Events

BRINGING SAM COOKE TO LIFE Darrian Ford will perform the Cooke Book at The John W. Engeman Theater on June 20.
Thursday June 15

St. Philip St. James Family Festival 

Saints Philip & James Roman Catholic Church, 1 Carow Place, St. James will host their 2023 Family Festival today from 6 to 10 p.m., June 16 and 17 from 6 to 10:30 p.m. and June 18 from 5 to 9 p.m. This family friendly annual festival features exciting carnival rides for all ages by Newton Shows, delicious festival eats and carnival treats, games and  prizes, and fun for the entire family. Free admission, pay-one-price rides or individual rides. 631-584-5454   

Friday June 16

St. Philip St. James Family Festival

See June 15 listing.

Third Friday at the Reboli

The Reboli Center for Art and History, 64 Main St., Stony Brook continues its Third Friday series with an informative talk by fashion designer Celine Chen from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Chen will educate guests on her life, her experience working in the fashion industry, her experience running a business and some interesting similarities and differences between the fashion industry in China and America. Light refreshments and snacks will be served. Free, no reservations required. 631-751-7707

Pride Concert

The Long Island Gay Men’s Chorus celebrates its 15th anniversary season with a free concert at Middle Country Public Library, 101 Eastwood Blvd., Centereach at 7 p.m. Titled “Why We Sing,” the performance is a wide-spanning musical celebration of the LGBTQ+ community featuring some of the members’ favorites selections from the last 15 years of concerts. 631-585-9393

Saturday June 17

St. Philip St. James Family Festival

See June 15 listing.

International Day of Yoga

The Meadow Club, 1147 Route 112, Port Jefferson Station hosts a free United Nations 10th International Day of Yoga from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Participate in yoga, meditations, ayurveda, pranayama, reiki, sound healing, and so much more. Bring your family and friends, meet the speakers — enjoy an offering of vegetarian fare if you wish for $35. RSVP at www.learnwithmasters.com. 

All Souls Treasure Sale/Bake Sale

All Souls Church, 61 Main Street, Stony Brook will hold a Treasure/Bake Sale on the lawn of the church starting at 9 a.m. There will treasures, home-baked goods, hot dogs and refreshments as well.  Proceeds to benefit All Souls’ Handicap Accessibility Project.  Call 631-241-2775 for more details.

Strawberry Festival/Tag Sale

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, 716 Route 25A, Rocky Point present their annual Strawberry Festival and Church Tag Sale from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with delicious food and desserts, bake sale, HUGE Tag Sale, gift basket raffles, crafts, local vendors, bounce house and children’s activities. 631-744-9355 

Wet Paint Festival

Join Gallery North for its 19th annual Wet Paint Festival, an outdoor event that provides the community with the unique opportunity to watch Long Island’s plein air painters as they capture the area’s historic and natural beauty, at Old Field Farm, 92 West Meadow Road Setauket today and June 18 from  10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with live music, nature tours, kids activities and more. Rain dates are June 24 and 25. Free. 631-751-2676, www.gallernorth.org

Kings Park Day

Come on down! The Kings Park Chamber of Commerce presents the 45th annual Kings Park Day at the Library Municipal Parking Lot, 1 Main St., Kings Park from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Enjoy a craft fair with over 100 vendors, international food court, live music, kids activities, and more. Perfect Father’s Day gift shopping. Free admission. 631-846-1459.

Spring Craft and Flea Market

Harborfields Public LIbrary, 31 Broadway, Greenlawn will host a Spring Craft and Flea Market on its circular driveway from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The outdoor fair will feature craft vendors, local businesses, and flea market items from individual sellers. Held rain or shine. 631-757-4200

Farmers & Artisans Marketplace

Farmingville Residents Association hosts a Farmers, Artisans and Friends Marketplace at Triangle Park, corner of Horseblock Road and Woodycrest Drive, Farmingville from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. featuring over 45 vendors selling local produce, handmade and homemade items and flea market treasures with live music by Visco & McNeill. 631-260-7411.

Freedom Day Celebration

The Town of Brookhaven will hold its 9th annual Juneteenth Freedom Day Celebration at the historic Longwood Estate, 205 Longwood Road in Ridge from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in recognition of the 157th anniversary of the end of slavery in 1865. Included is a BBQ picnic, games, music, dancing and activities for the entire family. For TOB residents only. Visit www.BrookhavenNY.gov/Juneteenth or call 451-2627 to RSVP.

