St. Judes Knights of Columbus #5814, 683 Route 25A, Rocky Point hosts a blood drive on Thursday, Sept. 16 from 2 to 8 p.m. All donors will receive a McDonald’s voucher. Appointments preferred by calling 1-800-933-2566. For further information, call 646-739-1827.
Dragons will roar on the North Shore once again as the Greater Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce hosts the 7th annual Port Jefferson Dragon Boat Race Festival on Saturday, Sept. 18 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The free event will take place at Mayor Jeanne Garant Harborfront Park, 101A E. Broadway, Port Jefferson and the village’s inner harbor.
The festival is the brainchild of Barbara Ransome, director of operations at the chamber, who attended a dragon boat race festival in Cape May, New Jersey, a few years ago.
Opening ceremonies will begin at the Jill Nees Russell Performance Stage at the east end of the park at 8:30 a.m. and will include a performance by the Asian Veterans Color Guard, singing of the national anthem by Alanna Wu, a Blessing of the Dragon and the traditional “Eye Dotting” ceremony to awaken the dragon.
This year’s event will consist of 17 racing teams with dragon boats provided by High Five Dragon Boat Co. With the first race scheduled for 9 a.m., boat teams will compete on a 250-meter, three-lane racing course. Each team is made up of 20 “paddlers,” one steersman and one drummer. Heats will run all day, culminating in an awards ceremony at 3:30 p.m. where medals will be awarded in three divisions. Spectators can easily view the race course from the park’s edge.
Team contests for the best team T-shirt, best costumed drummer and best drummer will be judged in the middle of the day.
In addition to the races, there will be a day-long festival featuring numerous performances including the famous Lion Dance, Taiko and Korean Drum performances, martial arts demonstrations and Asian singing. There will be cultural and educational vendors and retailers as well including representatives from Power Home Remodeling, Pure Mammography – Lake Grove, Panacea Massage and Wellness Studio, Cancer Services Program of Suffolk (Northwell-PBMC), Ameriprise, St. Charles Hospital and Island Sports Physical Therapy.
Always a highlight, food this year will include pot stickers, veggie lo mein, burgers, sliders, empanadas and shaved ice and there will be an abundance of children’s activities including origami, trick yo-yo demonstrations, face painting, and Chinese calligraphy and crafts, courtesy of The Stony Brook Chinese School, Port Jefferson Free Library, Center for Chinese Learning at Stony Brook and LI Youth Development, Inc.
“The Greater Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce is so pleased that we are able to sponsor our 7th annual Port Jefferson Dragon Boat Race Festival. A sincere thank you to our sponsors, VIPs, community partners, vendors, artists, performers, crafters, volunteers, committee members, race teams and everyone who has helped to make this festival possible,” said Ransome.
The event will be held rain or shine. Bring a blanket or lawn chair and come enjoy the festivities!
Schedule of Events7:45 a.m.
Team Captains Meeting on the Great Lawn at Harborfront Park
8:30 a.m.
Opening Ceremonies with Master of Ceremony Yang Chen
Asian Veterans Color Guard
Singing of the National Anthem by Alanna Wu
Blessing of the Dragon
‘Eye Dotting’ ceremony
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Food Vendors, Cultural Crafts, Children Activities, Retail/Educational/Nonprofit Vendor Tables
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Continual Dragon Boat Races in Port Jefferson’s Inner Harbor
9 a.m. First Races Begin
10 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.
Sound of Long Island Chorus:
Americana Program and Traditional Chinese Songs
10:45 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.
Long Island Chinese Dance Group
11:15 a.m. to noon
Stony Brook Youth Chorus
12 p.m. to 1:20 p.m.
Lunch Break (no racing)
12 p.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Taiko Tides Drumming
Drumming contest
12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m.
Parade of the Team
T-shirts Contest
Best Drummer Costume Contest
1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Shaolin Kung Fu Lion Dance
Kung Fu & Tai Chi Demonstrations
2:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.
North Shore Karate Demo
3 p.m.
