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Family Fun Day heads to Stony Brook Village Center Sept. 30

by Press Release - September 24, 2023

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Join the Ward Melville Heritage Organization (WMHO) and the Stony Brook Fire Department (SBFD) for Family Fun Day in Stony Brook Village on Saturday, September 30^th with WMHO’s Annual Scarecrow Competition and the Stony Brook Fire Department’s Annual Fire Prevention Day and Open House from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. This event is free to the public.

Throughout the Stony Brook Village Center there will be over 35 scarecrows lining the sidewalks. Voting for WMHO’s Annual Scarecrow Competition will begin on Family Fun Day. Vote for your favorite scarecrow creation using ballots found in all shops and eateries in Stony Brook Village.

The SBFD Annual Fire Prevention Day and Open House will take place behind the Stony Brook Fire Department in Stony Brook Village. Here are several activities planned for people of all ages to enjoy!

— A Touch-A-Truck display allowing people of all ages to get an up-close look at big trucks and emergency vehicles such as firetrucks, ambulances, and the Brookhaven Town Fire Marshal’s Mobile Command Post.

— The SBFD will be providing a knockdown house, which allows kids to operate a fire hose to knock down flames in a mock-up of a small house.

— Stony Brook University Fire Marshal’s Office will attend with their Fire Extinguisher Simulator allowing members of the community to learn how to use a fire extinguisher first-hand.

— Terryville Fire Department will be present with a Fire Prevention/Safety Trailer which has the ability to teach fire safety within a simulated home and also what to do at the sound of a smoke detector.

— The Explorer Post #0528, will provide information to children about junior firefighting and provide firefighting gear that kids can try on.

— There will be giveaways for children and adults. SBFD plans to raffle off smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers while teaching community members the importance of safety with these items. Servpro will giveaway desktop calendars, activity books and pens/pencils

— The SBFD will demonstrate vehicle extrications and how to put out stove top fires throughout the day.

— Stony Brook Medicine will be in attendance with their Mobile Stroke Unit, a specialized ambulance designed to provide specialized, life-saving care to people within the critical moments of stroke.

To learn more about the Stony Brook Village Family Fun Day and to learn more about the WMHO, call 631- 751-2244.

Port Jeff’s annual Dragon Boat Race Festival prevails without main event

by TBR Staff - September 23, 2023

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By Aidan Johnson

Despite not having any dragon boat racing, the 9th annual Port Jefferson Dragon Boat Race Festival was filled with excitement and fun from start to finish Saturday, Sept. 16.

It was deemed early in the day unsafe to hold the boat racing due to rough water conditions in the wake of Hurricane Lee. The Greater Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce, the organization that hosts this annual tradition, opted for a tug-of-war competition between the dragon boat teams.

“We wanted to kind of create a competitive activity that the teams would embrace,” Barbara Ransome, the chamber’s director of operations, explained. After one of her team partners suggested the tug-of-war, Peter Murphy of Sea Tow Port Jefferson provided the festival with a 40-foot cord to use.

“As you can see, it was great fun and lots of competition,” Ransome added.

Denise Yazak, who was part of Brookhaven National Lab’s Crave the Wave team, took part in the competition. While she was disappointed that she could not serve her role as drummer — who helps keep the paddlers in rhythm and synchronicity, matching the drumbeat with the strokes of the front paddlers — she said she still had a great experience.

“It’s such a cool community-building event, and it’s great to connect with new people, see old friends,” Yazak said. “So even with the weather, it was still an amazing time.”

Vendors set up throughout the day in Port Jeff’s Harborfront Park. The festival also included performances such as karate demonstrations and a showcase from Taiko Tides, a traditional Japanese drumming group from Stony Brook University.

“It’s always exciting to come,” said Louis Truong, a member of Taiko Tides. “They’re always welcoming to us.”

Port Jefferson Deputy Mayor Rebecca Kassay said she was inspired by the number of individuals who turned out and the many different walks of life gathered for the same purpose.

“This festival, in particular, is a beautiful opportunity to build community bridges and celebrate the vibrancy of diversity,” Kassay said in a statement.

“The resilience and adaptability of festival-goers was inspiring as well, as they seamlessly shifted their competitive spirits from dragon boat races to tug-of-war competitions,” she added.

