Times of Smithtown

The Fusco Brothers perform a juggling act. Photo by Jeremy Thomas/Cirque Italia

By Kevin Redding

A time-traveling water circus is splashing into town this month to make dreams come true.

For those of all ages seeking thrills in the form of high-stakes performances, aerialists, jugglers, contortionists, trampoliners, archers, and the vibrant, multi-talented Alex the Clown at the center of a unique aquatic spectacle, Cirque Italia’s “Water Circus Gold” comes to life under a big white and blue tent at Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove from October 5 to 15. 

Cirque Italia, the animal-free, human talent-only entertainment company, which was founded in Italy in 2012, has long blended its high-caliber production values (dazzling lasers, lighting, and its “Wheel of Death” contraption!) with reverence for the history of the European circus scene. Traveling across several cities and states, the show features an elaborate stage that contains 35,000 gallons of water and 27 computers controlling it, and 17 performers spanning 10 countries, from Argentina and Brazil to Ukraine and Romania, to deliver an unforgettable visual and narrative experience.

Get ready for leather jackets, poodle skirts, muscle cars, and Elvis and Little Richard to blare from the jukebox as the show tells the story of a 1950s-obsessed boy, dressed up as Alex the Clown, who goes to sleep and dreams of living in his favorite decade. Waking up in his own vivid dreamscape, he’s guided through the 1950s by grown-up Alex the Clown.

Behind the makeup and red nose is Alex Acero, 39, of Brazil, who has been performing as a clown, ringmaster, juggler, trampoliner, and trapeze artist with Cirque Italia for seven years. In line with the show, he has been dreaming of being in this world since he was a little kid and grew up in the kind of family where he didn’t have to “run away and join the circus.” A third-generation circus performer, Acero’s grandparents on his mother’s side were circus entertainers and his parents met at a carnival and are still actively performing to this day.

“I grew up watching the circus…some kids want to play with trucks, not me. I wanted to be a trapeze artist, I wanted to be a juggler. This is our way to play,” Acero said. “I’d wake up and see elephants, tigers, lions, and camels around me. That was my childhood!”

He officially joined the circus in Brazil at 9 years old, doing a trampoline act with his brother and honing his comedian skills even then. Traveling all over, he and his family would perform in tours that ran four to six months out of the year, with eight shows a week, which meant he was enrolled in at least 12 different schools throughout his childhood. Regular kid by day, circus entertainer by night.

As he got older, he said his passion for the lifestyle never waned. “I wanted to do this since I was a kid, that was always my dream. Growing up, I still have the same dream.”

At 20, he joined Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, through which he performed at Madison Square Garden, one of his most cherished memories.

“Now I’m working at one of the best shows in the United States,” Acero said of Cirque Italia. “People can expect a lot of lasers, music, and dance. Everybody asks if we get wet, we don’t. We work around the water. It’s like a huge pool and we have a little stage in the middle.

“During the show, I walk into the audience and ask for a quarter for the jukebox. It’s a show for the whole family.”

And Acero really means it. Not only is his wife, Vanessa Ferrari, a trapeze artist in the show but his daughters, Bianca, 12, and Sophia, 4, have joined the family trade too: Bianca is a dancer and Sophia has a walk-on appearance and shares a jukebox dance with her dad.

“We like to say we are families entertaining families,” Acero said. “And I mean thousands of families!” He takes pride in kids in the crowd loving his trampoline act and taking a piece of the show home with them through little stuffed dolls of Alex the Clown. “One mother said her daughter is 4 years old and she bought a cotton candy for her and she didn’t eat it because she was so entertained watching the show…I love that.”

Another excited performer in the show is Margarita Denysova, 24, originally from Ukraine and now living in New Jersey, who specializes in aerial acts, unicyle-riding, hula hooping, handstands, and juggling. With Cirque Italia for a year and a half, she said her childhood dreams have come to life through her emergence in the circus, which began for her at 18 in the Festival International du Cirque de Monte-Carlo.