Father’s Day on the Farm

Join Benner’s Farm, 56 Gnarled Hollow Road, East Setauket for a Father’s Day Special Weekend today and June 18 from noon to 4 p.m. before the farm closes for the season. Featuring antique trucks and tractors on display, farm implements, home-made ice cream making, the Big Swing, and visits with the farm’s baby animals. The Little Store will also be open offering eggs, maple syrup, T-shirts and more. Admission is $12 adults, $10 children, free for all fathers. 631-689-8172

Northport Pridefest

The Village of Northport will host a Pridefest in the Park at Northport Village Park from 1 to 4 p.m. Enjoy a “pre-tea” afternoon music festival, with a brief program, and vendors located harborside at the foot of Main Street. Some locations  will host “tea” starting at 4 p.m., and the Northport Historical Society Museum will present a PRIDE pop-up exhibit. www.northportpridefest.com

Juneteenth Celebration

Town of Huntington will celebrate Juneteenth with a day filled with dancing, food, music, Double Dutch tournament, history, drummers circles and more at Heckscher Park, 2 Prime Ave., Huntington from 1 to 7 p.m. The event will include an art activity with Art League of Long Island from 1 to 3 p.m. and free admission to the Heckscher Museum of Art. Bring seating. Free. www.heckscher.org

Sunday June 18

St. Philip St. James Family Festival

See June 15 listing.

Wet Paint Festival

See June 17 listing.

Father’s Day on the Farm

See June 17 listing.

Father’s Day at the LIM

In honor of Father’s Day, the Long Island Museum, 1200 Route 25A, Stony Brook offers free admission to fathers and grandfathers from noon to 5 p.m. Spend some quality time together exploring the museum’s latest exhibits: Picturing America’s Pastime and  Home Fields: Baseball Stadiums of LI and NYC and visiting the state of the art Carriage Museum. 631-751-0066

Juneteenth Walking Tour

The Northport Historical Society, 215 Main St., Northport celebrates Juneteenth with a Black History Walking Tour at 1 p.m. and again at 3 p.m. Researcher Ceylan Swenson will offer attendees a new perspective on familiar locations and tells the stories of the generations of Black families who lived in and around Northport. Tickets are $10 per person. To register, call 631-757-9859 or visit www.northporthistorical.org. 

Monday June 19

TVHS lecture

Three Village Historical Society continues its lecture series at the Setauket Neighborhood House, 95 Main St., Setauket at 7 p.m. Rev. Lisa Williams and Ann Pellegrino will present Planting Seeds of Hope: The Bethel Hobbs Community Farm Story. Come learn about the farm’s rich history, its growth and development, present service and operation and future vision. Suggested donation, free for members. Also available via Zoom. Register at www.tvhs.org. 631-751-3730

Tuesday June 20

NSJC Social Club event

North Shore Jewish Center Social Club, 385 Old Town Road, Port Jefferson Station invites the community to a talk by Rabbi Aaron Benson about the “Destruction of the Temple” and its ramifications in the Social Hall at 11 a.m. Bagels, cream cheese and coffee will be served. $5 per person, $4 members. 631-928-3737

Tribute to Sam Cooke

The John W. Engeman Theater, 250 Main St., Northport presents The Cooke Book, a celebration of Sam Cooke’s career that blazed a trail for Aretha Franklin, Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, Rod Stewart, Smokey Robinson, and many other giants of soul music performed by Darrian Ford in concert at 8 p.m. Tickets are $45. 631-261-2900, www.engemantheater.com

Wednesday June 21

No events listed for this day.

Thursday June 22

Summer Thursday at the LIM

Kick off your summer with a free outdoor concert featuring Ray Lambiase on the grounds of the Long Island Museum, 1200 Route 25A, Stony Brook from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Pack a picnic supper, enjoy the concert and view the latest exhibits at the History Museum. In the case of rain, concert will be held in the Carriage Museum’s Gillespie Room. Free admission.  631-751-0066

Summer Swap Concert

The Jazz Loft, 275 Christian Ave., Stony Brook presents a free “Summer Stage With a Purpose” (Summer SWAP) concert featuring the Equity Brass Band on the front lawn of the museum from 6 to 8 p.m. Grab a lawn chair and come on down! Sponsored by Stony Brook University and Stony Brook Medicine. The concert series continues with Nikos Chatzitsakos Tiny Big Band on July 13, and the Melanie Marod Ensemble on Aug. 10. 631-751-1895, www.thejazzloft.org

Theater

‘The Sound of Music’

The John W. Engeman Theater, 250 Main St., Northport is The Sound of Music from May 18 to July 2. The final collaboration between Rodgers & Hammerstein was destined to become the world’s most beloved musical. Featuring a trove of cherished songs, including “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” “My Favorite Things,” “Do Re Mi,” and “Sixteen Going on Seventeen.” Tickets range from $80 to $85. To order, call 261-2900 or visit www.engemantheater.com. 