Setauket Harbor Day highlights local waterfront’s beauty

by TBR Staff - September 22, 2023

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By Aidan Johnson

The Setauket Harbor Task Force held its annual Setauket Harbor Day under sunny skies last Sunday, Sept. 17, despite initial concerns over bad weather.

The event included live music, environmental lessons and free boat rides at the hamlet’s dock and beach on Shore Road.

“The purpose of the event is to show people how beautiful the harbor is and the different activities that can happen along the harbor,” said Laurie Vetere, a Setauket Harbor Task Force co-founder with George Hoffman. “We also have a lot of environmental groups, so it [has an] educational purpose as well — to try and get the kids involved and just make everybody aware of the natural beauty.”

Town of Brookhaven Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook) attended the event, remarking upon Setauket Harbor Day as a way to help people learn how to preserve Long Island’s waterfronts.

“I think that for waterfront communities like ours, it’s one thing to enjoy it, and it’s another thing to be educated on how to preserve and improve it,” he said.

“This is basically an opportunity for us to get a lot of these educational groups out here and get them to interface with the public so that people … can get on board with some of the initiatives that we’re trying to do to protect the water quality,” he added.

Kornreich also doubled as one of the live music performers during the festivities.

Suffolk County Police to hold vehicle auction Sept. 23

by Press Release - September 21, 2023

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380661534_694208552738773_444526861664682154_n — Photo from SCPD Facebook

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Looking for a new set of wheels? Well here’s your chance!

The Suffolk County Police Department Impound Section will hold a vehicle auction on Saturday, Sept. 23 at the department’s Impound Facility, located at 100 Old Country Road in Westhampton. The auction will begin at 9 a.m. and will be held rain or shine.

There will be a vehicle preview on Thursday, Sept. 21 and Friday, Sept. 22 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the impound yard. Vehicles will also be available for preview for one hour prior to the start of the auction. Approximately 120 vehicles will be auctioned off including sedans, SUVs, pickup trucks, and vans. All vehicles will start with a minimum bid of $500 and are sold as-is.

For a full list of vehicles, registration information and terms and conditions for the auction, visit www.suffolkpd.org.

As of 2 p.m. on Sept. 22 this event was still on. To check to see if this event has been cancelled or postponed due to the weather, please call 631-852-6308.

Long Island Fall Festival returns to Heckscher Park in Huntington Oct. 6 to 9

by Heidi Sutton - September 20, 2023

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10-9-22-LI-Fall-Festival-0026-scaled — The Long Island Fall Festival 2022/Photo by Media Origins/TBR News Media

A beloved tradition is returning to Huntington. The Long Island Fall Festival heads to Heckscher Park for its 29th annual incarnation for Columbus Day weekend.

The largest of its kind in the Northeast, the Long Island Fall Festival has become the premiere event for family fun. Brought to you by the Huntington Township Chamber of Commerce and the Town of Huntington, this event attracts tens of thousands of families from all over the New York tri-state area to the 25 acres of beautiful Heckscher Park.

Truly a celebration of community spirit, this weekend event offers something for everyone. Attractions include three stages of live entertainment, a world-class carnival, hundreds of arts and craft vendors, international food courts, beer and wine pavilion, a farmer’s market, and numerous activities and entertainment designed especially for young children.

The festival begins with a carnival and live music on Friday, Oct. 6, from 5 to 10 p.m. On Saturday, Oct. 7, and Sunday, Oct. 8, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., attendees can enjoy the carnival and more live music as well as enter contests and purchase merchandise from street vendors. Over 300 merchants will line up along Prime and Madison streets, adjacent to Heckscher Park, as well as within the grounds of the park.

On Monday, Oct. 9, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., the festival will offer the carnival and in-park vendors for another day of fall fun.

Underwritten completely through corporate sponsorships, admission to the public is FREE. Dogs are welcome.

Heckscher Park is located at 2 Prime Avenue in Huntington. In addition to street parking, attendees can find free parking at the Huntington LIRR station and take a shuttle bus for $1 round trip. For more information and to get involved in this year’s Long Island Fall Festival, call 631-423-6100, or visit www.lifallfestival.com.

This article originally appeared in TBR News Media’s Harvest Times supplement on Sept.14.

Emma Clark Library to host Travel Presentation Club meeting Sept. 19

by Press Release - September 19, 2023

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Emma S. Clark Memorial Library, 120 Main St., Setauket will host a meeting of the Travel Presentation Club tonight, Tuesday, September 19 in the community room at 7 p.m. Janice and Jim Rohlf will make a presentation entitled “Adventures at Ningaloo Riff and the Kimberley, Western Australia.”