“I remember going to a circus when I was about 7,” Denysova said, “and it gave me more questions than answers at that time. Because it was like, ‘It’s not possible!’ ‘How can you walk on the wire!’”

A dancer throughout her youth, she got a taste of her future at a circus school in Ukraine. “I was like ‘Oh my God, they jump, they spin, there’s people doing unicycle…I want to do that!’” She eventually attended the Kyiv Municipal Academy of Variety and Circus Arts, where she learned pantomime, circus history, and how to excel on the circus stage. Though it took some time to convince her parents that this was a fitting path for her, and lots of bad falls in the midst of practicing on the unicycle, she’s exactly where she wants to be.

“I’m good at what I’m doing and I’m enjoying it. You’re making people impressed and happy,” she said. “It’s a cool and unique show in the United States with the water stage we have. And animals should be living a free life, so it’s really good.” Referring to her unicycle training, she laughed, “I’ve fallen so many times, and you’re flying off it and landing on your back! I put a little bit of fear in myself just to have this adrenaline. I’m like, ‘Here we go!’”

Now able to balance on four-wheeled unicycles and juggle multiple pins at the same time, Denysova enjoys making a connection with the audience during Cirque Italia performances—especially the younger members.

“Sometimes in the intermission, I see some kids already doing a walkover and some cartwheels. I’m like ‘Wow! When did you learn this?’ It’s very nice, I like it!”

Cirque Italia will be performing shows October 5th through October 15th in a Big Top stationed in the parking lot at 313 Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove. Tickets can be purchased now starting at $10 to $50 depending on availability. For more information on times and tickets, call 941-704-8572 or visit www.cirqueitalia.com. 

METRO photo

By Daniel Dunaief

Daniel Dunaief

We need people around us for a host of reasons.

We have the kind of division of labor that makes it possible for someone like me with no mechanical skills whatsoever to fix, repair, install or replace something we need, like a dishwasher or roof, to pick up the phone and call a specialist who can do the job.

We also need people to provide the kind of food we don’t grow or cook ourselves and to ship that food across the country or the world.

How would we people watch without people strutting, holding hands, barking commands on cell phones, or pausing to take a giant mouthful of hot pizza?

We also need people for social and emotional reasons.

It’s helpful to have someone who can tell you whether your shoes match your outfit, who can point out if you have food in your teeth, or who can nix your idea to share a risqué joke with your boss.

We go through stages in life when our social needs rise and fall, depending on our age, vulnerabilities, and emotional equanimity.

I have several friends whose children are living through different phases in life, entering and leaving colleges, changing jobs or location, and starting or ending serious relationships.

When people in unfamiliar settings first settle into a new routine, they can feel vulnerable, disconnected, and incredibly lonely.

Making matters worse, they see other people around them laughing with friends, moving in a group, or chatting animatedly on the phone. Social media doesn’t help, as they can see pictures of other people having the times of their lives on other college campuses, surrounded by their new friends, while they look to the vacant space to the left and right of them.

These transitionary periods can make people feel as if they are the only ones without an invitation to an incredible party on the other side of the fence. They can hear music and laughter, they can smell the barbecued chicken, and they can see the flickering lights.

It’s as if a magnetic attraction drew everyone else together, while that same force repelled them, making them outsiders in their towns and universities.

While most young people can and do find comfort from companionship, the time when they feel as if they are on their own can seem extraordinarily long.

That’s where we come in.

You see, we are surrounded by students who are going to college, have returned for a few days or longer, or who have graduated and are trying to find their place in the world.

Some of them want or need nothing from us, as they glide effortlessly between their professional or academic responsibilities and their recharging social contacts.

Others, however, may be too unnerved or unsure to ask for help or to try to get what they may not even acknowledge they need.

The cost of offering an encouraging word, of asking about a student who is rounding up grocery carts in a parking lot, is restocking shelves at a department store or who is taking our order at a fast food restaurant is low.

Most of us are creatures of habit. We tend to go to the same places to eat, to buy our food, or to get our hardware store supplies.