‘Something Rotten!’

Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson continues its Mainstage productions with Something Rotten! from May 20 to June 24.  Living in the shadow of Renaissance rock star The Bard, two brothers set out to write the world’s first musical in this hilarious mash-up of sixteenth-century Shakespeare and twenty-first-century Broadway. But amidst the scandalous excitement of opening night, the Bottom Brothers realize that reaching the top means being to thine own self be true.Contains adult humor and situations. Tickets are $35 adults, $28 seniors and students, $20 children ages 5 and up. To order, call 928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com. 

‘The Two Gentlemen of Verona’

The Carriage House Players continue their 34th annual Summer Shakespeare Festival in the mansion courtyard of the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum, 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport with The Two Gentlemen of Verona from June 4 to 30. Young Valentine travels to Milan to find his fortune, but instead falls for the fair Silvia, daughter of the Duke. His world is turned upside down when his best friend, Proteus, abandons his love, Julia, in Verona to woo Silvia for himself. With a pair of bumbling servants and a dog, it’s a lively Shakespearean comedy about the complexities of love, lust, and friendship. Tickets are $20, $15 children under 12. To order, visit www.vanderbiltmuseum.org.

HUZZAH!
From left, Jordan Breslow, Joseph Anthony Smith and Richard Risi in a scene from Gilbert & Sullivan’s Princess Ida. The show heads to the Smithtown Performing Arts Center on June 17. Photo by NanMagna

‘Princess Ida’

Smithtown Performing Arts Center, 2 E. Main St. Smithtown hosts a performance of Princess Ida, the classic comic opera by Gilbert & Sullivan, on June 17 at 8 p.m. Presented in an all-new production by the Gilbert & Sullivan Light Opera Company of Long Island, the opera follows Princess Ida who has fled an arranged marriage to the son of King Hildebrand and instead sets up a college for women, where she teaches the then-unthinkable principles of women’s rights and equality for all, regardless of rank, gender, wealth or nationality. Featuring a 23-piece orchestra. Tickets are $30, seniors and students $25. To order, visit  www.gaslocoli.org. 516-619-7415

Class Reunions

Hauppauge High School Class of 1978 will hold its 45th reunion on July 22, 2023 with a reunion party on July 21 and a reunion picnic on July 23. For details, email [email protected].

Ward Melville High School Class of 1973 will hold its 50th reunion at the Setauket Neighborhood House, 95 Main St., Setauket on Sept. 9, 2023 from 6 to 11 p.m. For ticket information, contact Tibo Dioguardi at [email protected].

Save the date! Port Jefferson High School Class of 1964 will hold its 60th reunion at the Meadow Club, 1147 Route 112, Port Jefferson Station on Oct. 17, 2024. For more information, email Mike Whelen at [email protected].

Vendors Wanted

■ Vendors are wanted for the 2nd annual Port Paws Dog Festival at Joe Erland Park in Port Jefferson on July 15 and 16 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fee is $350 for 10X10 booth for both days. Visit portpawsdogfest.com/vendors or text 516-939-8960.

■ Spirit of Huntington, 2 Melville Road, Huntington seeks artists, musicians, and vendors fort its Spirit of Summer Art Festival on Aug. 6 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. $125 fee for 8’ by 10’ area. Rain date Aug. 13. Deadline to apply is July 28. Visit www.spiritofhuntington.com.

■ The Village of Lake Grove seeks arts & crafts, food and community vendors for its 2023 Lake Grove Summer Festival at Memorial Park, 980 Hawkins Ave., Lake Grove on Aug. 20 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Visit lakegroveny.gov for an application.

■ Vendor applications are now available for Sunshine Prevention Center’s Family Fall Festival at 468 Boyle Road, Port Jefferson Station on Oct. 14 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (rain date Oct 15). Fee is $50 for a 10 x 10 space, no charge for Agency Resource tables. Bring your own tables, tents, chairs. All vendors must also donate a prize ($20 value) for a raffle. Register at www.sunshinepreventionctr.org or email [email protected]. 

