A DAY AT THE BEACH
Judy Welter recently snapped a photo of her 2-year-old grandson, Connor, at West Meadow Beach in Stony Brook holding his very first hermit crab. She writes, “He couldn’t be more delighted. My son’s picture [Connor’s uncle] appeared in your newspaper 41 years ago. He too, was playing by the shore at low tide and is pictured with a hermit crab in hand. Time for the next generation to discover our wonderful beach.”
By Victoria Espinoza
Beneath the sunny rays in Smithtown’s Blydenburgh County Park June 29, Suffolk County Legislator and Presiding Officer DuWayne Gregory (D-Amityville) announced a new program to celebrate Suffolk’s youth community.
The Distinguished Youth Award program is meant to promote and recognize the achievements and initiatives in service of Suffolk County’s youngest contributing members.
The program is open to county residents between the ages of 13 and 18, and registrants will work with local officials throughout the course of a year to lay out plans and goals that touch on volunteerism, personal development, exploration of Suffolk County, and physical fitness.
Gregory announced the program alongside young residents who have already registered, and with colleague, Suffolk County Legislator Leslie Kennedy (R-Nesconset).
“Suffolk County is lucky to be home to so many wonderful young people who have distinguished themselves in many ways.”
— William Spencer
“The goal in establishing this program is to encourage young people to become well-rounded and engaged in local issues and initiatives,” Gregory said. “Our young people are our future. This program is one way to build a foundation on which these young adults can continue to develop a connection to their communities, to understand their needs, and to explore solutions. We are encouraging them to be leaders whose roots are firmly planted in Suffolk County.”
According to Gregory’s office, the program is modeled after the Congressional Youth Leadership Council, and challenges participants to take part in two or more program categories: volunteer service, personal development, exploration of Suffolk County parks, and physical fitness. Medals will be awarded to participants based on the number of categories in which they engage as part of their individual challenge. The bronze medal will be awarded to teens that successfully complete two of the four program areas. The silver medal will be awarded to participants who complete three of the four program areas. The gold medal, which signifies the highest achievement, will recognize participants who complete their established goals in all four program areas.
Fellow legislator William “Doc” Spencer (D-Centerport) co-sponsored the resolution.
“Suffolk County is lucky to be the home to so many wonderful young people who have distinguished themselves in many ways,” Spencer said in a statement. “It will be a great honor to recognize them individually.”
Kennedy echoed the sentiments.
“In Suffolk County we have many accomplished young men and women,” she said at the event. “The Distinguished Youth Award will foster an environment where our youth will continue to accomplish great things, and grow into civically minded adults.”
Registration forms are available online on the Suffolk County Legislature’s Distinguished Youth Award program’s web page at legis.suffolkcountyny.gov/DYA.html. They can also be mailed to Suffolk County Legislature Distinguished Youth Award, Office of the Presiding Officer, Suffolk County Legislature, P.O. Box 6100 – Bldg. 20, Hauppauge, NY 11788-0099.
By Heidi Sutton
The story of Aladdin is one of the most well-known Middle Eastern stories from the “One Thousand and One Nights” collection of folk tales, also known as “The Arabian Nights” collection. Along with “Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves” and “Sinbad the Sailor,” it features a young hero who has to learn an important life lesson. Throughout the month of July, Theatre Three’s Children’s Theatre presents an original musical retelling of the classic rags-to-riches fable that the whole family will enjoy.
Written by Jeffrey Sanzel and Kevin F. Story, “Aladdin and the Lamp” tells the story of Aladdin (Matt Hoffman) whose widowed mother (Elizabeth Ladd) works three jobs while he chooses to skip school and sleep the day away. One morning an evil wizard (Steven Uihlein), pretending to be Aladdin’s long lost rich uncle, appears and convinces the boy to help him retrieve an old lamp from a narrow, dark tunnel. When Aladdin refuses to hand over the lamp without being helped out of the tunnel first, the wizard and his evil sister Marjana (Susan Emory) close up the entrance and abandon the boy.
