The St. James Model Railroad Club will hold a holiday open house from Nov. 17 to 19 this year.
The St. James Model Railroad Club, after a 3 year Covid public shutdown, is once again opening to the public. The club will be holding its Annual Holiday Open House on Friday, November 17th from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, November 18th from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and on Sunday November 19th from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Mills Pond House, 176 Mills Pond Road, St. James.
This 38′ X 48′ Lionel train layout, the result of 40 years of continuing improvements, represents Railroading from the Age of Steam to Present Day with many freight and passenger trains running simultaneously in a scenic, imaginative setting.
If you can only get to see one train exhibit this holiday season, THIS IS THE ONE TO SEE!! Featured are many new additions to the Layout including a New City scene with operating roadway, a Freight yard upgrade and a new power plant & fire scene. The improved layout guarantees that you will see MANY TRAINS presented in a DETAILED, REALISTIC SETTING. Children of all ages will enjoy the sights and sounds of this truly impressive holiday event.
Requested donations are: Adults $2.00 Children 50¢.
Please note: The St. James Model Railroad club is not handicap accessible.
This Exhibit is Made Possible by the Town of Smithtown & STAC.
November is here and that means that the holiday season is just around the corner. Entertaining for the holidays frequently involves welcoming overnight guests. In these instances, having breakfast and brunch foods on hand can ensure that those spending the night will have something tasty to eat when they rise in the morning. Make-ahead foods, such as scones, can be ideal because they are delicious at room temperature, which means you can accommodate guests who are early risers as well as those who prefer to sleep in.
This recipe for “Lemon-Ginger Scones” from Simply Scratch by Chef Laurie McNamara produces refreshing flavor in a buttery scone. Lemony, with a subtle ginger flair, they are finished off with a thick layer of powdered sugar. Serve with tea or coffee and your guests will be in heaven.
Lemon-Ginger Scones
YIELD: Makes 8 scones
INGREDIENTS:
1⁄2 cup cold heavy cream
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon organic lemon extract
1⁄2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1⁄4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt
3⁄4 cup (11⁄2 sticks) cut into cubes
1⁄4 cup finely diced candied ginger
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
1⁄4 cup powdered sugar
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. In a 2-cup liquid measuring cup, use a fork to beat together the heavy cream, eggs, lemon extract, and vanilla until combined. Chill until ready to use.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Drop in the ice-cold butter and use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse wet sand.
Pour in the chilled cream mixture, ginger and lemon zest and use a rubber spatula to stir until just combined.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead it a few times before forming it into a ball. With floured fingers, flatten it out into a 11⁄2-inch-thick round. Cut the round into 8 equal-sized wedges and transfer them to the prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer the baked scones to a wire rack to cool. Once the scones have cooled, dust generously with powdered sugar before serving.
Note: According to Chef Laurie McNamara, the key to any good scone recipe is using ice-cold ingredients, so cube the butter and keep it in the freezer, and keep everything else, with the exception of the dry ingredients, measured and combined in the fridge until you are ready to mix them in.
In a few weeks you’ll most likely be sitting down around a table with family members to enjoy an annual Thanksgiving Day meal with all the fixings: turkey, stuffing and gravy, mashed and sweet potatoes, green beans, and cranberries or cranberry sauce. The cranberries and/or sauce probably came from a commercial bog in Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Oregon, or New Jersey, the states where large commercial cranberry bogs exist today.
And here’s a surprise: If you had sat down to this same blessed feast about a century ago, there’s a strong likelihood the cranberries you enjoyed were harvested from a commercial bog situated somewhere on Long Island, probably from one of a dozen or so located in the Pine Barrens. Indeed, a century to a century and a half ago Long Island was the third largest supplier of cranberries to the nation.
Cranberries, being related to blueberries and other heaths, have an affinity to sandy, acid soils so the Long Island Pine Barrens, or more specifically wetlands in the Pine Barrens, provided highly suitable habitat to create bogs and cultivate cranberries.
