Michael Christodoulou of Edward Jones, 97 Main Street, Suite F in Stony BrookVillage has been recognized as being among the Forbes 2024 Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisors Best-In-State. The selection was based on research by SHOOK Research LLC, data as of March 2024. Among the selection criteria were assets under care, compliance records and best practices for serving clients. “I’m deeply honored … I am grateful to everyone who made this possible,” said Christodoulou in a statement.
SCWA CEO Jeff Szabo hoists the Long Island Water Conference’s drinking water tasting contest trophy with fellow SCWA employees. Photo courtesy of SCWA
The Suffolk County Water Authority recently received the trophy for winning the Long Island Water Conference’s 36th annual Drinking Water Tasting Contest. SCWA’s water was declared the best tasting among all Suffolk County water providers in May. The trophy commemorating the win was delivered to SCWA and will now be on display all year, until it passes on to the next winner in 2025.
Water from 14 providers from across Long Island were considered for the contest. The Bayville Water Department took home the title for Nassau County.
“The drinking water taste contest is always a fun time for us,” said SCWA Chairman Charles Lefkowitz. “It is great to see how we stack up against many of our fellow water providers, and our victory shows that our hard work is paying off. We are excited to have this trophy in hand and will be sure to display it with pride.”
More than 240 participants voted for their favorite tasting water and received exciting giveaways during the contest. The SCWA will also participate in the New York State Regional Metro Tap Water Taste Contest held in New York City to compete for entry into the statewide contest held at the Great New York State Fair.
The Suffolk County Water Authority is an independent public-benefit corporation operating under the authority of the Public Authorities Law of the State of New York. Serving approximately 1.2 million Suffolk County residents, the Authority operates without taxing power on a not-for-profit basis.
Runners at the starting line at Run the Farm. Photo from TOB
By Rita J. Egan
An annual race proves it can go the distance.
The organizers of the ShopRite Run the Farm 4-mile Run/Walk, which benefits Bethel Hobbs Community Farm in Centereach, will celebrate the event’s 10th anniversary on Saturday, Aug. 10. Brookhaven Town Clerk Kevin LaValle and Brookhaven Town Councilman Neil Manzella will co-host the annual challenge that ShopRite of Selden is sponsoring.
LaValle, former councilman for Brookhaven’s 3rd Town Council District, said he was pleased when Manzella expressed interest in helping to organize and host the race when he was elected to fill LaValle’s vacant seat last year.
Manzella said he’s happy to help and bring the race to the next level.
“Kevin has done such a fantastic job,” the councilman said.
He described the farm as a “hidden gem.”
“The 3rd District where I live is a very developed district, very business-oriented district, so to have this little farm tucked away in the middle of it, it’s just a nice change of pace,” Manzella said.
Before his tenure in the Town of Brookhaven, LaValle worked with the late Suffolk County Legislator Tom Muratore. He said that after the two visited the 11-acre community farm and met with its founder and director, Ann Pellegrino, they knew they had to help.
“Tom and I got back into the car after taking the tour, and literally, at the same moment, we both looked at each other and said, ‘We need to do something for this place,’ because that’s how much of an impression that first tour really meant to us,” LaValle said.
Runners take to the streets of Centereach for Run the Farm event. Photo from TOB
He added that while Muratore initially was able to secure county grants for the farm, when Suffolk County had to tighten its budget, the legislator couldn’t acquire the same funding he once did. LaValle, at the time a councilman, sat down with Pellegrino and discussed the idea of hosting a race, the proceeds of which would benefit the farm.
“It turned out to be a big hit,” Pellegrino said. “We get a good number of people, and they help us raise funds that go directly into the farm allowing us to do what we need to do.”
The farm provides produce for those experiencing food insecurity in the community. Over the years, it has also added an educational element where students can learn about farming. Volunteers help grow from 70,000 to 100,000 pounds of food donated to more than a dozen food pantries throughout the Island. The farm also has a stand where visitors can buy vegetables.
Recently, Pellegrino said one food pantry, which feeds more than 100 families over the course of a few days, stopped by for 200 bunches each of collard greens and Swiss chard.