■ Craft and new merchandise vendors are wanted for the St. Thomas of Canterbury Church Fall Car Show and Craft Fair, 90 Edgewood Ave., Smithtown, on Oct. 14  from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. $50 per booth (10’ by 10’ space). For more information, call 631-265-4520 or visit www.Stthomasofcanterbury.net.

Dream Wheel

Long Island’s largest fair heads to Suffolk County Community College, 485 Wicks Road, (Exit 53S off the LIE)
in Brentwood from June 15 to June 25 featuring live music and entertainment for the whole family, exciting midway rides and games, and plenty of tasty carnival eats.

Grand Carousel

Included with fair admission are tribute band performances and other daily concerts; Saturday night Fireworks by Grucci; the educational Eudora Farms Exotic Petting Zoo; up-close and personal Dinosaur Experience; Houdini-style Escape Explosion; World of Wonders Amazement Show starring sword swallowers, fire eaters, contortionists and other old-time sideshow acts; and the Royal Hanneford Circus featuring edge-of-your-seat high-wire, trapeze and motorcycle thrill shows and more under the big top.

Sam Ash Music Stage entertainment includes All Revved Up (Meat Loaf tribute), Milagro (Santana tribute), A Second Life, La Sonora 495, Crucial Experiment, Gimme All Your Lovin’ (ZZ Top tribute), The Strange Parade (The Doors tribute), Penny Lane (Beatles tribute), FREEBIRD (Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute), Reverb, La Elegancia de la Salsa and more, including Latino Dance Time both Sundays.

Admission: $5 (free for kids under 36″ tall). Parking is free.

Unlimited ride wristbands (for riders 36″ and taller) are $35 on site Monday – Thursday and $40 Friday – Sunday while supplies last, or online before 5 pm June 15 for $25.

Visit the website for Thursday Carload Nights (admission and rides for $60 per car) and advance savings on ride tickets.

FunFest hours: 5-11 pm weekdays and 3-11 pm Saturday – Sunday. Take Exit 53S off the Long Island Expressway and use the Wicks Road campus entrance. No unaccompanied guests under age 21.

More information: 866-666-FAIR (3247) or LongIslandFunFest.com

Meet New York Times Best Selling Author Carl Safina at the Bates House in Setauket on June 13. File photo

The Bates House, 1 Bates Road, Setauket welcomes New York Times Best Selling Author Carl Safina for an Author Talk on Tuesday, June 13 at 7 p.m. Safina will be reading from his many bestselling and award-winning books and talk about the work of his not-for-profit organization, The Safina Center, based in Setauket. A book signing will follow. $10 per person. To register, visit www.thebateshouse.org. For more information, call 631-689-7054

From left, JVC Force's AJ Rok, The Fat Boys' Kool-Rock Ski, Son of Bazerk and Ralph McDaniels Photos from LIMEHOF
From left, Jazzy Jay, Public Enemy’s DJ Johnny Juice and Leaders of the New School’s Dinco D and Milo In De Dance

By Rita J. Egan

In the early 1970s, a new genre of music came out of the Bronx called hip-hop. Through the years, the music’s popularity grew and among the hip-hop artists were Long Islanders. On Sunday, June 11, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the genre and those local entertainers, the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame in Stony Brook will host a special concert along with a discussion panel featuring several artists who began their careers in Suffolk, Nassau, Queens and Brooklyn.

Members of Son of Bazerk, Kool Rock-Ski (of The Fat Boys), DJ Jazzy Jay and DJ Johnny Juice Rosado (of Public Enemy) are scheduled to perform. A panel discussion will also take place with Rosado, AJ Rok (of JVC Force), Dinco D and Milo in de Dance (both of Leaders of the New School), and special guest Ralph McDaniels (of Video Music Box). In addition to the performances and Q&A, the hall of fame will unveil a statue of hip-hop artist and actor LL Cool J and induct The Fat Boys.

Tom Needham, LIMEHOF vice chairman, said the event aligns with the organization’s ultimate goal to represent and present different types of music. He added there is so much talent in the area, including hip-hop artists, some who have already been inducted into the local hall of fame.

“I think a lot of people, when they think of music on Long Island, simply think of Billy Joel, but there are so many hip-hop artists who lived here, who made music here,” Needham said. “I think sometimes the average Long Island resident just doesn’t even know it.”