Most of these commercial bogs were located within the large watershed of the Peconic River, flowing easterly through the Pine Barrens, including three of the river’s four tributaries — the Fox/Sandy Pond area, Swan Pond, and the Swezey’s Pond/Little River draining north from Wildwood Lake — and on the main stem of the river itself just west of where Edwards Avenue crosses over it (just north of Exit 71 of the Long Island Expressway).
Long Island’s first cranberry bog was established on the Brown’s River in Bayport around 1870; today most of it is within the 316-acre San Souci County Park and Camp Edey, a 95-acre owned by the Suffolk County Council of Girl Scouts.
The Woodhull Bog, where Cranberry Bog County Nature Preserve is situated, was perhaps the most commercially successful bog but its success was far from a sure bet when the Woodhull brothers embarked on their effort to convert low-lying swamp habitat to a cranberry bog. Here, they spent four years, beginning in 1885 years, ripping out countless trees and shrubs, damming up the Little River tributary with an earthen dike, placing a several inch blanket of sand on the organic peat of the bog, installing perimeter and internal ditches throughout the bog to ensure rapid water coverage, and, of course, planting thousands of cranberry vines. (With the adoption of the New York State Freshwater Wetlands Act, and local wetland laws, this kind of activity fortunately cannot legally happen now on Long Island).
Workers harvest cranberries by flooding the area. Pixabay photo
In 1889 the first harvest was achieved with a whopping 10 bushels provided by the bog. The next year was better with 90 bushels produced and the upward trend continued in 1891 with 500 bushels. In 1892 thevines were three to four years old and had really matured and the tally for the year shows, with 21,100 bushels, going for about $2 a bushel, at market.For many years after that the bog remained profitable and productive.Other bogs like the Brown’s Bog in Calverton and the Davis Bog further west in Manorville were also productive and profitable. No wonder they called it Red Gold!
In the early years cranberries were picked by hand, the hands provided by hundreds of residents who gained supplemental income each autumn harvesting berries. Bog operators used a simple but ingenious strategy to ensure maximum crop harvest among the distracted workers busily chatting and socializing while picking.They laid down parallel rows ofstring like bowling alleys; each picker had an easier job of making sure all the berries within their “alley” were harvested.
The cranberry scoop was soon invented and provided a more efficient means to harvest berries. The wooden scoop, a popular item in antique stores, had tines like a fork,spaced apart a distance just slightly less than the width of a cranberry.Scoops gave way to mechanized equipment that was more efficient still and once bog owners/operators learned that ripe cranberries float they began to flood the vine-filled bogs and turned to powerful vacuum hoses to suck up the crop. You may have seen Ocean Spray commercials with harvesters up to their chests in a bright red surface of floating berries. Today, a fewpeople can do the job that once required dozens.
Flooding the bogs, also done to prevent a seasonal frost from destroying the crop, and over the winter to protect the vines from freezing temperatures, meant a reliable water supply had to be available and this was the case for every Long Island bog.
For the Woodhull Bog this was the water from Swezey’s Pond, created by the aforementioned earthen berm. For the Davis Bog, water was supplied from Swan Pond. When an operator wished to flood the bogs to protect the berries or vines, or to facilitate autumn harvest, they would remove the wooden boards nestled in the concrete part of the dam next to the water supply source and install the boards at the outlet of the bog. A motor would kick on and spin a driveshaft attached to a large belt connected to a paddlewheel and water would quickly flood the bog. In spring the reverse would occur.
A cranberry bush. Pixabay photo
To allow for bees and other pollinators to access the cranberry flowers (the name cranberry is thought to have derived from the name “crane berry”, a reference to how the flowers look similar to the head of a crane) boards would be installed in the slots of the concrete dam next to the water supply and boards removed from the far end of the bog, thereby draining it.
By the 1920’s nearly a dozen bogs were in operation here. But about 15 years later it was down to six, according to a fine article by Tim Huss published in the New York Almanack. Long Island had several problems that made cranberry production less profitable — there were no processing facilities to make value-added products and the costs of labor and land were higher, reflected in higher property taxes, when compared with other more rural areas.