Alone in the dark, Aladdin starts rubbing the lamp to shine it up and unwittingly releases a genie (Bobby Montaniz) who has magic powers and is able to grant any wish. What luck! With the genie’s help, Aladdin becomes rich, marries the Princess Sharazad (Aria Saltini), moves into his mother-in-law Sultana Fial-Kamar’s (Ginger Dalton) castle with his mother and lives happily ever after. Or does he?
Directed by Sanzel, the adult cast of eight does an excellent job conveying the story, with a special nod to Montaniz, whose portrayal of the Genie, which is reminiscent of Robin Williams, steals the show and quickly becomes an audience favorite, in part because of the clever script. “You can make me rich?” asks Aladdin. “So rich they’ll think you’re a Kardashian!” laughs the Genie. When Aladdin asks the Sultana for her daughter’s hand in marriage, the Genie quips, “Why don’t you ask for the rest of her?” Ba-Dum Tshh!
The songs, accompanied on piano by Steve McCoy, are fresh and fun, especially the duet “Cheat! Lie! Steal!” with Uihlein and Emory, “Make a Wish” by Hoffman and Montaniz, “Me for Me” with Saltini, Dalton and Kayla Jones (in the role of Dunyazad the handmaiden) and “Happy Ending — Not Yet!” performed by the entire company. Costumes by Teresa Matteson are spot on, from Aladdin’s fez to the Genie’s turban, and choreography by Bobby Montaniz ties in to the Arabian theme perfectly. Utilizing the trap door on stage as the entrance to the tunnel is a nice touch. Special effects, courtesy of the Genie, just add to the magic of the afternoon.
Running time is approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes with one intermission. Meet the cast in the lobby after the show for photos.
Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson will present “Aladdin and the Lamp” through July 29. The season will continue with “The Frog Prince” from Aug. 4 to 12 and “A Kooky Spooky Halloween” from Oct. 7 to 28. All seats are $10. For reservations, call 631-928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com.
By Kyle Barr
Every July for the past 11 years the sound of drums, yells, shouts and laughter has resonated from the grounds of the Setauket Elementary School. It is all part of the Setalcott Native American Nation’s Annual Corn Festival Pow-Wow, which returns this weekend. For Helen “Hart of Morning Star” Sells, one of the coordinators of the festival, those sounds are an important part of her family’s history and the history of her people.
Sells is a member of the Setauket-based nation and can trace her lineage back four generations to Rachel Tobias Holland Hart, who is depicted in William Sidney Mount’s famous painting, “Eel Spearing at Setauket” (1845). The 76-year-old looks forward to helping to host the event every year.
“A Pow-Wow is a time where we get to celebrate the harvest that we receive from the great spirit each year” she said in a recent telephone interview. “We celebrate our history and make new friends. That’s what it’s basically about. It’s to let people know we’re still here.”
The Setalcott Nation was one of the first Native American tribes to encounter Europeans, selling 30 acres of land to colonists in 1655, in what would become the Town of Brookhaven. The name “Setauket” is derived from the Algonquin speaking Setalcotts whose members still reside in the areas around East Setauket, specifically along Conscience Bay.
According to Sells, the Corn Festival Pow-Wow was founded in 2005 by her cousin, Theodore Green, who had been chief at the time. Green, who passed away in 2007, was asked to put an event together to educate the community about Native American culture as well as have them recognize the Setalcott Nation’s importance and history in the development of the surroundings towns and hamlets.
The family event will feature native traditional dances from the Bronx Taino Nation as well as Aztec fire dancers along with craft and food vendors, storytelling, singing, a candy dance for the children and much more.
A Grand Entry, which will be held at noon and 4 p.m. on Saturday, and at noon on Sunday, will honor the memory of World War I veterans with American Legion’s Hunter Squire Jackson Post 1218 (Amityville) and the Irving Hart Post 1466 (Setauket), among others.
The 12th annual Corn Festival Pow-Wow will be held at the Setauket Elementary School, 34 Main St., Setauket on July 8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and July 9 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Bring seating. Admission and parking is free but donations are appreciated. For more information, call 631-698-5517 or 917-415-5139.