Western Australia’s Ningaloo Reef offers spectacular opportunities for viewing whale sharks. Whale sharks are as large as whales, but they are sharks. Like all sharks, their skeletons are made up of cartilages which help them swim fast and use less energy. Whale sharks are enormous but gentle fish found in tropical oceans. They can pose a risk to humans by accidentally swatting us with their tail if we swim too close. Long-time Travel club member Jim Rohlf succeeded in swimming with whale sharks, as you will see during the presentation. This particular adventure had been on his bucket list for some time.

Jim Rohlf and his wife Janice Rohlf are both Stony Brook University retirees. Jim was a Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolution from 1969 until his retirement. The Rohlf Medal in Geometric Morphometrics honors his work in the field. Janice headed the Governmental Relations office from 1988 until 2009. They are world travelers, having visited all 7 continents!

Please invite your friends, family and all to experience this thrilling expedition. Free and open to all.

Touch A Truck scouting recruitment events head to Kings Park and Huntington Sept. 23

by Press Release - September 18, 2023

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Spend the afternoon checking out an array of trucks and vehicles and learn about all the other fun things you can do as a scout! In conjunction with the Kings Park School District, Superintendent of the Kings Park School District Dr. Timothy Eagen, Walt Whitman Mall Shops, Town of Huntington, and the Suffolk County Police Department 4^th & 2^nd Precinct, the Matinecock District (Scouts BSA) will be holding this dual hands-on event for all youths in Suffolk and Nassau County on Saturday September 23 at the William T. Rodger Middle School (97 Old Dock Road) in Kings Park from 10 a.m. to noon and Walt Whitman Mall (160 Walt Whitman Road) in Huntington from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

You can attend any event you want, or you can stop by and check out both. At this free event, the youths and their family members will be able to touch and step into fire trucks, police cars, Town Trucks, Huge construction vehicles, Emergency Vehicles, Buses, Ply cars, SCC Police helicopters, and view the inside of an ambulance with a quiet hour from 10am-11am for our audio sensitive guests.

To learn more about the Boys Scouts of America and how you and your family can get involved and both boys and girls can be a part of a Cub Scout Pack, Boy Scout Troop, or Venture Crew, contact District Executive Tali Powell at [email protected]. You can also go to: beascout.org to find a local unit near you.

‘Always remember’: Mount Sinai FD honors the 9/11 fallen

by Raymond Janis - September 17, 2023

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Members of the Mount Sinai Fire Department during a 9/11 memorial service on Monday night, Sept. 11. Photo by Raymond Janis

Outside the Mount Sinai Fire Department at dusk on Monday night, Sept. 11, members of the Mount Sinai Fire Department held their annual commemoration for those who perished on that date 22 years earlier.

Firefighters gathered at the department’s 9/11 memorial, surrounded by family and community members, where they reflected upon the memory of those who died, recognizing the sacrifice of the first responders who had paid the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.

Chief Randy Nelson presides over the Mount Sinai Fire Department’s annual 9/11 memorial service. Photo by Raymond Janis

Department chaplain Micky Nassauer delivered the evening’s invocation, outlining the purpose of this annual occasion.

“On this solemn day of remembrance, may we honor the lives that were lost in this tragic act, and may we give thanks to those who served and saved,” he said.

Chief of Department Randy Nelson performed the annual bell ringing ceremony, which rang out in honor of the 343 New York City Fire Department members who laid down their lives in the line of service.

“We honor their supreme sacrifice,” Nelson said, “On this day and every day.”

In an address to the department, Nelson chronicled the events on that Tuesday morning as they transpired in real time. Despite the darkness and the destruction unleashed upon the city and nation, he maintained that the nation has persevered, offering a new approach to reflect upon that moment in history.

“The words ‘Never forget’ have become synonymous with September 11,” the fire chief said. “But as stated today by one of the victims’ family members, ‘Always remember’ is really the better approach.”

He advised, “Keep your memory of that day as a way to remember all that were lost.”