She added that many race participants tell her they never knew the farm existed, and some have come back to visit. Others work for companies that will organize ways to give back to the community farm, whether by donating funds or physically helping out, after they hear about it from their employee.
“We get all walks of life and all age groups,” she said. “It’s pretty impressive seeing older runners run it when I know I can’t.”
Pellegrino, LaValle and Manzella all said they have never run in the race. While the elected officials mingle with participants as they cross the finish line and assist those representing community groups, such as Girl Scouts who hand out water, Pellegrino works at the farmstand. She said this year, she will have help and will be able to be at the start line, something she has only been able to do once since the event started.
Manzella said he would like to run in the race one day, especially after seeing his chief of staff, Thomas Heinlein, participate in the challenge and receive a trophy. The councilman added that last year, he was surprised that in the time it took him to walk from the starting line at Oxhead Elementary School to the farm, a shorter distance than the overall race path, someone was already approaching the finish line.
The race includes two miles of even terrain followed by two challenging miles, which include a mile of gentle slope followed by two demanding climbs. Runners begin at the elementary school, travel through the streets of Centereach and end at Bethel Hobbs Community Farm.
“It’s a challenge, and it’s a beautiful course,” LaValle said. “Runners love it. It’s through the streets of Centereach, so it’s very shaded throughout a lot of the course.”
On average, more than 250 runners enter the race, and approximately 100 to 200 people come to cheer participants on, the town clerk said. In each age group, there are awards for the top three runners, and there are also special recognitions, including awarding the fastest runner who is an active or past member of the military. People come from all over the Island to enter, LaValle added. In 2019, two winners, a father and son, were from France.
Soon after Run the Farm was created, it was made official by USA Track & Field and timed and kept track of like other official races. This year is the first time the 4-mile run/walk will have a lead sponsor, ShopRite of Selden. LaValle said Charles Gallagher, president of Gallagher Family Markets, which owns the supermarket, donated money to the event in previous years. One day while shopping, LaValle was talking with Gallagher, and he decided to be a lead sponsor to show his support for the community event.
Pellegrino said she’s grateful LaValle approached her about organizing a race 10 years ago.
The funds raised help with general expenses and larger projects. In the past, proceeds from the race have been used to repair the barn roof, update the irrigation system and construct a wheelchair garden. In the future, she said the farmstand will need some work.
“It’s just a tremendous help when the community comes together to support what we’re doing the way we’re doing it,” Pellegrino said.
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ShopRite Run the Farm 4-Mile Run/Walk will be held on Saturday, Aug. 10, rain or shine. Fun Run for children begins at 8:30 a.m., and the 4-mile challenge starts at 9 a.m. The cost to enter is $30 for those who pre-register and $35 the day of the race; $5 forchildren under the age of 10. The challenge starts at Oxhead Elementary School, 144 Oxhead Road, Centereach, and ends at Bethel Hobbs Community Farm, located at 178 Oxhead Road, Centereach. To register in advance, visit events.elitefeats.com/24runthefarm.
TAKE A BOW: Above, the winners of this year's Stony Brook Film Festival, from left, Daniel Rashid and Reilly Anspaugh (Chauncey), Tathagata Ghosh (If), Zach Finger (Mimesis), Axel Dahan (On the Paths Awakened), Ryan Ward and Mackenzie Leigh (Daughter of the Sun), Bradley Gallo (Audrey’s Children), Mediha Alhamad (Mediha), and Barnabas Toth (Mastergame). Photo from Staller Center
The 29th annual Stony Brook Film Festival, presented by Island Federal Credit Union, wrapped up with its closing night awards ceremony on July 27.The evening recognized the outstanding new independent films screened at the festival, which was held at Staller Center for the Arts at Stony Brook University from July 18 to 27.
This year’s festival brought together hundreds of directors and filmmakers and featured 36 films from 19 countries of which 13 standouts received awards.