Cranberries, like most agricultural monocultures, are afflicted by pests and such was the case with Long Island’s cranberry bogs. Two notorious pests were (and still are) the cranberry fruit worm and black-headed fireworm which affects both the fruit and leaves. Cranberry producers turned to chemical means in an attempt to control the insects, with amino triazole being the pesticide of choice. This pesticide soon was in the crosshairs of the then Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW).
On “Cranberry Black Monday,” November 9, 1959, HEW declared amino triazole a carcinogen (cancer causing). The cranberry market was dealt a severe blow with even Mamie Eisenhower declaring she was foregoing the traditional cranberry sauce at the White House Thanksgiving Dinner in a few weeks, serving apple sauce instead. Untold cartons and cans of cranberries and sauce languished on supermarket and warehouse shelves.
A cluster of cranberries. Pixabay photo
The Davis Bog in Manorville was the only cranberry bog to survive this event. For years they sold their berries to the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (remember A&P supermarkets around Long Island?), but the bogs south of Swan Pond were harder and harder to maintain and in 1974 this last cranberry bog ceased operation. The Long Island cranberry industry was no more.
If you want to gain some sense of the industry that was once so vital to Long Islanders both as a source of food and employment, a visit to the Suffolk County Cranberry Bog Nature Preserve south of the Suffolk County Center in Riverhead is in order. A small dirt parking lot provides parking and a wide trail leads to Swezey’s Pond which was the water supply source to the Woodhull Bog.
A picturesque trail runs around the pond (I like to walk it in counter-clockwise fashion) and by hiking the trail you’ll see where sand was excavated to make the earthen dike, the dike itself, a few of the perimeter ditches that once lined the edge of the bog, and a concrete pump house near where the stream drains from the pond into the bog. If you visit during the warmer months you should see turtles, numerous birds, dragonflies, and waterlilies. Better yet, go in the colder weather, say the day after Thanksgiving, as a way to burn off the calories from all that turkey, gravy, and cranberry sauce you ingested with relish the day before.
A resident of Setauket, author John Turner is conservation chair of the Four Harbors Audubon Society, author of “Exploring the Other Island: A Seasonal Nature Guide to Long Island” and president of Alula Birding & Natural History Tours.
Annual holiday event celebrates shipyards and shorelines
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A scene from a previous Candlelight House Tour. Photo courtesy of Lianna Kosch
A scene from a previous Candlelight House Tour. Photo courtesy of Lianna Kosch
A scene from a previous Candlelight House Tour. Photo courtesy of Lianna Kosch
A scene from a previous Candlelight House Tour. Photo courtesy of Lianna Kosch
By Rita J. Egan
With the holidays approaching, the Three Village Historical Society is preparing to light the way with a touch of history and seasonal decor.
The historical society will host its Candlelight House Tour on Friday, Dec. 1, and Saturday, Dec. 2. The event, titled Shipyards and Shorelines, will feature homes near the shores of Setauket Harbor, according to event co-chairs Patty Yantz and Patty Cain. Rounding out the house tour will be the Caroline Church of Setauket. The church celebrated its 300th anniversary this year.
Most of the four homes are on Shore Road, an area known as the Dyers Neck Historic District.
“There will be beautiful homes decorated in seasonal décor by our talented decorators,” Cain said.
The annual event allows visitors to visit the homes to see the designers’ work.
“All of our events, no matter how glamorous, they are all rooted in education,” said Mari Irizarry, TVHS director. “The Candlelight House Tour, now in its 44th year, is our biggest fundraiser, with all proceeds going directly towards our operating costs. We welcome over 1,000 guests and over 100 volunteers to appreciate historic architecture of the Three Village community and learn about the people that helped build our community.”
Irizarry said the chosen homes are revealed to attendees when they pick up a booklet before their tour begins. This year’s choices include a mixture of historic homes and houses recognized for their aesthetic beauty.
“There is one grand house, down a hidden path behind gates that is ‘shore’ to be the belle of the ball,” Irizarry said.