Last Dragon Boat Race
3:30 p.m.
Closing Ceremonies and Awards
The Greater Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce thanks this year’s generous sponsors including NY Community Bank-Roslyn Savings Bank Division, BMW, Murphy’s Marine Service-PJ Sea Tow, Times Beacon Record News Media, Danfords Hotel and Marina, LI Waste Services, Servpro of PJ, The Gitto Group, Wellbridge Treatment Center, Island Federal and East End Shirt Company and their community partners who help make this festival successful including the Incorporated Village of Port Jefferson, Port Jefferson Code & Highway, Harbor Ballet Theatre, Port Jefferson Ambulance and Suffolk County School Crossing Guards.
For more information, call 631-473-1414 or visit www.portjeffdragonracefest.com.
The Centereach Fire Department, Station #3, 3 Rudy Way, Centereach hosts a blood drive on Wednesday, Sept. 15 from 2:30 to 8:30 p.m. All donors will receive a 9/11 commutative t-shirt and pin. Appointments preferred by calling 1-800-933-2566 but walk-ins welcome. For further information, call 631-245-1614.
After cancelling last year’s Dennis Cannataro Family Concerts due to the pandemic, Legislator Rob Trotta is pleased to announce that the time has come to welcome back residents and visitors to relax on the lawn of the Smithtown Main Library located at 1 North Country Road for the Dennis Cannataro Family Concerts.
“Although there will only be two concerts this year, it is wonderful that we can invite family and friends to attend these shows,” said Legislator Trotta. “The free performances provide a great opportunity for everyone to enjoy themselves, hear some fantastic music and to support our downtown merchants and restaurants.”
The concerts will be held on Friday, September 17, at 7 p,m. featuring the 1 Step Ahead playing the greatest hits, and on Sunday, September 26, at 2 p.m. with Just Sixties performing the hits of the 60s. Bring your chairs or blankets for these free events.
According to the library, smoking and pets are not permitted. In case of inclement weather on the day of the show, please go to www.smithlib.org or call 631-360-2480 ext. 231.
By Martina Matkovic
The Three Village Garden Club welcomes you as their guest on Friday, September 17th, when members will have an opportunity to display their creative talents in floral design and horticulture. Many hours of careful preparation and planning will culminate in a Small Standard Flower Show at the Neighborhood House, 95 Main Street, Setauket. No charge to the public, doors will be open from 2 to 6 p.m.
The following quotation from Sandra H. Robinson, past President of the National Garden Club, eloquently states the purpose of executing a flower show:
“One of the basic urges of mankind is the desire to create. Creative flower arranging is an art form in which the artist’s vision is expressed through the use of plant materials. Using the elements and principles of design, the artist strives to achieve the following attributes- beauty, harmony, distinction and expression. Flower shows provide a unique opportunity for floral designers, horticulturists, judges and the viewing public to become an integral part of the creative process.”
The show, titled “See You in September,” promises to be a spectacular visual experience. It is an opportunity to find out about the club’s contributions to the community, with its emphasis on the importance of the use of native plantings and gardening techniques that help to protect the environment. Guests are encouraged to take a short walk to Frank Melville Memorial Park where they may access the Arboretum, acquired by the garden club in 1985 and maintained for the past 36 years. A map of the Arboretum will be available.
As guests arrive they will receive a printed guide to help navigate through the three parts of the juried show. Division 1, Horticulture, will display cut specimens from the garden, fruits and vegetables, cut specimens from fruiting or flowering trees and shrubs, and container plants. Come see what a Blue Ribbon cucumber looks like!
Division ll, comprised of four classes, will highlight members’ creative talents in floral design. Class 2 of this division, aptly named “Reflections and Inspirations,” will challenge those members who choose to enter by creating a floral design that interprets the subject of a painting. The actual paintings will be hung nearby the corresponding design, inviting the viewer to observe. The artists who have loaned their works for this class are Patty Yantz, “The Sentinel”; Renee Caine, “Approaching Storm”; Eleanor Meier, “Winter Pears and Kimono”; and Robert Roehrig, “Dock Reflections.”