GRAND PRIZE WINNER Mediha Alhamad, the subject and co-writer of the Grand Prize Award-winning ‘Mediha,’ with festival director Alan Inkles. Photo from Staller Center
Mediha took home the Grand Prize Award. Directed by Hasan Oswald, this masterful documentary chronicles the journey of a young Yazidi girl returning from ISIS captivity. Using her camera to process her trauma, she documents her experience while rescuers continue to search for her missing family members. The Grand Prize is given to films that have ‘wowed’ both the audience and the jury beyond what could be contained in the simple phrase ‘best film’ in this or that category. Mediha is the 11th film in the festival’s 29-year history that has received a Grand Prize and only the second time awarded to a Documentary Film.
Two short films won the audience’s hearts, resulting in a tie for this year’s Audience Choice Award for Best Short. The winners for this category included two of the youngest filmmakers to win an award in the 29-year festival history. Mimesis, a drama about a struggling alcoholic actor who finds solace in an audition for the role of therapist, and On the Paths Awakened, a WWII-era story of two French teens facing intimate conflicts as the resistance recruits them. The festival’s youngest filmmakers directed the two winning short films: 20-year-old Zach Finger from Long Island and 19-year-old Axel Dahan from France.
One feature that truly captivated the audience was Running on Sand, which took home the Audience Choice Award for Best Feature. Adar Shafran directed this heartfelt crowd-pleaser about a refugee from Israel who, facing imminent deportation, is mistakenly identified as a Nigerian soccer star at the airport. The film highlights the precariousness of refugees’ lives, the power of second chances, and the complex intersections of identity and survival.
The Spirit of Independent Filmmaking Award is for filmmakers who use a distinct indie perspective to bring their stories to life vividly. It is reserved for filmmakers who have created a standout film with very few resources, financial or otherwise. “When it looks and sounds great, plays great, creates its own world, and you would never suspect how hard the filmmakers worked to bring it to life on screen, then you’re watching the kind of film we give these awards to,” said Festival Programmer, Kent Marks.
Daughter of the Sun secured the honor of this year’s award. This vintage-feeling, breathtaking fantasy tells the story of a man with Tourette’s Syndrome and supernatural powers and his 12-year-old daughter navigating life on the run.
The festival also announced that one of the films received an especially rare award in the 2024 Dr. Gabriel Sara Humanitarian Award. In 2022, the Stony Brook Film Festival created an inaugural prize in honor of Dr. Gabriel Sara, who worked wonders in cancer at Mount Sinai in New York by treating patients with dignity through song, dance, and teaming up with some of the most caring individuals in healthcare. He went on to play a role not unlike himself in the film opposite Catherine Deneuve.
This year, the festival hosted a non-competing sneak preview of the film. Titled Audrey’s Children, it tells the story of Dr. Audrey Evans, who brought new treatments to pediatric cancer patients in the U.S. and went on to co-found The Ronald McDonald House.
The Jury Award for Best Short went to Where We Belong, the Jury Award for Directing given to Mastergame, and the Jury Award for Best Feature went to The Strangers’ Case. (To listen to a podcast interview with The Strangers’ Case writer and director Brandt Andersen with TBR News Media reporter Daniel Dunaief, visit www.tbrnewsmedia.com.)
Mastergame director Barnabás Toth, who attended the awards ceremony, said, “Being here as a filmmaker is special. Coming here is like a therapy, a cure for any kind of artist because people who create are appreciated here. So please continue to keep it that way.”
The Festival’s Opening and Closing Night Feature and Short films were also recognized, including Director Aexandre Arcady of The Blond Boy From the Casbah (Opening Night Feature), Christopher Doll, Director/Producer and Karoline Herfurth, actress of One Million Minutes (Closing Night Feature), Daniel Rashid, Director of Chauncey (Opening Night Short), and Tathagata Gosh, Director of If (Closing Night Short).
In addition to Island Federal’s generous support as presenting sponsor, additional sponsors for the Stony Brook Film Festival included News 12 Long Island; Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, LLP; Suffolk Arts and Film; Strata Alliance; and WLIW/PBS.