As early as 1662, the area was once the center of shipbuilding. In the 19th century, the industry became a major commercial activity. According to Yantz and Cain, the tour will focus on shipbuilding, local architecture, oystering and whaling.
Irizarry added the 439-ton whaling ship Daisy was among the inspirations. The ship was built in 1871-72 at Nehemiah Hand’s shipyard, which was located along Shore Road in East Setauket.
According to Yantz, during the event, the society board members will share photos and documents from TVHS archives and little-known local history trivia.
In addition to the house tours, the historical society will host a reception Friday night at The Old Field Club from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. and a breakfast Saturday at the club from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. for additional fees. The breakfast and tour package allows attendees to visit the homes an hour before they are officially opened.
TVHS members presale begins today, Thursday, Nov. 2 and runs until Nov. 5. Tickets will be available for non-members starting Nov 6. The Friday, Dec. 1 tour runs from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tickets for members are $75 and non-members $90. Friday night’s tour and reception package ticket is $145 for members and $175 for non-members. Saturday’s tour is $55 for members and $70 for nonmembers. Saturday’s tour and breakfast combo is $90 and $120.
Scene from the 33rd annual WMHO Halloween Festival. Photo from WMHO
Scene from the 33rd annual WMHO Halloween Festival. Photo from WMHO
Scene from the 33rd annual WMHO Halloween Festival. Photo from WMHO
Scene from the 33rd annual WMHO Halloween Festival. Photo from WMHO
Scene from the 33rd annual WMHO Halloween Festival. Photo from WMHO
Scene from the 33rd annual WMHO Halloween Festival. Photo from WMHO
Scene from the 33rd annual WMHO Halloween Festival. Photo from WMHO
The Ward Melville Heritage Organization (WMHO) hosted their 33rd Annual Halloween Festival on Oct. 31 from 2 to 5 p.m. in Stony Brook Village. The festival was a huge success and brought more families than ever to the Village Center to celebrate Halloween.
Families enjoyed music from WALK 97.5, trick-or-treating throughout Stony Brook Village Center, dancing with Monster Merlin and games for children.
Nightmare Before Christmas
WMHO announced their 33rd Annual Scarecrow Competition winners during the festival. The winners are as follows:
Category A- Professional
1st Place – #310 Nightmare Before Christmas
2nd Place – #111 Grim
Category B – Adult and Family
1st Place – #305 Mr. Margaritaville
2nd Place – #301 Edgar Allen Scare-Poe
3rd Place – #102 On Wednesdays, We Wear Pink
Category C – Children
1st Place – #206 Barbie: You Can Be Anything
2nd Place – #303 Bubblegum Witch
3rd Place – #110 Barbie
This event was sponsored by Long Island Speech, Green Towers Group, News 12 Long Island, Goldfish Swim School, Dr. Robert Quilty, Ph.D and Dr. Rocco Morelli, DDS.
Above, two skeletons take it easy. Photo by Nasrin Zahed
By Nasrin Zahed
Halloween has a rich history on Long Island that dates back to the early colonial days. Over the centuries, it has evolved from ancient Scottish rituals to the modern-day extravaganza of costumes, candy and spooky spectacles.
Halloween’s origins can be traced back to the ancient Scottish festival of Eve of All Hallows, celebrated around the end of October. Though commonly believed to be derived from the Celtics, Henry Kelly, distinguished research professor in the Department of English at the University of California, Los Angeles, has provided the research to debunk such a claim.
“People in Ireland also indulged in similar festivities on the day before All Saints’ Day, including divination games and competitions like apple bobbing,” said Kelly in an email exchange.
Below, Halloween decorations plastered on the exterior windows at the Dance Arts Development Center in St. James. Photo by Nasrin Zahed
Halloween customs came to America primarily through the Irish immigrants in the 19th century. The practice of carving Jack-o’-lanterns, a staple of modern Halloween, is often attributed to Irish immigrants who brought the tradition of carving turnips with them. The orange pumpkin, native to North America, became the go-to canvas for spooky faces and designs.