When we go to those stores, we might see those same familiar faces, some of whom might be hiding behind extra long bangs or appear to be staring at their phones or shoes.

We don’t have to become best friends with any of them, and we don’t need to pull up a chair and ask their life stories.

We can, however, spend more than a few seconds getting whatever we need. We can ask how school is going, about the products they are selling or about the changing weather.

Those contacts, brief though they may be, could provide the kind of connection that offers them more of what they needed than whatever we purchased for ourselves in a store.

And who knows? Maybe our awkward attempts to offer some unsolicited connection can give them a good story to tell their current or future friends.

Surrounded by people, we can sometimes feel even more disconnected than we might if we were alone. Let’s try not to be too distracted to notice what someone else might need an encouraging or supportive word or two.

Students are not like the cracks in the sidewalk or the contour of a winding road: they may benefit from something we can and should consider sharing and that doesn’t cost anything more than our time and consideration.

A scene from 'The Golden Bachelor' Photo from Facebook(ABC/Craig Sjodin)

By Leah S. Dunaief

Leah Dunaief

Lately, there have been numerous articles about older folks and aging in general. At least, it seems so to me. Remember Martha Stewart on the cover of Sports Illustrated? Probably the one now with the most buzz is “The Golden Bachelor,” the most recent in the long-running series of Bachelor programs shown on ABC.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I have to acknowledge that I have seldom watched any of the episodes on the so-called reality dating franchise. If I happened to be passing the television in my house, and one was on the screen, I might have been captured for a few minutes, especially by the beautiful settings in far away places, but it always struck me as improbably scripted.

Yes, I know there is some data showing that a few couples who met on the show actually married and went on to have children and make happy family lives for themselves. Good for those few, but it was too staged for me, and I never became hooked the way my mother, for example, was ensnared by “The Guiding Light” and other such radio soaps in her day.

It seems that television, in general, is suffering from a major drop-off in audience viewership, as people switch to streaming services. That is the case, except for older people, those above 60, who are reluctant to give up their favorite programs in favor of Netflix and hulu. So, some Bachelor television executive decided to give that older cohort more to watch, and as a result, we have been introduced to Gerry Turner, from Indiana, who is 72 years old and a widower looking for a new partner.

Now, he is not a billionaire jet-setting around the world but in need of a companion to make his life complete; rather he is retired from the food distribution industry and had a loving marriage that was cut short by his wife’s tragic bacterial infection. A father of two grown daughters and two granddaughters, who enthusiastically support his new role, he is attractive enough to hold the attention of 22 women contestants also looking for a mate. The women are between 60-75, range from divorced and widowed mothers and grandmothers, and in turn are alluring enough to put a gleam in Turner’s eye as he meets them for the first time.

How do I know? I watched the first episode, not on its Thursday night time slot but on a streaming service a couple of nights later. I admit it. I was curious enough to see what love was going to look like for the silver set.

The tone of the program was, if anything, conspicuously wholesome. What could be more wholesome than a mid-Westerner talking about how he lost his middle-aged wife of 43 years, whom he met in high school, and crying on national television? Still, Turner was called, “sexy,” and though the ladies were, for the most part, relatively restrained in their manners, the underlying message was, “Yes, older people can be attractive and still be looking for love.”

There is another message that seems to have emerged, as this quote from an article in The New York Times reveals.

“The prevailing narrative surrounding the growing number of unmarried older adults tends to focus on the risks of isolation and loneliness. [One in three baby boomers is single.] But Sindy Oh, a licensed clinical psychologist in Los Angeles, said she was struck by how different dating could be for her older clients because they had a much stronger sense of self. ‘They have accepted who they are, and they are presenting themselves as is,’ she said.”

This seems to fit what is offered by “The Golden Bachelor.” The producers note that when they cast for other Bachelor shows, intended for 20s and 30s participants, they sense that the auditioners feel they have to present a version of themselves that is what the show is looking for. But these women who responded were just themselves and could laugh about their age.

