and returns with a receipt will be accepted through April 15; the Modell’s credit card and the Modell’s Visa card will no longer be accepted; and competitor’s coupons will no longer be honored.
'The Great Migration' 2019 Best-in-Show winner by Bryan Ray Image from Gurwin Jewish
Gurwin Jewish Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Commack invites all amateur photographers, including students, to submit entries for its 27th Annual Photo Contest. Winners of the unique contest have the distinct honor of not only receiving recognition and prizes for their work, but also the privilege of helping to enhance the lives of those who live and work at Gurwin as winning photographs are permanently displayed throughout the facility.
Those selected will be invited to a reception at the Gurwin Center (TBA) where they will receive their cash prize, award certificate and/or crystal trophy. Photographers may submit up to seven printed color or black-and-white 8×10 or 8×12 photographs for a fee of $5 per entry.Entry forms are available for download online at www.gurwin.org/about/photo-contest or by calling 631-715-2568.The deadline for submissions is April 15.
CAC Theater Operations Director Ryan T. Perry with Barry Sonnenfeld
Barry Sonnenfeld being interviewed by Waldo Cabrera, Producer of MyLongIsland
CAC's co-director Dylan Skolnick with Barry Sonnenfeld
Kristen Ryan Shea
Jeremy Schwartz
The Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington had a charmingly “kooky” evening on March 5 with renowned film director Barry Sonnenfeld.
Cinema Arts Centre co-director Dylan Skolnick interviewed Barry Sonnenfeld on stage, showing a series of clips from Sonnenfeld’s films (including The Addams Family with Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston, and Get Shorty with John Travolta and Gene Hackman).
Sonnenfeld, a noted raconteur, cinematographer for When Harry Met Sally and Big, and then director of the Men in Black trilogy and Coen Brothers films as well as the two Addams Family movies, held forth hilarious stories that were “creepy, spooky, and altogether ooky,” to the delight of the CAC audience.
Afterwards, in a reception with entertainment by New York Times acclaimed jazz guitarist Mike Soloway, attendees met Sonnenfeld personally as he signed copies of his new book, “Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother: Memoirs of a Neurotic Filmmaker.” The event was curated and produced by Jud Newborn, the Cinema Arts Centre’s Curator of Special Programs, as part of his on-going series of celebrity guest appearances.
Participants shave their heads for a good cause. Photo from Christopher Pollina
Garrett Benz after having his head shaved. Photo from Christopher Pollina
Shavees and donors take time out for a picture. Photo by Rita J. Egan
Amanda Bellavance finishes shaving Connor McCrain’s head. Photo by Rita J. Egan
David Tracy from Three Village Dads takes a turn in the chair. Photo by Rita J. Egan
Visitors to a Stony Brook bar and restaurant were looking for more than food and drink March 15, they were aiming to help out a good cause.
The Bench hosted a St. Baldrick’s Day fundraiser Sunday where participants got their heads shaved to raise funds for childhood cancer research. Lead organizer Christopher Pollina said with donations and a company match, participants surpassed the total event goal of $20,000.
According to the organizer the nonprofit group Three Village Dads raised more than half of that amount, and its foundation donated an additional $1,000.
Rob Meo raised the highest amount of the day with $5,000. During the event, Boy Scout troops 70 and 427, both from Setauket, stopped by to have their heads shaved by Amanda Bellavance of Dapper Cuts Barbershop and donate funds. Music was provided by Mike Rutowitcz of Sound’s Alive Entertainment.
Pollina and co-organizer Scott Montekew were pleased with the results from the second annual event at The Bench.
“We topped last year’s $12,500 raised, even during this trying time of COVID-19,” Pollina said.
Katrina Denning, Erica Kutzing and Jenny Luca are the three in charge of Brookhaven’s new TNR task force. Photo by Kyle Barr
A new pilot trap, neuter and release program will look to stem the tide of the growing feral cat population in the Town of Brookhaven. Such has been the efforts of local animal activists who for months have advocated for official help in what seemed an insurmountable problem.
Erica Kutzing, a Sound Beach resident and vice president of North Shore-based Strong Island Animal Rescue League, said she and others believe it will allow for better outcomes and success rates for feral cats.