Though of all the traditions to be brought over, dressing up on Halloween and going door to door is still a bit hazy. “The question of when children started masquerading and going around for treats at Halloween in America needs further research,” Kelly said.
Regardless, Halloween has adapted to become one of the most profitable holidays of the year. Seeing as the United States has a strong consumer culture, Halloween became an opportunity for retailers to tap into this market. Businesses saw the potential in selling costumes, decorations, candies and other Halloween-related products.
There is no question that Long Island has found a niche in that market as fall makes Long Island a scenic destination for all things fall fun.
With its agricultural history, Long Island is also home to numerous farms and pumpkin patches, where families can pick their own pumpkins and enjoy fall-themed activities. Others can enjoy an array of haunted attractions and houses that draw thrill seekers and horror enthusiasts during the Halloween season. Places like Darkside Haunted House in Wading River and Gateway’s Haunted Playhouse in Bellport offer terrifying experiences for those brave enough to enter.
Long Island boasts numerous historical sites with eerie legends and ghost stories.
One of the standout Halloween events is the Rise of the Jack O’Lanterns at Old Westbury Gardens, showcasing thousands of intricately carved pumpkins, transforming the gardens into a mesmerizing pumpkin wonderland. The event is being held through Nov. 2.
Local businesses and communities have embraced the spirit of Halloween, with businesses decorating their storefronts and residents adorning their homes with creative and spooky decorations.
Hailey Hamilton of Old Wood Road, Stony Brook, shared her thoughts on the upcoming holiday, saying, “Halloween in our town is always a blast. The decorations go up, the costumes come out, and the spirit of the season is infectious. It’s the perfect time of year to enjoy some spooky fun with friends and family.”
A fascinating tapestry of ancient Scottish customs, early American traditions and modern-day festivities, Halloween on Long Island is the one to beat. A bewitching experience for all ages, Long Islanders have embraced this holiday with open arms, making it an integral part of their culture.
If you find yourself on Long Island in late October, be prepared for a ghoulishly good time.
From a spooky train ride in Huntington to a Halloween festival in picturesque Stony Brook Village, from a Haunted Hatchery in Centerport to a Halloween hayride in Northport, there are plenty of ways to celebrate the most fun time of the year on the North Shore!
Halloween at the Heckscher
Families are invited to celebrate Halloween at the Heckscher Museum of Art, 2 Prime Ave., Huntington on Oct. 27 from noon to 5 p.m. Create a spooktacular art activity, make a haunted Digital Action painting, and take home a festive treat! Free admission for kids in costume and their families Register at 631-380-3230, www.heckscher.org
Photo from Celebrate St. James
Halloween Painting Fun!
Celebrate St. James hosts a Halloween Painting Workshop for children at the Calderone Theatre, 176 2nd St., St. James on Oct 28 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and again from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Costumes encouraged. $25 per child includes painting, all supplies, candy, bagels (a.m.)/cupcakes (p.m.) To register, visit www.celebratestjames.org. 631-984-0201
Heritage Halloween Fest
The North Shore Youth Council presents a Halloween Fest at the Heritage Center, 633 Mount Sinai Coram Road, Mt. Sinai on Oct. 28 from noon to 3 p.m. Enjoy pumpkin picking and decorating, a spooky walk scavenger hunt, costume parade, a goodie bag, dance party and more! Registration is $15 per child 12 and under. Parents and guardians are not required to register. Advance registration only at www.nsyc.com.
Trick or Treat Trail
Join the Farmingville Historical Society on Oct. 28 for a Trick or Treat Trail at Farmingville Hills County Park, 503 Horseblock Road, Farmingville from noon to 3 p.m. Come in costume and trick or treat along a trail while learning about the history of candy. Fill your bag with real, full-size candy treats. The entry fee is $15 per trick or treater. Parents are welcome to escort their children without paying. Please note this is not a haunted trail. All Trick or Treaters must pre-register at www.farmingvillehistoricalsociety.org
Lil’ Monsters Halloween Workshop
Children ages 4 to 7 are invited to join Benner’s Farm, 56 Gnarled Hollow Road, E. Setauket for a Lil’ Monsters Workshop on Oct. 28 from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Make a tye-dye craft, decorate a cookie, create a lil’ monster or bat craft, and take a tour of the farm with a tractor ride. Come in costume if you like. $55 per child. Call 631-689-8172 to register.