Older people still have hope.

 

Sweet Tea

MEET SWEET TEA!

Sweet Tea is a delightful one year-old Female Pit Mix who arrived at the Smithtown Animal Shelter after being found wandering around busy roads and trying to get into passing cars. Her time as a stray left her a little underweight, and there were some signs that she had a recent litter.

After initially being somewhat unsure of herself in her new surroundings, she has shown the shelter staff just how friendly and loving she can be! Sweet Tea is a small ball of energy and an absolute pleasure to be around. She enjoys meeting anyone who will give her some attention, and she responds positively to training. Sweet Tea would do well in a home with older children, and she’ll likely get along with most other dogs that can tolerate her social behavior.

If you are interested in meeting Sweet Tea, please fill out an application to schedule time to properly interact with her in a domestic setting, which includes a Meet and Greet Room, the dog runs, and a Dog Walk trail.

The Smithtown Animal & Adoption Shelter is located at 410 Middle Country Road, Smithtown. Visitor hours are currently Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Sundays and Wednesday evenings by appointment only more information, call 631-360-7575 or visit www.townofsmithtownanimalshelter.com.

 

Gov. Kathy Hochul updates New Yorkers on Saturday, Sept. 30, the day after declaring a state of emergency for Long Island. Photo courtesy the New York State Executive Chamber

Flash flooding leveled much of the tri-state area last Friday, Sept. 29, prompting a state of emergency declaration for Long Island while unleashing damage and halting some services.

The National Weather Service issued a coastal flood watch for Long Island Friday, which remained in effect into the night. Heavy rainfall and intense flooding throughout the region prompted Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) to declare a state of emergency for Long Island, as well as for New York City and portions of the Hudson Valley.

Heavy flooding caused roadway closures at state Route 110 in Huntington between Mill Lane and Prime Avenue near Madison Street at Heckscher State Park, according to a NWS report. In Commack, a stranded motorist on Town Line Road required an emergency service response, the same report indicated.

In an emailed statement, Town of Huntington Supervisor Ed Smyth (R) maintained that much of the town’s infrastructure and services remained undisturbed despite the heavy rainfall.

“Highway Superintendent Andre Sorrentino and the Highway Department, along with our Environmental Waste Management Department, were out in full force with pumps and tree crews clearing and cleaning,” Smyth said. “Our sewage treatment plants received more than double their normal water flow without any reported spillage.”

He added that garbage collection continued as scheduled, though the storm had disrupted and canceled numerous local events. “However, normal government operations continued without interruption. Although there were no significant issues, the town is currently assessing all departments to determine any and all issues relating to the storm.”

Joana Flores, media liaison for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, indicated that operations along the Long Island Rail Road’s Port Jefferson Branch were largely undeterred.

“Friday’s weather event did not have any impact on MTA infrastructure in the Port Jefferson area or to Port Jefferson train service,” Flores said. “With the exception of one train that was momentarily delayed due to a non-weather-related matter, the Port Jefferson Branch operated on or close to schedule.”

“Crews did perform periodic patrols of the Port Jefferson Branch to monitor conditions of the infrastructure,” she added.

Electrical infrastructure had similarly avoided major damages, according to Jeremy Walsh, a spokesperson for PSEG Long Island. “Friday’s flooding did not impact the electric infrastructure,” he said in an email. “Overall, the system performed well. While we did experience scattered outage activity, it was mainly as a result of the heavy rains and gusty conditions impacting trees and tree limbs, not flood damage.”

Given projections for more frequent and intense storm events over the coming years, Walsh added that the utility company is continuing efforts toward mitigating the associated risks to the electrical grid.

“PSEG Long Island has been storm-hardening the electric grid since 2014, including elevating equipment at some substations to protect against flooding, and this has helped reduce the impact of severe weather events,” he noted. “We continue to storm-harden the infrastructure using the best projections for future flooding and wind conditions that are available to us.”