Students are asked to craft a story inspired by the above sea glass fragment.
By Daniel Dunaief
Daniel Dunaief
Once a piece of glass falls in the ocean, the magic begins.
Given an opportunity to enter the Whaling Museum & Educational Center of Cold Spring Harbor’s sea glass fiction writing contest, students from around Long Island accepted the challenge, offering a dynamic, exciting and inspiring range of stories.
Students from third grade through high school looked at the same piece of glass and developed stories filled with literary devices like onomatopoeia (where a word, like “whack” comes from a sound), personification and more.
The narratives ran the gamut from tales of mermaids to creations of new mythology to a search for meaning and identity.
Along the way, the writers seized on the opportunity to share the journey sea glass takes as it transitions from a sharp piece of glass into a smoother, colorful object.
Some of the stories offered vivid descriptions of the world beneath the waves, taking readers into a magnificent aquatic seascape.
Amid narratives about pirates and mermaids, some writers chose to address dramatic and challenging themes, weaving emotionally resonant stories that tackled broken families, alcoholism and infidelity.
As a judge for the contest, I was not only surprised by the directions these stories took, but was also appreciative of the combination of realism and fantasy that suffused the writing, the willingness to take chances, and the pieces of the writers I could hear through their imaginations.
The writers imagined the glass either as the centerpiece of an important story or as a passenger, observing the dynamics that define the way people interact.
Judging writing and fiction is a subjective process, with each judge bringing his or her own ideas to the process.
I’m glad I wasn’t the only judge and enjoyed the opportunity to consider why the readers at the Whaling Museum & Education Center of Cold Spring Harbor chose to rank the submissions in a particular order.
I invite TBR readers to immerse themselves in these entries and to enjoy the worlds these writers have created or, in some cases, reflected. You can see some of the entries in the Arts & Lifestyles section of this week’s papers.
As for the writers, I want to thank them for finding time in their lives to share their ideas and to create their own stories.
In a contest in which third through fifth graders could write up to 500 words, sixth through eighth graders, 750 words, and high schoolers, 1,000 words, they developed stories, backdrops and themes that offered complete narratives and that carried readers off the page.
I particularly appreciate how these writers found the time to prepare and submit an entry. Student lives are filled with activities and assignments. Homework, required reading, chores, and sports and theater practices, to name a few, fill busy schedules that rarely leave them time to add an extra assignment or challenge to their calendars.
And, of course, social media and virtual communication often require regular check-ins and updates. The modern-day student, after all, can’t take too long to answer an urgent text from a friend at the risk of becoming less of a confidant or of sliding down the social hierarchy.
And yet, somehow, even with the importance of staying plugged in, none of the sea glass stories included references to social media and none was told through the prism of a social media world.
I hope the students enjoyed the opportunity to write something outside the context of a graded assignment and that they reveled in the freedom to go in any direction, imagine any characters, and create excitement or drama that appealed to them.
As for what’s next, the museum plans to run the competition next year, giving new entrants the opportunity to unleash their imaginations.
Many of the stories shared similarities with the sea glass itself: they shined in the distance, becoming increasingly interesting on closer inspection.
Assemblyman Ed Flood (R,C-Port Jefferson) (pictured right) along with Farah (left) and Sean Parker (second to left) and Avery Parker (center) on June 17, 2024.
Throughout the last months of the school year, Assemblyman Ed Flood (R,C-Port Jefferson) sponsored a ‘There Ought To Be A Law’ contest for students in the 4th Assembly District. This week, Flood hosted a ‘There Ought To Be A Law’ ceremony to recognize the creativity and participation of the students at Terryville Road Elementary School in the Comsewogue School District. Avery Parker, a 5th-grade student, won the challenge with the most innovative proposal and was awarded an official Assembly Citation.
“I want to congratulate Avery for winning with the most creative proposal,” said Flood. “Her idea is to enhance protection and security on major social media sites by prohibiting them from requesting personal information. This is a major concern that needs to be addressed. Avery’s hard work is truly inspiring, and I commend her and the other 140 students who also participated and submitted wonderful ideas. Thank you to Superintendent Joe Coniglione, Teacher Ms. Reduto and Principal Annemarie V. Sciove for nurturing such incredible talent.”