By Rita J. Egan
Long Island has long been home to many important events in the field of aerospace, particularly during World War II, leading to its iconic nickname as the “cradle of aviation.”
In an effort to help keep the island’s aviation history alive for the next generation, Port Jefferson Station resident John Herman has written a historical fiction book, “Lone Eagle.”
Children will be delighted to join 12-year-old Clementine, the protagonist of “Lone Eagle,” on her adventures during the golden age of aviation. An added bonus for those who live on Long Island is the main character’s hometown of Garden City, a short distance from Curtiss and Roosevelt fields, in a time before the latter became a shopping mall.
While Herman grew up in a different era, just like Clementine, he lived in Garden City as a child and was in close proximity of Mitchel Air Force Base and fascinated with aviation.
The book, which is Herman’s first published work, takes place in 1927 and follows Clementine during her visits to local airfields at a point in time when flying an airplane across the Atlantic Ocean nonstop was just a dream.
The tomboy, whose nickname is Lone Eagle, is determined to be a part of the race to fly across the ocean in her own way by trying to give each pilot a good luck charm, and her quest takes her on an adventure where she meets many interesting characters. The book is historically accurate, which is demonstrated many times, not only with the author’s documentation of historical events such as Charles Lindbergh’s awe-inspiring solo nonstop transatlantic flight in the Spirit of St. Louis from Roosevelt Field to Paris in 1927, but also as Clementine and others keep up with the latest news by reading newspapers, listening to the radio in the parlor and making calls from telephones located in hallways.
Throughout the book, Herman’s pencil drawings depicting airfields, airplanes, as well as other scenes, are a charming addition. At the end of the story, the author lists the Atlantic flight time line to enhance readers learning experience.
In the introduction, Bob Mott, museum director of the Bayport Aerodrome Society, writes “many young people on Long Island today grow up with little knowledge of the aviation history that took place here back during what has become known as the golden age of flight . . . [This is] a must read for any young person who is interested in aviation.”
Recently the author took time out to answer a few questions about his latest venture.
How did you become interested in aviation?
As a youngster, I built models of airplanes and read aviation history. In high school, I built radio-controlled models and then started flight training at Zahn’s Airport [in North Amityville].
What is your day job?
I work for Creative Models and Prototypes, in Hicksville. They are a spin off of the old Grumman model shop. We make prototypes of inventions and models of all types (test, display, volumetric, etc.).
Did you always want to be an author and illustrator of children’s books?
I can’t say I started out wanting to be an author, but when I began reading children’s books to my own children, it began to take on an appeal. I have always been an avid reader. When you combine that with an interest in drawing, eventually an illustrated manuscript was bound to happen.
What was your favorite book as a child?
As a kid I read the Tom Swift series among others. The Redwall series was a favorite to read with my son, and of course, both of my children enjoyed being read Harry Potter.
Did you base the character Clementine on a child in your life?
Clementine is not based on anyone in particular, although I probably would have been right beside her if I had been 12 years old in 1927. I know we would have shared an interest in all things aviation.
Are there any experiences that Clementine went through in the book that you identify with from your own childhood?
Like Clementine I was always fascinated with aviation. I spent hours exploring the abandoned Mitchel Field Air Force Base. If Roosevelt Field had still been an airfield rather than a shopping mall, I’m sure I would have spent a lot more time there.
How would you sum up the book for someone who hasn’t read it?
“Lone Eagle” is a close-up look from a child’s perspective of what was — at that time — the world’s most challenging technological achievement. Clementine wants to be involved, and in her own unique way, she is.
For what age group is this book best suited?
“Lone Eagle” is a beginning chapter book for readers from 8 to 11.
What is your process when creating a book?
This is a tough one. I usually get the inspiration to write from a specific event or occurrence that triggers an idea for a story. Once the story starts to take shape, it gives me a feeling for the style of illustration that I think will work best.
What advice would you give someone who is interested in writing a children’s book?
I think that, at least for me, the easiest and best subjects for creating a children’s book come from personal experiences, things that I am familiar and comfortable with.
Any upcoming book signings?