The storm’s impacts were not limited to public infrastructure, however. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation temporarily closed much of the North Shore to shellfishing due to “extremely heavy rainfall and extraordinary amounts of stormwater runoff and localized street flooding … which may result in conditions causing shellfish to be hazardous for use as food,” a NYSDEC report said.

At a press conference the following day, Sept. 30, Hochul announced that there had been no recorded fatalities due to the flooding, thanking the public for heeding emergency warnings.

“What had been described by myself as a potentially life-threatening event ended up being a time when people listened, they reacted properly, they took precautions and no lives were lost,” the governor said.

Stony Brook University students Anusha Siddiqui, left, and Aafia Syeda volunteer at the university’s food pantry. Photo by Marc S. Levine

Donations to the Stony Brook University food pantry, which has been providing nourishment to students who are food insecure for 10 years, tend to track familiar routines.

During food drives, people go through their pantries or head to stores, often donating helpful and necessary cans of non-perishable goods like canned vegetables.

For students who are food insecure, some of whom stop by either the main food pantry on campus or one of the two satellite locations opened within the last year, items like granola bars, oatmeal, cereal, ready-made pasta meals and mac ’n cheese are also often welcome food choices to satisfy an instant need.

For members of the university community who are food insecure, the goal of the food pantry is to provide necessities while students concentrate on their studies.

“We want to make sure our students are able to focus on what they came here for, which is being academically successful and creating an enriching student life experience without worrying about where their next meal is coming from,” said Emily Snyder, director of the Department of Student Community Development at SBU.

The food pantry, which has 31 student volunteers, distributed about 22,900 individual items during 2022-2023.

Last year, the pantry had about 2,000 visitors, with about 600 to 700 people who sought sustenance at the pantry more than once during the course of the academic year.

On a busy day, the pantries can get upwards of 15 to 20 visitors, which can increase further when the school provides targeted outreach about available perishables with time-sensitive pick up windows.

The primary location for the food pantry is at the Stony Brook Union in Suite L-20 in the lower level. Satellite locations opened last winter at the LGBTQ Center on the second floor of the West Side Dining and the second floor hallway of the Student Activities Center.

The pantry has seen a “considerable increase from year to year,” said Ashley Mercado, assistant director in the Center for Civic Justice at Stony Brook.

The Student Community Development group took over operation of the pantry in 2020, when the needs were growing amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We were doing contactless delivery for residents still living on campus,” said Snyder. “The need is always there.”

Visits to the pantry have increased by 150% since 2020, with a rise of 112% in unique users since that time.

Snyder suggested that Stony Brook was focusing on “destigmatizing” the use of resources such as the food pantry. “We have really been focused on communicating that it’s OK to ask for help.”

Snyder and Mercado appreciated the support of students, university departments and the community, who have donated food items to a pantry that has become an increasingly important resource on campus.

Support for the pantry comes from the state as well as monetary and goods donations, including a recent donation of $10,000 from Stop and Shop gift cards.

Stop and Shop announces in September a $10,000 donation in gift cards to the SBU food pantry. Bottom row: Dylan Rehman, Adithya Muralli and Devin Lobosco. Middle row: Carl Lejuez, Anusha Siddiqui, Aafia Syeda, Emily Snyder, Ashley Mercado-Liegi, Rudy Foerster, Shannon Karafian, Rick Gatteau, Karman Pun and Nohemy Alfaro. Top row: Wolfie Seawolf, Ric McClendon and Daniel Wolk. Photo by Marc S. Levine

Student volunteers

Tanisa Usha, a junior from Brooklyn who started volunteering last fall, contributes eight hours a week as an undergraduate student coordinator.

She “enjoys being able to help” and appreciates the opportunity to “make sure [students] feel welcome,” Usha said.

The pantry also stocks a few hygiene products, which are popular with students. Hygiene items can include anything that’s packaged appropriately, such as razors, soaps and hair care products.

Unusual Thanksgiving items

Snyder and Mercado said donations typically increase around the holidays.

During Thanksgiving, people bring in pumpkin pie mix, stuffing and cranberry sauce.