Andreas Simoni and Andrew Smith row in double scull for the Port Jefferson Rowing Club.
Photo courtesy Mary Smith
BySabrina Artusa
The Port Jefferson Rowing Club sent four boats to the U.S. Rowing Youth National Championships, where all four boats competed in the top heat.
Teammates Andrew Smith, 18, and Andreas Simoni, 18, rowed especially well in their double scull, consistently ranking at the top of their heat in the time trial on June 6 and the semifinals on June 7.
Both athletes began rowing competitively around a year earlier in the Port Jefferson Rowing Club, a nonprofit aimed at bringing novices into the sport.
The pair kicked off the competition by placing second in the time trial, completing 2,000 meters in 6:25.52 — 25 milliseconds behind first place and more than five seconds ahead of the next boat.
In the time trial, the boats don’t line up and begin at the same time as they do in the semifinals and finals, but start intermittently. Each boat gets what Smith compared to a “running start”: after leisurely rowing along, the boat is signaled to begin racing after passing a certain point.
As a result, Smith and Simoni were unaware of how they performed compared to the 23 other boats. When they realized how they fared next to other state champions across the country, they were ecstatic.
“It felt amazing. It was so awesome,” Smith said of the moment when, after returning to the dock, they overheard their neighbors say a team called the Port Jefferson Rowing Club got second place. “You just do your best and hope that you made it,” he added.
In the semifinals the next day, the pair maintained their top-notch performance, ranking first in their heat of eight with a time of 6:48.64.
On Sunday, the day of the final competition where Smith and Simoni were set to compete in Final A, the pair encountered a mishap that, unfortunately, cost them a medal.
At the beginning of the race, Smith slid off his seat, and both rowers had to stop rowing until he was resituated. The incident was attributed to an equipment mishap.
“I was just proud that I made it there and of the times. The times showed that we would have done much better if not for the equipment failure. We possibly would have gotten first or second,” Smith said. “I was just proud that my boat made it to nationals. It was very stiff competition.”
At five years old, the Port Jefferson Rowing Club is relatively new compared to clubs in other states where rowing is more popular. Despite this, the team has achieved success under their three coaches: James Finke, former assistant coach at Harvard University; Jarek Szymczyk, who coached single men’s sculls at the Rio Olympics; and Anna MacDonald, a coach at Stony Brook School.
“We definitely train hard,” said Finke, founder of the club. “We balance between training hard and having a lot of fun.”
“Here, our mission is to make rowing more visible and more attractive to these athletes,” he said.
The club may be intended to attract novices to the sport, but Finke believes that what his team lacks in experience, they make up for in technique.
“Our main philosophy on coaching is making sure our kids have superior technique on the strokes.”
Simoni, who has committed to rowing at the University of California, Berkeley, and Smith began rowing together a couple of months ago after achieving similar times in a singles competition.
“When we got in the boat together, everything clicked and everything felt very good. We just fell into sync and just rowed,” Smith said.
Hugh Macdonald, another member of the club, ranked well in the competition. He scored second in the under-17 singles race but caught a fever before the final, according to Finke. Macdonald raced in the final despite feeling unwell and ranked seventh.
The girls in the under-15 quad race, Sylas MacDonal, Honora Riley, Olivia Timmons, Tatiana Garrison, and Zihe Zhou, also finished fourth.
From left, Mike De Caro, Alvin Hall, Saro Varjabedian at The People's Film Festival. Photo courtesy of WMHO
Filming for the documentary took place at the Three Village Inn on Feb. 18, 2022.
Photo courtesy of WMHO
The Ward Melville Heritage Organization (WMHO) has revealed that the documentary Driving the Green Book, which features the historic Three Village Inn in Stony Brook, has won ‘Best Documentary’ at The People’s Film Festival in Harlem. The announcement was made in a press release on June 11.