Rosado, who has been involved with LIMEHOF since its early days and was inducted with Public Enemy in 2008, said the idea to include the panel came from a tour he took part in during 2012. He and his fellow artists came up with the idea to have a press conference with a panel before shows. He said he feels concerts should have some kind of context and a Q&A helps to provide that.

“I think that it’s important, especially with something like this, a museum and a hall of fame, to kind of know the artists, what they’re about, and why Long Island was such an incredible incubator for these types of acts,” he said.

The event will give several entertainers the opportunity to visit the venue for the first time, including AJ Woodson, a.k.a. AJ Rok from JVC Force. Now the editor-in-chief of Black Westchester Magazine, Woodson said he was happy to hear about the event from Rosado.

“Long Island rap needs to be celebrated more, and it doesn’t get celebrated the way it should, but it was a very strong region as far as it had a lot of contributions to hip-hop,” the journalist said.

A bit of history

Rosado, in addition to being part of Public Enemy, whose “Fight the Power” was featured in the 1989 movie “Do The Right Thing,” has worked with various artists and composed film scores. He remembers the early days of hip-hop as being similar to jazz’s trajectory.

“A lot of it wasn’t accepted by the established greats of the time or what have you, and because of that, it was a hard time trying to get it launched,” he said. “But, along the way, there were some breakthrough moments like when Run DMC did ‘Walk This Way.’”

The 1986 hit was a cover of Aerosmith’s 1975 song, and the hip-hop version did better on the charts than the original. Rosado added that many artists, such as Aerosmith, had a resurgence when hip-hop artists would sample classics.

Woodson said hip-hop started out as a way to express oneself and now it has touched “every form of entertainment at this point.”

As for Long Island artists, Needham said in the early days of hip-hop, many, during interviews, were made to feel as if they had to say they were from New York City.

“It was actually a thing in the record companies,” he said. “Their strategy years ago was — if somebody was from Long Island — they would kind of rewrite their history slightly and make it sound like they were from New York City. They didn’t think it was cool to say they were from Long Island with a lot of different artists, not just hip-hop.”

During the June 11 panel, attendees can find out how many of these entertainers first formed their groups.

Woodson said he moved from Mount Vernon to Central Islip when he was 7. After his parents divorced and his father moved back to Mount Vernon, Woodson decided to attend high school there. He would visit Central Islip often and, after graduation, was back on Long Island. One day his neighbors told him about William Taylor (B-Luv) and Curtis Andre Small (DJ Curt Cazal), who were young DJs starting out, and a friend told him about a party they were having. When he attended, a friend asked if Woodson could have a mic.

“Me and B-Luv were on the mic and going back and forth,” he said. “Not really a battle but we were going back and forth, exchanging rhymes and everybody talked about how great we sounded.” The party was a turning point in Woodson’s life as he joined the group and soon after they were making demos. JVC Force is responsible for the song “Strong Island” in 1988, which sampled Chuck D from Public Enemy saying the phrase on Adelphi University’s radio station. The song helped drive home the fact there were hip-hop artists from Long Island, including Public Enemy and Erik B. and Rakim.

Cassandra Jackson, also known as ½ Pint from Son of Bazerk, will be performing on June 11 with her fellow group members Tony Allen “Bazerk” and Gary Pep Stanton “Daddy Rawe” as well as DJ Johnny Juice. The performance will be in memory of Son of Bazerk member Jeff “Almighty Jahwell” Height who passed away a few months ago.

Jackson’s musical journey began in Freeport. She said before her sophomore year of college, she and her friends were playing basketball at the park and “thrash talking” when someone approached her and said, “Sounds like you can make records.” While she was surprised someone would approach her on a basketball court and say that, she gave him her number and he met with her grandparents. It turned out to be Hank Shocklee, a member of the producing team The Bomb Squad, and he introduced her to Townhouse 3, which eventually became Son of Bazerk. She said she remembered the guys growing up in Freeport.

Becoming part of the group and performing she said “was so surreal for me.”

“It was the epitome of what it was to be hip-hop,” she said. “Banging on the tables in the lunch room, back of the bus rhyming, those things, and then to be able to actually go into a studio and do those things that I’ve practiced with my friends and then to actually be on stage to convey those things and perform.”

Jackson said preserving the history of hip-hop is important. She is still making music and working on a documentary. An administrator of the Alternative Learning Academy with Roosevelt High School, Jackson runs an alternative program where she incorporates hip-hop into the curriculum. “More than just the music, hip-hop stands on the shoulders of movements before, and the music is a way to express that — how we feel and who we are and what we’re trying to convey.”