Haunted Hatchery
Calling all ghosts and goblins, spiders and bones … Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery, 1660 Route 25A, Cold Spring Harbor will host a Halloween event on Oct. 28 from 2 to 5 p.m. Families are welcome to join them for a not-so-scary Haunted Hatchery. Trick-or-Treat your way through their outdoor grounds. Admission fee is $7 adults, $6 seniors, $5 children ages 3 to 12. 516-692-6768, www.cshfishhatchery.org
A Halloween Princess Party
You are invited to a special Halloween Princess Party at the Smithtown Performing Arts Center, 2 E. Main St., Smithtown Performances will be held on Oct. 28 at 2 p.m. and Oct. 29 at 11 a.m.Learn about Halloween traditions from different kingdoms and meet new friends. Be sure to wear your best princess attire OR your Halloween costume — this non-scary experience is a royal trick-or-treat! *Please note that this is a theatrical experience and all children must be accompanied by an adult. Tickets are $16 per person. To order, visit www.smithtownpac.org or call 1-800-595-4849.
Spooky Walk
Setauket Fire Department, 394 Nicolls Road, Setauket hosts its second annual Spooky Walk on Oct. 28 from 6 to 10 p.m. Come down for some family fun and trick or treating! 631-941-4900
Spooky Train Rides
Join the Greenlawn-Centerport Historical Association for a Spooky Train Ride at John Gardiner Farm, 900 Park Ave., Huntington on Oct. 28 from 3 to 6 p.m. Ride the Lollipop Train, take a hay ride and make a craft (fee). Pies, cider, popcorn and hot chocolate will be available for purchase. $13 per child. Advance registration required by visiting www.greenlawncenterporthistorical.org.
Haunted Boo-seum & Festival
Join the Whaling Museum, 301 Main St., Cold Spring Harbor for its spookiest event of the year, with fun activities for all ages, on Oct. 29 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. You are invited to go on a spooky walk-through museum exhibits with haunted sea-inspired activities at every turn including Castaway Creatures and Davy Jones Locker where you can meet live critters, sponsored by Gellerman Orthodontics. Tickets in advance are $20 children, $8 adults; $25 children, $8 adults at the door. 631-367-3418, www.cshwhalingmuseum.org
Halloween Hayride
Northport Chamber of Commerce presents the annual Halloween Hayride in Northport Village Park on Oct. 29 from noon to 4 p.m. with hayrides, pumpkin patch, pumpkin painting, live music, petting zoo, costume contest & refreshments. Fun for the whole family! 631-754-3905
Halloween Parade
The Community Association of Greater St. James presents its annual Halloween Parade on Oct. 29 from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. Meet at the Gazebo on Lake Avenue dressed in your Halloween best to parade around the park. 631-360-7620
Halloween Family Fun Day
Family Fun Day is back at the Long Island Museum, 1200 Route 25A, Stony Brook just in time for Halloween! Join them on Oct. 29 from 1 to 4 p.m. forpumpkin painting, trick-or-treating, Día de los Muertos crafts related to the ofrenda in the SOMOS exhibition, puppetry from Mascara Viva Puppeteers and much more! Wear your Halloween costume if you wish. Free admission. 631-751-0066, www.longislandmuseum.org
Photo from TOB
Barktoberfest!