I don’t have any signings scheduled right now, but “Lone Eagle” is available through Amazon.
For more information about the book and the author, visit the Lone Eagle Facebook page.
“Photography helps people see.” — Berenice Abbott
By Heidi Sutton
Last Thursday evening, Gurwin Jewish Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Commack held a reception honoring the award recipients of its annual Photo Contest complete with a traditional slide show.
This year’s competition, which has grown exponentially from humble beginnings 24 years ago, drew over 700 entries from amateur photographers across the country. In all, 45 photos were selected to be enlarged and framed for permanent display for the enjoyment of those who live and work in the 460-bed nursing and rehabilitation center. According to Dennine Cook, director of public relations for Gurwin, the yearly event began as a way to decorate the walls of the newly opened facility.
“That first year, we had 100 entries and chose 10 winners, mounted them on foam board and hung them in the main hall,” she said. When some of the photos, especially those depicting babies and pets, started to wear out from being kissed so much, the staff started to frame the winners and “we decided that they should remain in our collection for many years.”
A contest with a purpose
Today, the photographs are moved from the Helen and Nat Tiffen Gallery, located in the main corridor at Gurwin, to the resident units as each year’s new group of winners is announced. “Each of the winning photos for the past 20 plus years is hanging on the wall somewhere in the facility, bringing joy to someone each and every day,” said Cook.
Addressing the winners, the public relations director said, “Although competitive and a great achievement for you as a photographer, [the contest] is really about the people who get to see your work once it is chosen,” adding that for the nursing home residents, the beautiful photographs bring back fond memories and “stir up a whole host” of emotions. “And it’s at times like that when we remember why we hold this contest,” she added.
This year’s judges, Michael Cassera of The Tiffen Company (which has sponsored the event for the last 11 years), Alex Horvath of Newsday and Tony Lopez (Tony Lopez Photography) had the arduous task of choosing grand prize winners along with honorable mentions for 12 categories including Nature, Pets, Children, Action/Sports, and Long Island/New York as well as Best in Show and Best in Show Runner-Up. In addition, a panel of resident judges also chose six of their favorites.
What happens to the remaining 650 plus entries? According to Dawn Lettau, director of therapeutic recreation for Gurwin, nothing goes to waste. “We can’t wait for the [remaining] entries to be turned over to us each year. We use them as inspiration for original paintings, collages and other projects all year long, so even photos that aren’t selected as winners are winners to us,” she said.
“While you certainly will bring home a memento of your award tonight, I hope you will leave with the knowledge that the true ‘prize’ is that your photo will bring a smile to someone’s face and a lift to someone’s spirits,” said Cook. “All of the selections, will be judged, discussed and enjoyed by so many appreciative eyes for years to come and to me that is the real honor.”
Entries for the 2018 Gurwin Photo Contest will be accepted beginning in mid-February 2018. Past participants will receive an entry form in the mail. Entry forms will also be available online at https://www.gurwin.org/about/photo-contest/.