—————————————–

The 50th anniversary of hip-hop concert and panel discussion event will be held on Sunday, June 11 at 2 p.m. at the Long Island Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame, 97 Main Street, Stony Brook. The event is free with admission ($19.50 for adults, $17 for seniors and veterans, and $15 for students with ID). For more information, call 631-689-5888 or visit www.limusichalloffame.org.

Mike DelGuidice will cover classic hits from Billy Joel on Aug. 28. File photo by Greg Catalano/2019

Suffolk County Legislator Sarah Anker has announced the Suffolk County Summer Concert and Movie Night Series in collaboration with community organizations including North Shore Youth Council, the Longwood Alliance, the Middle Island Civic Association, the Middle Island Fire Department, the Coram Civic Association, the Coram Fire Department, and the Ridge Civic Association.

“The summer community concerts have been instrumental in providing local performances with free-admission concerts across the district,” said Legislator Sarah Anker. “I encourage our residents to attend these concerts that provide a wonderful entertainment venue for all ages. A warm thank you to the community organizations for their partnerships with my office.”

Concert Information:

1. North Shore Youth Council Community Movie Night

Showing: ‘Luca’

Date: Friday, July 7th

Time: 8:30 p.m.

Location: North Shore Heritage Park 633 Mount Sinai Coram Rd, Mount Sinai

 

2. Middle Island Concert with Longwood Alliance, Middle Island Civic Association and the

Middle Island Fire Department

Featuring: That 70’s Band (Fireworks after show)

Date: Saturday, July 8th

Time: 6 p.m.

Location: Old Kmart Parcel Across from Artist Lake, Middle Island

 

3. Middle Island Concert with Longwood Alliance, Middle Island Civic Association and the

Middle Island Fire Department

Featuring: 45RPM (Firework rain date)

Date: Sunday, July 9th

Time: 6 p.m.

Location: Old Kmart Parcel Across from Artist Lake, Middle Island

 

4. Ridge Civic Association Concert

Featuring: Tradewinds

Date: Saturday, July 15th (rain date July 16th)

Time: 4 p.m.

Location: Longwood Estate, Longwood Rd, Ridge

 

5. North Shore Youth Council Community Movie Night

Showing: ‘Tangled’

Date: Friday,  July 21st

Time: 8:30 p.m.

Location: North Shore Heritage Park 633 Mount Sinai Coram Rd, Mount Sinai

 

6. North Shore Youth Council Community Concert

Featuring: BonJourney

Date: Friday, August 4th

Time: 7 p.m.

Location: North Shore Heritage Park 633 Mount Sinai Coram Rd, Mount Sinai

 

7. Middle Island Concert with Longwood Alliance, Middle Island Civic Association and the Middle Island Fire DepartmentFeaturing: Penny Lane

Date: Saturday, August 19th

Time: 6 p.m.

Location: Middle Island Fire Dept. 31 Arnold Dr, Middle Island

 

8. Coram Civic Association and the Coram Fire Department Concert

Featuring: Southbound

Date: Saturday, August 26th (rain date August 28th)

Time: 7 p.m.

Location: Middle Island Fire Department, 31 Arnold Dr, Middle Island

 

9. North Shore Youth Council Concert

Featuring: Mike DelGuidice on tour with Billy Joel

Date: Monday, August 28th (rain date August 30th)

Time: 7 p.m.

Location: St. Anthony’s of Padua Church 614 NY-25A, Rocky Point

 

There is no charge for admission to the concerts. For more information about the concerts, please contact the office of Legislator Sarah Anker’s office at (631) 854-1600.

Varela Band

First United Methodist Church, 603 Main Street, Port Jefferson hosts a Varela Band Reunion Concert on Friday, June 9 at 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 7 p.m.) After 43 years, the long-anticipated reunion concert will feature the beloved and popular ensemble that performed to great acclaim during the 70s and 80s. The British record label BBE just released the Varela Band song “Come And Take Me By The Hand” on their album collection “Once Again We Are The Children Of The Sun…” just in time for the concert. Tickets are $25 in advance at www.gpjac.org/special-concerts, $30 at the door (cash only).