The Town of Brookhaven will host the Brookhaven Animal Shelter and Adoption Center’s “Barktoberfest” Howl-o-ween pet parade and costume contest on October 29 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Fireman’s Park, 724 Middle Country Road in Ridge. Children are encouraged to come in costume, ready for Trick or Treating. 631-451-TOWN
Safe Trick or Treat at The Shoppes
The Shoppes at East Wind, 5720 Route 25A, Wading River invites all goblins & ghouls & children dressed in costume to enjoy a safe outdoor Trick or Treating on Oct. 31 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 631-929-3500
Halloween Festival
The Ward Melville Heritage Organization hosts its 33rd annual Halloween Festival at the Stony Brook Village Center, 111 Main St., Stony Brook on Oct. 31 from 2 to 5 p.m. with trick or treating in the shops and restaurants, children’s games and Monster Mash dancing — wear your Halloween costume! See if you can scare Monster Merlin and take part in a costume parade at 4 p.m. Free. 631-751-2244, www.wmho.org
Halloween Costume Parade
The annual Downtown “Hauntington” Village Halloween Costume Parade returns to the Town of Huntington on Oct. 31 at 4 p.m. Line-up at the Huntington Post Office, 55 Gerard St., Huntington for a parade through Huntington followed by trick or treating at designated village merchants. No registration necessary. Call 631-351-3173 or 631-351-3085
Commack
Commack United Methodist Church, 486 Townline Road, Commack presents its 6th annualTrunk-N-Treat event on Oct. 28 from 2 to 4 p.m. Children can trick or treat for candy at festively decorated car trunks and truck beds and enjoy games, crafts and activities. Free. 631-499-7310, www.commack-umc.org
Dix Hills
St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, 20 Candlewood Path, Dix Hills will hold a Trunk or Treat event for children up to age 11 on Oct. 29 from 2 to 4 p.m. Attend dressed in your Halloween costume and play games out of the trunks of cars to earn candy and prizes at St. Luke Lutheran Church. If it rains, the event will be held inside the school. 631-499-8656
East Setauket
Messiah Lutheran Church, 465 Pond Path, East Setauket invites the community to a Trunk or Treat on Oct. 28 from 2 to 4 p.m. with games, candy, prizes, and fun! Rain date is Oct. 29 same time. www.messiahny.org
Hauppauge
Hauppauge Public Library, 1373 Veterans Memorial Highway, Hauppauge invites the community to trick or treat in their parking lot on Oct. 27 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Community members will be decorating their trunks in fun and spooky themes and will pass out candy to trick or treaters. The library will also have snacks, games, crafts, and other activities. Open to all. 631-979-1600.
Rocky Point
The North Shore Youth Council and the Rocky Point PTA present a Trunk Or Treat event at the Joseph A. Edgar School, 525 Route 25A, Rocky Point on Oct. 29 from 2 to 5 p.m. with decorated cars and trunks, candy and non-edible treats, face painting, crafts and photo prop. Costumes encouraged. www.nsyc.com
St. James
Deepwells Farm Historical Society, 2 Taylor Lane, St. James will present Deepwells Trunk or Treat event on Oct. 29 from 11 a.m. to noon. Bring your little ghosts and goblins for a spectacular event!
Yaphank
Suffolk County Farm & Education Center, 350 Yaphank Road, Yaphank will host a Truck or Treat Farm Halloween event on Oct. 28 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission of $15 per child, $5 adults includes truck or treating, trick or treating around the farm, farm animal visits, kids crafts, unlimited wagon rides, corn maze, family games and activities. Come in costume! Tickets available on eventbrite.com. 631-852-4600
Pirates, puppies and pumpkins in Port Jeff … oh my!
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A family featured dogs dressed as Buzz Lightyear, Bo Peep, Jessie the Cowgirl and an alien in a group ‘Toy Story’ effort. Photo by Julianne Mosher
A dog dressed as a peacock during the costumed dog parade. Photo by Julianne Mosher
Emma Darling posed with a tall pumpkin-headed character outside the Village Center. Photo by Julianne Mosher
Kids were able to pick pumpkins at a patch after running through a hay maze. Photo by Julianne Mosher
A dog dressed up as a chef during the costumed dog parade. Photo by Julianne Mosher
A dog dressed as a UPS driver during the costumed dog parade. Photo by Julianne Mosher
By Julianne Mosher
Another rainy weekend might have canceled some of the Port Jefferson Oktober Harvest Fest’s first day of events, but it didn’t stop people from flocking to the village on a finally sunny Sunday.