Strong Island Animal Rescue joined with local animal activists and Brookhaven town to set up the new task force. Photo by Kyle Barr
“It meant a lot to us to help solve this real issue,” she said.
Kutzing, Katrina Denning, founder of the Jacob’s Hope Rescue, and Jenny Luca, among others attended a number of Town Board meetings from October to December 2019, discussing the need for Brookhaven to provide more assistance to local animal rescue groups in the ongoing feral cat crisis.
“The TNR [Trap-Neuter-Return] program at that time was broken and needed to be fixed,” Kutzing said.
At the end of December, the trio were given the opportunity to meet with Supervisor Ed Romaine (R) and Town Board members to talk about the status of the program. In two separate meetings, animal rescue advocates discussed ways they could improve the program and ease the burden on local rescue groups.
After some weeks of negotiations, town officials agreed to put the trio in charge of the task force. The town also decided to increase the original program’s budget from $40,000 to $60,000, began a partnership with Medford-based veterinary clinic Long Island Spay & Neuter, and will pay professional trappers to help capture feral cats.
The pilot program was officially announced at the March 12 board meeting, classified as a “Program for the Public Good,” thereby qualifying it for coverage under the town’s public good insurance.
“We are moving in a direction to reduce the population of feral cats — we believe the best way to deal with this issue is to work with nonprofits, who are extremely committed people,” Romaine said. “Limiting the population is the right thing to do for the community.”
Councilwoman Valerie Cartright (D-Port Jefferson Station) said the feral cat population on Long Island has been increasing drastically over the years, with a significant amount being located in Council District 1.
“The town was able to develop the pilot program with significant community input from the rescue organizations,” she said in a statement. “We are anticipating success of the pilot program and we appreciate the community groups working collaboratively with the town.”
Denning said they were pleasantly surprised that town officials put them in charge and supported their ideas. She expects to see improved results once the program is set up, especially with Dr. John Berger, a veterinarian at Long Island Spay & Neuter, in place to perform the procedures.
“The way it was done before was just not working,” she said. “We needed someone who was skilled with dealing with a high volume of feral cats. Dr. Berger is trained to do a large number of surgeries.”
In turn, Denning said it will allow them to get more cats fixed and treated than before.
“We will be doing clinics and specifically have a block of time where Dr. Berger can deal with a mass quantity at once,” she said. “We will be able to treat 20-30 cats and deal with entire colonies.”
Feral cats in a wooded area in Mount Sinai eyes humans entering its habitat. Photo by Kyle Barr
In addition, the group will come up with a list of approved trappers who will “go out and capture these feral cats instead of the homeowners who are not as experienced,” Denning said. “We will be paying them for their work and incentivize them to go out more, now they don’t need to spend their own money on supplies.”
Luca, who has been an independent rescuer for the past 10 years, said the new program will allow them to do more in helping feral cats.
“Cats are on every block on Long Island — we were very limited in what we could do before,” she said.
Luca said with added support they will be able to use funds to buy new equipment like drop traps to ensure they’ll be able to capture more feral cats.
Another aspect of the program is public education.
“Educating people is huge — we are looking for individuals/volunteers who are interested in learning what we do and help us, it would be great,” Luca said.
Kutzing said surgery appointments will be twice a month at the clinics and they expect the program to be up and running sometime in April.
In the meantime, the trio is excited for
the opportunity.
“It is incredible what we’ve been able to do,” Kutzing said. “It has been such a rewarding experience.”
This week’s shelter pet is Bullet,a 1-year-old Weimaraner mix from Texas. This handsome boy loves to run around and play, is good with other dogs and walks really well on a leash.
Bullet would do best in a home where the family is home often due to some separation anxiety issues. He’s very people friendly and loves to give hugs. Bullet is patiently waiting for his new snuggle buddy to come adopt him! He comes neutered, microchipped and is up to date on all his vaccines.
Kent Animal Shelter is located at 2259 River Road in Calverton. The adoption center is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information onBullet and other adoptable pets at Kent, call 631-727-5731 or visit www.kentanimalshelter.com.
Prev