June is strawberry season on Long Island. File photo by Greg Catalano/TBR News Media

Lenny Bruno Farms, 740 Wading River Road, Manorville will hold their second annual Strawberry Festival this Saturday and Sunday, June 10 and 11 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Festival-goers will enjoy food trucks, live music, artisan vendors, face painting, children and teen activity vendors, toddler play area, petting zoo, jumbo garden games, and more. Visitors can also purchase fresh fruits, vegetables, pies, ice cream, and other delicious fares at the farm. Admission to the festival area is $10 per person. Children 2 and under are free. 

The strawberry u-pick area admission is an additional $10 entry fee and comes with 1 pint of strawberries in combination with a hayride to the u-pick area and unique photo opportunities for families and friends.

“We are thrilled to host our second annual strawberry festival and welcome visitors to our farm,” said Dominick Bruno. “We are proud to showcase the beauty and bounty of our farm and look forward to sharing our love of farming with the community.” 

The farm will host a series of events through the Fall including a Sunflower Festival on July 15 and 16. For a full line-up, visit www.LennyBrunoFarms.com/events.

More festivals ….

St. James Strawberry Festival

St. James Episcopal Church, 490 North Country Road, St. James will host their annual Strawberry Festival on Saturday, June 10 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Featuring strawberry treats, homemade jams, homemade baked goods, vendors, garden table, silent auction, raffle baskets, Grandpa’s Garage, Books and Things, Last Chance Animal Rescue, bounce house and children’s activities, lunch, tours of the church and, of course, Long Island strawberries. Rain date is June 11. Call 631-584-5560 for more information.

Mattituck Strawberry Festival

The 68th annual Mattituck Lions Club Strawberry Festival, 1105 North Road, Mattituck will be held on June 14 and 15 from 5 to 10 p.m., June 16 from 5 to 11 p.m., June 17 from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and June 18 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Highlights include strawberry shortcake, strawberries dipped in chocolate, live music, over 100 arts and craft vendors, carnival rides, food and fireworks on June 15, 16 and 17 (weather permitting). To top it off, all proceeds benefit nonprofits on the North Fork. Admission varies based on festival days. Visit www.mattituckstrawberryfestival.com for more info.

Rocky Point Strawberry Festival 

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, 716 Route 25A, Rocky Point presents their annual Strawberry Festival and Church Tag Sale on Saturday, June 17 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with delicious food and desserts, bake sale, HUGE Tag Sale, gift basket raffles, crafts, local vendors, bounce house and children’s activities. Call 631-744-9355 for further details.   

Pick Your Own Strawberries..

The following farms on the North Shore offer u-pick strawberries in June. Always call before you go to check availability: 

• Lewins Farms, 812 Sound Ave., Calverton, 631-929-4327

• Rottkamp’s Fox Hollow Farm, 2287 Sound Ave., Baiting Hollow, 631-727-1786

• Windy Acres, 3810 Middle Country Road Calverton, 631-727-4554

  Patty’s Berries and Bunches, 410 Sound Ave., Mattituck, 631-655-7996

The Ward Melville Heritage Organization (WMHO) will host a walking tour, “Anchors Away!,” on Tuesday June 13 at 4 p.m. and on Wednesday,  June 14 at 10 a.m.

Explore the nautical side of Stony Brook Village’s history with brand new stories during this hour long tour. Investigate the  suspicious death of Commander Charles C. Hall, learn about the Polaris Expedition disaster, hear the tales of the Hercules figurehead’s world-wide journeys, get the full scoop on the Smiths of Stony Brook and more.

Tours leave from the Stony Brook Grist Mill, 100 Harbor Road, Stony Brook. Rain date is June 20. $15 per person. To reserve your spot, call 631-751-2244.  

This Ford pickup truck is just one of 120 vehicles that will be auctioned off on June 10. Photo from Suffolk County Police Department Facebook

The Suffolk County Police Department Impound Section will hold an auction on Saturday, June 10 at the Suffolk County Police Department 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 preview of the vehicles on Thursday, June 8 and Friday, June 9 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the impound yard. Vehicles will also be available for preview one hour prior to the start of the auction.

Approximately 120 lots will be auctioned off including sedans, SUVs, a dump truck, trailers and motorcycles. 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 under Precinct and Specialized Units click Impound Section and followed by Upcoming Auctions and Events.

By Tara Mae

The allure of foliage and other flora is an alchemy of fanciful imagination, artistic interpretation, and scientific intuition. Such traditions, planted a century ago, will bloom with a renewed vision at the North Suffolk Garden Club’s (NSGC) annual garden show, “Sands of Time,” at Deepwells Mansion, 2 Taylor Street in St. James on Wednesday, June 7, from 1:30 to 4 p.m., and Thursday, June 8, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Members of the NSGC will be joined by different garden clubs from Long Island and around the country, including the Kettle Moraine Garden Club, whose members primarily hail from Waukesha County, Wisconsin. 