Sponsored by the Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce and the Business Improvement District, in cooperation with the Village of Port Jefferson, the 2023 Oktober Fest’s original program had events starting at 7 a.m. — some indoors, some outside. While the show still went on during the rainstorm on Saturday, Oct. 21, for some, one big event had to be rescheduled to the following day — the annual costumed dog parade.
Located outside of Fetch Doggy Boutique on East Main Street, dogs from across Long Island suit up the week before Halloween every year and head with their owners to show off their adorable canine costumes. This year, on Sunday, Oct. 22, people still came out with their furry friends despite the original date’s cancellation, marching downtown resembling an array of characters including the toys from “Toy Story,” a cowboy, a race car driver and a peacock.
But that wasn’t the only fun thing happening. A chowder crawl featuring local restaurants had participants warmed up on Saturday, and country line dancing was set up once the clouds cleared later in the day.
On Sunday, with warmer and sunnier weather, families were able to enjoy a pumpkin harvest maze and patch outside the Village Center, admire scarecrows — fake and real — out and about throughout town or participate in a variety of events, including a pirate scavenger hunt, pumpkin decorating contest and a pie-eating contest. The possibilities were endless.
Walking throughout town were big-headed costumed characters as local businesses used the weekend of fun for other opportunities. Tabu Boutique opened its doors not to just sell its usual earrings, clothing and accessories but invited East Coast Canine of Manorville to help get French bulldog puppies adopted.
The line was out the door for people of all ages to play with, pet and sit with the puppies — who were just a few weeks old — in hopes of giving them a new home.
Emma Darling, a fourth grader at Edna Louise Spear Elementary in Port Jeff, was one of the eager kids waiting patiently on line to get a glimpse of the pups.
“This is my favorite part of the day,” she said. “The baby puppies are just so cute.”
Lovers of the fantastic and horrific often find there’s no better time of year than the month of October to embrace all things terrifying. This is when homeowners adorn their homes with gruesome decor to get prepared for Halloween — a day of the year when it truly seems the door to the mysterious may be open. The weeks leading up to Halloween also are times when horror movies — both classic and newly released — take center stage.
Plenty of films will have viewers hiding behind their buckets of popcorn in the theater or gripping the sofa pillows at home. Here’s a look at some recent offerings in the scary movie genre.
• “Five Nights at Freddy’s”: This film is a terror-filled adaptation of a popular video game. It centers around a nighttime security guard at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza who quickly learns that the animatronic mascots of the establishment are alive and filled with malice. The movie is poised to have a PG-13 rating, so it may prove a bit too scary for younger children even if they play the video game.
• “Knock at the Cabin”: M. Night Shyamalan’s newest thriller follows a small family whose vacation in the woods is interrupted by strangers who say the apocalypse is upon them unless one of the family members kills another. Dave Bautista has a standout role.
• “Talk to Me”: A group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand. They quickly get hooked on the thrill of discovery, and one goes wild releasing terrifying supernatural forces.
• “Evil Dead Rise”: A young aunt is stuck in an apartment complex while her sister becomes a Deadite who is determined to kill her own children. Gory scenes abound in this installment in the “Evil Dead” series.
• “Infinity Pool”: A psychological horror, this movie follows a couple on a vacation as they venture outside the resort. They meet a mysterious woman who introduces the couple to a culture of hedonism, horror and violence.
• “M3EGAN”: Viewers looking for a film that mixes something a little scary, a little silly and a little heartfelt may find it when watching “M3EGAN.” The titular character is a life-like doll programmed to be a child’s companion and a parent’s ally. But as horror movie fans know, you can’t always trust dolls.
• “Scream VI”: This long-running slasher series gives fans another installment. The main characters have moved to New York City only to find they are pursued by another Ghostface. Some great fight scenes keep viewers engaged.
• “The Nun II”: Sister Irene once again comes face-to-face with Valak, the demon nun who is responsible for murder and the spread of evil.
Horror fans can enjoy a new crop of thrilling and scary films this Halloween.
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