Finally, but certainly not least, in Division lll guests will enjoy an exhibit that displays the club’s many contributions to the community with an emphasis on education and respect for our environment. This section also includes invitational exhibits solicited from florists and businesses in the community.
Members who decide to participate will be judged for their entries, receive points and be awarded ribbons according to the National Garden Club System of Awarding. The judging will be done in advance of the opening to the public and ribbons will be on display.
Please come and enjoy the beauty of the show, see what your neighbors and friends in the garden club are doing , and perhaps be inspired to join us. Our membership is open to all. For further information, please call 631 751-2743.
Author Martina Matkovic is a member of the Three Village Garden Club.
The Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum’s Reichert Planetarium, 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport will premiere a new show, Laser Grateful Dead, on Friday, September 10, at 10 p.m. The show will run on Friday nights through September. Appropriate for ages 13 and up.
The playlist includes fan favorites Truckin’, Fire on the Mountain, Friend of the Devil, One More Saturday Night, and Sugar Magnolia.
“Laser Grateful Dead is our newest planetarium laser show, and we think it’s absolutely fantastic! Laser lights fill the entire dome with an endless array of colors and mind-blowing graphics. Beams of light appear to emerge through the air and across the dome though an atmospheric haze. We encourage visitors to tap their feet, clap their hands, and dance in their chairs during this epic experience of one of the greatest bands of all time,” said Dave Bush, director of the Planetarium.
Schedule:
Tickets: Adults, $17; seniors (age 62 plus) and students with ID, $15; children 12 and under, $14.
To order, visit www.vanderbiltmuseum.org. For more information, call 631-854-5579.
Twenty years ago, the United States changed forever when four hijacked jetliners were intentionally crashed into the Twin Towers in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and a field outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania. At Ground Zero in New York City, the traditional reading of names of each victim will resume this year at the 9/11 Memorial in New York and the following ceremonies will be held on the North Shore to honor the thousands of lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001, a day that will live forever in our hearts.
Centereach
The Centereach Fire Department, 9 South Washington Ave., Centereach invites the community to join them on Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. for its annual 9/11 Memorial Services and candle lighting ceremony. Refreshments to be served after ceremony. 631-588-8652, ext. 1
East Northport
The East Northport Fire Department, 1 Ninth Ave., East Northport will host two 9/11 memorial services on Sept. 11 — a morning ceremony at 9:45 a.m. and an evening candlelight vigil at 8 p.m. 631-261-0360
Hauppauge
The Hauppauge Fire Department, 855 Wheeler Road, Hauppauge will host a Remembrance Ceremony at its 9/11 Memorial on Sept 11 at 7 p.m. 631-265-2499
Huntington
The public is invited to join Town of Huntington officials, the Veterans Advisory Board and local officials for a ceremony on Sept. 12 at noon at the Heckscher Park 9/11 memorial, 147 Main St., Huntington to honor and remember residents and first responders of the Town of Huntington who lost their lives on 9/11. 631-351-3012
Kings Park
Kings Park will host a commemorative event and memorial walk on Sept. 11 starting at 11 a.m. at Kings Park High School and concluding at the 9/11 Memorial at the corner of Church Street and Old Dock Road. A ceremony with a live reading of the names of those from Suffolk and Nassau Counties who perished on 9/11 will follow. 631-973-6006 x1004
Nesconset
The 9/11 Responders Remembered Park, 316 Nesconset Blvd., Nesconset will host its annual naming ceremony on Sept. 18 at 10 a.m. 631-724-3320
Port Jefferson
The Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America Vigiano Brothers Lodge 3436 invite the community to join them for a candlelight remembrance of 9/11 at Harborfront Park, 101 East Broadway, Port Jefferson on Sept. 11 starting at noon. Candles and refreshments will be provided. 631-928-7489
Rocky Point
The Rocky Point Fire Department will host a ceremony at the 9/11 Community Memorial, at the corner of Route 25A and Tesla Street in Shoreham, on Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. 631-744-4102
Setauket
The Setauket Fire Department will conduct a 9/11 memorial ceremony at the Hook and Ladder Company 1, Station 3, 394 Nicolls Road, Setauket on Sept. 11 at 8 p.m. followed by refreshments in the firehouse. Call 631-941-4900, ext. 1043
Smithtown
The Town of Smithtown, in conjunction with the Smithtown Chamber of Commerce, will host a Remembrance Ceremony at its 9/11 Memorial Park just off Main Street in Smithtown on Sept. 11 at 6 p.m. 631-360-7512
Sound Beach
The Sound Beach Fire Department, 152 Sound Beach Blvd., Sound Beach will hold its annual Service of Remembrance ceremony on Sept. 11 at 10 a.m. 631-744-4994
The 12th annual Village Cup Regatta, a friendly competition between Mather Hospital and the Village of Port Jefferson, will sail with full crews this Saturday, September 11.