2017 WINNING SELECTIONS
Best in Show “Corinth Sheep” by James Napoli
Best in Show Runner-Up “Riding with Dad” by Jo-Anne Bodkin
Action/Sports Category
Grand Prize “Long Island Surfer” by Donna Crinnian
Honorable Mention “Bull Dogger” by Frank DiBenedetto
Honorable Mention “Rappelling in the Negev” by Dan Greenburg
Altered/Enhanced Category
Grand Prize “Guggenheim Museum Ceiling” by Joe Constantino
Honorable Mention “Near You” by Susan Kozodoy-Silkowitz
Honorable Mention “Existential Escalator” by Robert Oliva
Children’s Category
Grand Prize “Sun Kissed” by Joseph Peragallo
Honorable Mention “African School Children” by Carol Goldstein
Honorable Mention “Big Eyes” by Janet Pieper
Landscapes Category
Grand Prize “Mystical Canyon” by Andrew Ehrlich
Honorable Mention “Autumn Sun” by Michael Danielson
Honorable Mention “Portland Head Lighthouse” by Ellen Dunn
Long Island/ New York Category
Grand Prize “Morning Ride” by Karen Celella
Honorable Mention “Ball of Fire” by Joseph Deo
Honorable Mention “Tribute of Light” by Marzena Grabczynska
Nature Category
Grand Prize “A Hobbit’s View” by Alan Sloyer
Honorable Mention “Colors of Nature” by Mike DiRenzo
Honorable Mention “Northern Lights” by Lorraine Piskin
People Category
Grand Prize “Cuban Farmer” by Kathleen Hinkaty
Honorable Mention “Indian Man” by Jan Golden
Honorable Mention “Beyond Borders” by Belle Lin
Pets Category
Grand Prize “One Good Lick” by Barbara McCahill
Honorable Mention “Hi There!” by Jane Maresco
Honorable Mention “Oliver” by Mario Santiago
Still Life Category
Grand Prize “Fort Royal” by Robert Oliva
Honorable Mention “The Bouquet” by Winifred Boyd
Honorable Mention “Elgin No. 1” by Stan Mehlman
Travel Category
Grand Prize “Nuns in the Rain, Myanmar” by Richard Witkover
Honorable Mention “Field of Light” by Karen Celella
Honorable Mention “Bay of Fundy” by Carol Goldstein
Wildlife Category
Grand Prize “Watching the Sunset” by Donna Crinnian
Honorable Mention “Breeding Plumage” by Donna Crinnian
Honorable Mention “Roxie’s Kits” by Jay Gammill
Student Category
Grand Prize “Flying Free’ by Susan Krage
Honorable Mention “Sophia” by Eliana Davidoff
Honorable Mention “African Sunset” by Teddy Koutsoftas
Thanks to all the children who entered Times Beacon Record News Media’s annual Father’s Day contest. Congratulations to Ava Stampelos of Setauket, Jacob Tropin of Centereach and Holden Cone of Setauket for being this year’s winners and receiving a family-four pack of movie tickets to AMC Loews Stony Brook 17. All other entries will be printed in Kids Times over the next few weeks.
Stony Brook author Cindy Sommer and her debut picture book “Saving Kate’s Flowers” has been recognized with a Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators 2017 Crystal Kite Award for New York.
Each year, 15 books are honored from U.S. and international regions from more than 1,000 nominated books. Members of SCBWI vote to honor the outstanding work of their peers in the genre of children’s books. SCBWI is the only professional organization specifically for those individuals writing and illustrating for children and young adults in the fields of children’s literature, magazines, film, television and multimedia.
Sommer has always been passionate about writing, but it was her daughter’s desire to save the flowers from winter’s fate that inspired her first picture book. She tucked the idea away and years later set out to make the story come to life. The whimsical illustrations by Laurie Allen Klein feel familiar with a nod to Beatrix Potter and her rabbit family that lived in the human world.
To read a book review of “Saving Kate’s Flowers,” visit www.tbrnewsmedia.com.
Sommer will be reading and signing copies of her award-winning book on Monday, June 19, at Harborfields Public Library, 31 Broadway, Greenlawn from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. For more information on this event, call 631-757-4200.
By Alex Petroski
It was like Christmas in June for kids in Port Jefferson, as an iconic village park is finally ready for a new launch. Rocketship Park, located on Maple Place between Mill Creek Road and Barnum Avenue, had been closed since the fall for a massive renovation project that saw funds pour in from private donations, fundraising events, grants and taxpayer dollars. At least 200 kids lined the fences June 15 eagerly waiting for the official ribbon cutting to try out the new equipment for the first time, which now includes a tree house, pirate ship and of course, a rocket ship.
The refurbishment effort was done thanks in large part to a three and a half year mission by the Port Jefferson “Treasure Your Parks” campaign, an initiative created to help give a facelift to the more than 50-year-old Clifton H. Lee Memorial Park, which has commonly been known as Rocketship Park. Suffolk County Leg. Kara Hahn (D-Setauket); Jennifer Martin, a representative from Brookhaven Town Councilwoman Valerie Cartright’s (D-Port Jefferson Station) office; the 2016 New York State championship runner up Port Jefferson High School girls basketball team, and droves of excited local kids joined members of the Port Jeff Village board and Mayor Margot Garant to cut the ribbon and officially open the park for the summer.