Long Island Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame and TeachRock announce teacher training workshops

by Press Release - September 15, 2023

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0-6 — Freeport teacher Stephanie Arnell is excited to teach the workshops this fall. Photo from LIMEHOF

As part of the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHoF) partnership with rock and roll legend Steven Van Zandt’s TeachRock organization announced earlier this year, LIMEHOF will host the first ever series of free TeachRock workshops for teachers sponsored by Harmony Insurance at LIMEHOF’s Stony Brook location, 97 Main Street, Stony Brook, on Sunday, September 17 and another on Sunday, October 15 both from 10:30 a.m. to noon.

TeachRock founder Steven Van Zandt at a TeachRock event. Photo from LIMEHOF

“We are so excited to give teachers this opportunity to learn more about Steven Van Zandt’s TeachRock curriculum and to give them some time to explore our museum,” said Tom Needham, LIMEHoF’s Educational Programs Director. “My hope is that this leads to many music themed lessons in the classroom and field trips to the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame moving forward.”

These are free workshop events, sponsored by Harmony Insurance, open to local area teachers with registration. Teachers can register on TeachRock’s workshop registration page https://teachrock.org/LIMEHOF/. The first workshop Intro to TeachRock followed by a 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop themed workshop.

The workshops will be taught by TeachRock Star Teacher Stephanie Arnell who is a veteran Freeport Public Schools educator who has helped her district embrace arts integration and had fun doing it! She’s excited to share her tips and the free TeachRock lesson plans she uses with local educators. All attendees are granted free access to the museum following the event and are eligible for NY CTLE credits through TeachRock.

“Looking at curriculum through a musical lens keeps students engaged while they don’t even realize they are learning,” said Arnell. “For example, learning the history of MLK Day through Stevie Wonder’s song “Happy Birthday” or using data from Beyonce’s Instagram account to practice calculating ratios. I’ve seen in my classroom the way students’ gravitate towards TeachRock lessons and I’m excited to spread that enthusiasm to teachers and students on Long Island.”

Launched in 2002 by Van Zandt and the Founders Board of Bono, Jackson Browne, Martin Scorsese, and Bruce Springsteen,TeachRock.org provides free, standards-aligned resources that use music to help K-12 students succeed in science, math, social studies, and language arts, among other subjects. TeachRock improves students’ lives by filling every classroom with the sound, stories, and science of music. Nearly 60,000 educators—representing all 50 states—are registered at Teachrock.org.

“TeachRock teachers don’t tell kids to take out their earbuds, they ask them what they’re listening to and then make connections between their favorite music and the core curricula they need to master to succeed in life,” said TeachRock founder Steven Van Zandt. “This partnership will help my TeachRock team create more of those educators whose cool class keeps kids coming to school.”

The workshops are made possible by Harmony Insurance. “Harmony Insurance is proud to sponsor TeachRock’s Long Island Music Workshops for teachers, aiming to inspire and educate through music,” Harmony Insurance said in a statement.

“We’ve seen for years how the shared interest in music helps forge connections between teachers and students, and every year we witness how arts-integrated math, science, and social studies classes pull students from the margins and inspire them to participate,” said Bill Carbone, TeachRock Executive Director. “We’re thrilled to partner with LIMEHOF to help as many LI teachers as possible get excited about inspiring their students through the arts.”

For more information about LIMEHoF’s education programs please visit https://www.limusichalloffame.org/teachrock/

14th annual Village Cup Regatta raises more than $90,000

by Heidi Sutton - September 15, 2023

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By Heidi Sutton

The 14th annual Village Cup Regatta, a friendly competition between Mather Hospital and the Village of Port Jefferson, set sail on Sept. 9 on the Long Island Sound for two good causes.

The Regatta consists of Yacht Club-skippered sailboat where employees from the Hospital and Village help crew the boats, which race in one of three classes based on boat size.

Presented by the Port Jefferson Yacht Club, the Regatta raises funds for Mather’s Palliative Medicine Program and the Lustgarten Foundation, which funds pancreatic cancer research. This year’s Regatta, which was won by the Mather team, raised $94,000 which was divided equally between the two groups. Mather Hospital’s Executive Director Kevin McGeachy accepted the Village Cup and the check for his team at a celebratory Skipper’s Reception at the Port Jefferson Village Center following the races. Mayor Lauren Sheprow represented the Port Jeff Village team.

Actor, director and local resident Ralph Macchio once again served as Village Cup Regatta Celebrity Ambassador for the event. Macchio has helped to publicize the important work of the two programs funded by the Regatta for the last ten years. His wife, Phyllis, is a nurse practitioner in Mather Hospital’s Palliative Medicine Program.

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