“People assume that’s the cuisine everyone is looking for,” said Mercado. At Stony Brook University, where diversity is one of the school’s assets, students are often seeking foods that are more familiar to them.

“We have an Asian grocery store close to campus,” said Mercado. “People will buy from there and donate. Students get excited when we get products they are used to having.”

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Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad and Arson Section detectives are investigating a house fire that killed a man in Commack on Oct. 3.

Second Precinct officers responded to 44 Spinner Lane at 6:44 p.m. after a 911 caller reported a fire at the location. A Second Precinct patrol officer arrived on scene and entered the house where Jean Laurent was still upstairs. The officer was unable to remove Laurent from the residence.

Laurent, 40, a resident of the home, was later found and pronounced dead on the scene by a physician assistant from the Office of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner. Four other occupants of the home were in the house at the time the fire started.

Bertha Glaude, 67, Laurent’s mother, was able to exit the upstairs apartment prior to police arrival. Three downstairs residents, Bruce Alber, 58, Bruce Alber II, 40, and Nicholas Alber, 34, also exited the house prior to police arrival. Glaude and Nicholas Alber were both taken to area hospitals for treatment of smoke inhalation. The Second Precinct officer was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital for evaluation.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Smithtown Township Arts Council (STAC) has announced In a press release that the works of Port Jefferson artist Robert Wallkam will be on view at Apple Bank of Smithtown, 91 Route 111, Smithtown from Oct. 4  to Dec. 6. The exhibition, part of the Arts Council’s Outreach Gallery Program, may be viewed during regular banking hours Monday – Thursday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Robert Wallkam received a Bachelor of Art Education from the University of Bridgeport followed by receiving a Master of Arts from New York University. He pursued a career at the Half Hollow Hills School District in Dix Hills, teaching all grade levels and subjects related to art. At the same time, he enjoyed acting as set designer for the Half Hollow Hills high school plays.

Always immersing himself in creative pursuits, Robert served on the Board of Directors at Theatre Three in Port Jefferson. His work has been widely exhibited throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties.  His paintings are derived from his mind’s visions and childhood memories reflecting his love for Long Island and its many beaches.

“STAC is grateful to Apple Bank for its continued support of culture in our communities. We are so happy to feature the talents of Long Island artists in this space!” read the press release.

Smithtown Township Arts Council is a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit organization.

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Just released! Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Fourth Squad detectives are
seeking the public’s help to identify and locate two women who allegedly used stolen credit cards
at a Commack store in September.

A woman reported her credit cards were stolen from her purse, which was in a shopping
cart at Costco, located at 10 Garet Place, at approximately 4 p.m. on September 7. The
credit card was later used at Walmart, located at 85 Crooked Hill Road, by two women
who allegedly attempted to charge more than $2,300 worth of merchandise to the card.

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward for information that leads to an
arrest. Anyone with information about these incidents can contact Suffolk County Crime
Stoppers to submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-220-TIPS, utilizing a mobile app
which can be downloaded through the App Store or Google Play by searching P3 Tips, or
online at www.P3Tips.com. All calls, text messages and emails will be kept confidential.

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Suffolk County police officers helped an expectant mother deliver a baby girl on Veterans Memorial Highway on Oct. 1.

Dusty Haynes was standing in front of Suffolk County Police Fourth Precinct, located at 727 Veterans Memorial Highway, when he flagged down a patrol vehicle at 3:28 a.m. Haynes informed Officer William Corwin that his wife, Nicole Davino, was in labor in their vehicle, a Subaru Forester, stopped on the side of the road.

Officer Corwin called for backup, and multiple Fourth Precinct units responded to the scene. Officer Scott Fowler, assisted by Officer Robyn Cronin, Officer Francis Trezza and Officer Corwin delivered a baby girl at 3:41 a.m.

Davino, 35, of Huntington, and her baby were transported to Stony Brook University Hospital by Smithtown Rescue ambulance. Both are doing well.