Garant also recognized two Port Jeff kids, Cooper and McKenna Negus, who collected change in a jar and periodically went to village hall to contribute to the fundraising efforts for the park. The mayor said she planned to use the money to purchase a tile to commemorate the generous young donors.
“Everyday we were building this park we’d have kids hanging out on the outside of the fence saying ‘when can we come and play,’” Garant said. “It’s all about the kids right?”
Garant added the park will be under video surveillance and asked that all those who visit the park help to ensure it remains clean, and free of graffiti, vandalism and litter.
The total cost of the project was about $900,000, with $500,000 coming from taxpayer dollars, $265,000 from a New York State parks grant and about $120,000 from donations, according to Barbara Sakovich, assistant to the mayor.
This version was updated June 16 to include the total cost and breakdown of funding for the park renovation. It was edited June 19 to correct that it will still be officially called Clifton H. Lee Memorial Park and commonly referred to as Rocketship Park.
By Rita J. Egan
Attending a prom is an important milestone for most teenagers, but for children who are dealing with an illness, they may not always get the chance to experience the rite of passage.
Stony Brook Children’s Hospital ensured their teenaged inpatients as well as outpatients had the opportunity to enjoy the same special moments their peers do when they held their second annual Children’s Hospital Prom June 10. Many of the teenagers were unable to attend this year’s school prom or a previous year’s, or due to life-limiting illnesses may never have the opportunity.
Maureen Cole, associate director of nursing at the hospital, said 50 patients between ages 12 and 21 along with their guests attended this year’s prom.
For the event, a youth advisory council was created so the patients could be involved in the planning. She said they chose a Hawaiian luau themed prom that featured tiki torches, grass huts, colorful flowers, Polynesian-influenced cuisine and warm breezes on the hospital’s Level 5 patio. The council also met with chefs and picked the food to be served.
The evening began at 4 p.m. with complimentary hair styling, makeup and nail services all provided inside the hospital by the New York Institute of Beauty. Cole said all the children looked incredible, and there was a waiting area, suggested by the council, for those who chose not to get their hair and nails done to play video games and wait for their guests who were getting pampered.
With physicians, nurses and employees from Child Life Services who volunteered their time in attendance, the teenagers enjoyed a night filled with red carpet snapshots, dancing and games such as limbo.
Michael Reed, a 16-year-old outpatient of the hospital who just completed 10th grade at MacArthur High School in Levittown, was part of the youth council. He said it felt great to see the results of the work of the half dozen members.
“It was, the way that I looked at it, not a masterpiece, but it was what me and a few other people invented, what we helped out with, what we created,” he said.
Reed, who attended last year’s prom, felt getting the opinions of the teens by forming a council was a great idea.
“It looked like everyone had a really fun time,” he said.
Cole said the children miss many special events at school, and despite programs available through Child Life Services, the hospital experience is not a fun one for them.
“It’s our way of giving back,” she said. “And, having a big prom party for them, so they feel that a hospital is not just a bad place to come to because you come here usually when you are sick.”
Joan Alpers, director of Child Life Services at the hospital, said it’s important for children to spend time with their peers who are going through the same situation they are.
“This gives kids an opportunity to know that they are not alone in the world, that other kids are there struggling just like they are, trying to keep up with school and doing all the things that are hard to do when you are managing a chronic illness and are a teenager,” Alpers said.
The director attended the prom and said it was delightful.
“A lot of kids were anxious and eager to get to the party,” she said. “They had their hair and nails done, and they felt really special. A lot of the boys were wearing flowered shirts with their suits.”
Alpers said there was a sick child in the hospital who they thought may not be able to attend, but she put on her dress and had her hair and nails done. Later in the day, she received the go-ahead from doctors to attend.
“It was so lovely to see her come down [from the ward],” Alpers said. “She wanted to be there so badly.”
Cole said she hopes the hospital will continue to be able to organize the prom every year.
“I really think it’s important for them to feel special because they really are special to us, all the kids,” she said.
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