Generally affiliated with the umbrella organization, Garden Club of America (GCA), all participating garden clubs will showcase their horticultural aptitude with a variety of individual and collaborative creations. As a juried show, entrees will be assessed by a panel of three GCA approved judges. 

Featuring between 30 and 50 horticulture exhibits (plants and cuttings), approximately 12 floral exhibits, and a miniatures exhibit (tiny floral arrangement done in diminutive dimensions), “Sands of Time” is a testament to the NSGC’s robust history of industry and ingenuity.  

“We are celebrating our 100th year with this centennial flower show as a way to display our abilities in horticulture, floral design, and photography,” flower show committee co-chair Deanna Muro said. “Our show is based on the history of our club…We picked a historic venue, Deepwells, to set a really nice stage for all our different displays relating to the history of the club and this area.” 

With four distinct categories, Floral Design, Horticulture, Photography, and Education, the display explores how NSGC’s growth and development is reflected in the evolution of its surroundings. Every category has different classes that are a tribute and testament to the nature of life and budding environmental awareness in the 1920s.

“Each flower show must include an educational component. ‘Sands of Time’ focuses on 100 years of conservation, which has always been the root of the garden club. In the 1920s or 1930s, women of the NSGC, carrying their parasols and dressed in their finery, sailed down the Nissequogue River to draw attention to runoff and other water pollution. One of the classes is a floral homage to those parasols,” NSGC president Leighton Coleman III said. 

From its inception, conservation was a primary concern of NSGC. Established at the onset of widespread automotive culture, the club quickly recognized its environmental hazards: air pollution, littering, disruption of natural plant and animal habitats, etc. 

Thus, over the years NSGC has addressed issues both aesthetic and atmospheric, like  battling to ban roadside billboards; preserving scenic views and open spaces; promoting the plight of endangered waterways as it seeks to preserve them; highlighting the vulnerabilities of wildlife dependent on native plants; and creating community gardens.  

Hosting this year’s event at Deepwells is itself an homage to this fertile history. It was the summer home of William Jay Gaynor, mayor of New York City from 1910-1913, and his wife Augusta Cole Mayer Gaynor, an avid gardener whose scrapbooks and other belongings will be present in the exhibition. 

Intricately intertwined with the local cultural, climate, and communal past, NSGC was founded in 1923 by Smithtown residents. Accepted as an official member of the GCA in 1931, NSGC gained further prominence shortly after World War II when the club’s successful victory gardens and canning kitchens earned it government recognition. 

Cited then as a club that others should emulate, NSGC’s membership base continues to strive for such excellence. Over the decades, through education and community outreach, it supported the successful effort to save the 500-acre Blydenburgh Park and amplified the importance of the Pine Barrens legislation in the 1980s. More recently, NSGC collaborated with the Stony Brook Yacht Club to restore the Stony Brook Harbor oyster beds.  

Gardeners of NSGC are devoted to furthering its efforts in ecology and conservationism with the varied crop of projects it nurtures throughout the year. “Sands of Time” is just one element of the group’s ongoing effort to advance its original mission of conservationism as it engages the public in ecological and environmental awareness. 

“We want to get people interested in gardening, conservation, and things associated with that, like indigenous plants, including pollinators,” Coleman said. “Our history of being involved in ecology dates back to the beginning of the club, starting with the development of auto culture in the 1920s, then expanding in the 1960s with revved up interest in ecology, dealing with pesticides, urban sprawl and development, and promoting habitat for endangered animals and parks.” 

NSGC strives to promulgate such interests through its community outreach endeavors including maintaining the Long Island Museum’s herb garden and championing conservation and environmental endeavors on the local as well as national level. 

“We are looking forward to letting the public know what we do and giving an idea of the importance of garden clubs…the flower show basically gives you an introduction of what the garden club does and a sense of community,” Rockwell-Gifford said. 

The club currently consists of approximately 55 individuals, including retirees and professionals, many of whom are second or third generation members.  

“I love all of the friendships I have made joining the garden club…Members are a dynamic mosaic — a real kaleidoscope of personalities. We welcome new people to join us,” Coleman III said. 

“Sands of Time” is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.northsuffolkgardenclub.org.