On February 18, 2022, WMHO had the distinct pleasure of hosting filmmakers Saro Varjabedian, Mike De Caro, and Alvin Hall at the Three Village Inn. They discussed the Inn’s mention in the Green Book, an annual guidebook for African American travelers during segregation, highlighting safe and welcoming establishments across the nation.
In Driving the Green Book, WMHO President Gloria Rocchio explores the connection between the Green Book and the Three Village Inn, which was owned by philanthropist and businessman Ward Melville. She also delves into the history of the Dogwood Hollow Music Festivals in Stony Brook, which featured legendary African-American performers such as Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie from 1955 to 1970.
“WMHO is honored to have contributed to a project that sheds light on an important part of American history,” read the release.
From left, Joe Pokorny, Deputy CEO for Operations; Charley Golub; Alexandra Bachman; Piper Desoye; Abby Adams; Srisha Dey; and Theodore Kamm. Photo courtesy of SCWA
The winners of the annual student poster contest held by the Suffolk County Water Authority were honored at an event on May 21 at SCWA’s Education Center in Hauppauge. Six students from grades kindergarten through the 8th grade were selected for their artwork that showed the importance of water and ways that it can be protected. More than a hundred entries were submitted by students from across Suffolk County.
Deputy CEO for Operations Joe Pokorny presented the awards and praised the winners, stating, “These young artists have captured the essence of our mission—to safeguard our precious water resources. Although we could only pick a few winners, across the board the students showed their understanding of the importance of water. Their creativity and commitment to environmental stewardship inspire us all.”
Two winners were selected from each age group. Srisha Dey (Parliament Place Elementary, North Babylon) and Theodore Kamm (Park View Elementary School, Kings Park) were selected in the kindergarten to 2nd grade group. Alexandra Bachman and Piper Desoye (both of Lloyd Harbor School, Cold Spring Harbor) for the 3rd to 5th grade group. Abby Adams (West Hollow Middle School, Melville) and Charley Golub (Paul J. Gelinus Jr. High School, Setauket) for the 6th to 8th grade group.
Each winner received a certificate of achievement in recognition of their outstanding work. Their posters will be prominently displayed in the SCWA Education Center throughout the year, helping to educate visitors about drinking water and how to best protect this critical resource.
The Lefferts Tide Mill & Preserve is sponsoring a Label Design Contest for photographers and artists!! The winning image of this 18th-century tide mill will be printed on the labels of a custom brew issued by Six Harbors Brewing Company this August, and the winner will be celebrated at a special awards ceremony at the brewery.
The Label Design Contest is open to photographers and artists. We will accept one black-and-white and/or one-color entry. The label specs are 8×4.8125″ with .125″ bleed around. We will accept landscape orientation photos and drawings.Photos and camera-ready art should be submitted toClaudia Fortunato-Napolitano, Executive Director, at [email protected] or mailed to Lefferts Mill at P.O. Box 1482, Huntington, NY 11743, by June 30, 2024.
If you are a photographer or an artist, be creative! It is our mission to restore the eighteenth-century Tide Mill & Dam. As such, a barge is filled with tools in front of the Tide Mill.Your goal is to capture the essence of the Tide Mill, either with the barge or without.
“The Lefferts Tide Mill is a place where you can capture the essence of the beautiful setting that has been home to the Tide Mill for 231 years,” commented Claudia Fortunato-Napolitano, the Executive Director.
For creative inspiration, take a tour of the mill operated by the Huntington Historical Society, paddle your kayak to the end of Puppy Cove, or visit us at www.leffertstidemill.org .
The Lefferts Tide Mill & Preserve is a not-for-profit organization, established in 2013, with a mission to preserve and protect an 18th century tide mill, located in the Village of Lloyd Harbor, that is the best-preserved tidal grist mill in the United States.The mill design is based on U.S. Patent No. 3 for an “automatic mill” signed by President George Washington.The mill pond has flourished into a haven for native and migratory waterfowl, contributing significantly to the region’s biodiversity.
For more information, contact Claudia Fortunato-Napolitano at [email protected] .
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