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. The event has raised almost $640,500 for the two organizations. Last year’s event was held without crew members due to the pandemic. The event raised $40,000, which was divided between Mather and Lustgarten.
Actor/director and local resident Ralph Macchio will again act as community ambassador for the event. This is the ninth year Macchio has helped to publicize the important work of the two programs funded by the Regatta. Macchio’s wife, Phyllis, is a nurse practitioner in Mather’s Palliative Medicine Program.
The Regatta consists of Yacht Club-skippered sailboats divided into two teams representing Mather Hospital and the Village of Port Jefferson. Employees from the Hospital and Village help crew the boats, which race in one of three classes based on boat size.
The festivities will begin at Harborfront Park in Port Jefferson Village at 10 a.m., where you can purchase t-shirts signed by Ralph Macchio, along with the event’s commemorative hats, nautical bags and mugs. The Memorial Parade of Boats begins at 11 a.m. at the Port Jefferson Village dock. All sailboats participating in the Regatta will pass by the park dressed in banners and nautical flags on their way out to the racecourse on Long Island Sound.
Following the race, a celebratory Skipper’s Reception and presentation of the Village Cup will take place in a restored 1917 shipyard building that now serves as the Port Jefferson Village Center.
Businesses, organizations and individuals can support the Regatta and the programs it funds by making a donation or purchasing tickets to attend the Skipper’s Reception or view the event on a spectator boat.. Sponsorships also are available. For more information and to purchase tickets please visit http://portjeffersonyachtclub.com/community/village-cup/ or www.facebook.com/villagecupregatta
Celebrate Jim Henson’s birthday with a journey into his magical Labyrinth when the 1986 fantasy-adventure returns to select cinemas nationwide on Sept. 12, 13 and 15 in celebration of its 35th anniversary, courtesy of Fathom Events and Sony Pictures.
Labyrinth tells the story of fifteen-year-old girl, Sarah (Jennifer Connelly), who, frustrated with babysitting on yet another weekend nigh, secretly wishes that her baby brother, Toby, would be taken away by Goblins. When little Toby actually disappears, Sarah must follow him into a fantastical world to rescue him from the Goblin King (David Bowie). Guarding his castle is the labyrinth itself, a twisted maze of deception, populated with outrageous characters and unknown dangers. To get through it in time to save Toby, Sarah befriends the Goblins, in hopes that their loyalty isn’t just another illusion in a place where nothing is as it seems! Rated PG.
The movie will be preceded by a brief featurette entitled “The Henson Legacy” where Jennifer Connelly and the Henson family talk about the art of puppetry and the magic of Jim Henson, along with a visit to the “Center for Puppetry Arts” featuring The Jim Henson Collection and over 100 puppets from Labyrinth!
Screenings will be held at AMC Stony Brook 17 on Sept. 12 at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., Sept. 13 and 15 at 7 p.m.; and at Island Cinema de Lux in Holtsville on Sept, 12 at 3 and 7 p.m. and Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. To order tickets in advance, visit www.fathomevents.com.
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