In celebration of its 50th anniversary, Monty Python and the Holy Grail will return to select theaters nationwide on Sunday, May 4, and Wednesday, May 7, courtesy of Fathom Entertainment.
“Fathom Entertainment has prided itself in bringing classic and cult classic films back to the big screen where they deserve to be enjoyed by fans – old and new alike. Few classic comedy films top the great Monty Python and the Holy Grail in terms of legendary status. Fathom is delighted to bring it back to theaters upon its 50th anniversary,” said Ray Nutt, Chief Executive Officer at Fathom Entertainment.
Grossing the highest box-office of any British film in the U.S. when released in 1975, this “cult classic” comedy from the Monty Python team loosely follows the legend of King Arthur (Graham Chapman), along with his squire (Terry Gilliam) and his Knights of the Round Table (John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin), as they embark on a fearless quest in search of the elusive Holy Grail.
Locally, participating theaters include AMC Loews Stony Brook 17, Island 16: Cinema de Lux in Holtsville, Regal Cinemas in Deer Park, Showcase Cinemas de lux in Farmindale and Regal UA in Farmingdale.
Tickets for the event can be purchased at Fathom Entertainment in advance or at participating theater box offices.
From left, Harlan Fischer, Kristen Domiano, Stephanie Gress, and Michael Brescia. Photo courtesy of Branch Financial Services, Inc.
Branch Financial Services, Inc. of Setauket is celebrating 50 years of serving clients this month.
President Harlan J. Fischer founded Branch Financial Services, Inc., a registered investment advisor, on Oct. 1, 1974. According to a press release from the financial business, Fischer “is as committed to its success today as he was in those early days of business.”
“As its founder and principal, the mission he set forth for Branch Financial Services, Inc. 50 years ago was simple—to help clients achieve their personal and financial goals,” read the release. “Beyond this mission, Harlan and his staff are committed to providing a level of service that is rare to find today. They are so serious about this that they trademarked ‘You Can’t Hug an 800 Number’ ™ as their motto.”
Fischer said he takes tremendous pride in Branch Financial Services, Inc., its fiduciary status and independence, which he said carries through to every aspect of the business. The office, located at 21 Bennetts Road, is known for looking more like an art gallery full of contemporary sculptures and paintings.
Before moving the office to Setauket in 2020, Branch Financial Services, Inc. was located in Hauppauge for 21 years and Smithtown for 25 years. The financial business has been a member of the Smithtown Chamber of Commerce since 1995 and the Three Village Chamber of Commerce since 2020.
Several clients have been with Fischer for most of his 50-year career, and their children and extended families have become clients in many cases as well.
Mia and Jerry Vogt, of Massapequa, have traveled to Suffolk County for more than 15 years to consult with Fischer.
“Harlan’s approach to financial planning seamlessly blends traditional values with the demands of a fast-paced modern world,” Mia Vogt said. “His commitment to time-honored principles—such as integrity, long-term vision and personal responsibility—provides a solid foundation for navigating today’s complex financial landscape.”
According to the press release, the “team understands the importance of a personal touch in investment. In an era dominated by impersonal, automated services, the firm’s dedication to understanding each client’s unique needs offers a deeply personalized experience. For Harlan and his colleagues, it’s not just about guiding clients through financial decisions, but also about fostering a trusting relationship.”
Fischer’s colleagues currently include Michael Brescia, Kristen Domiano and Stephanie Gress, who have worked beside him and have known him for many years. According to the press release, “He makes it clear to them that he values and appreciates them every day.”
Brescia provides financial and legal services to his Branch Financial Services, Inc. clients, while Gress is a service associate, and Domiano supervises the office administration, compliance and back office for the firm.
While 50 years may sound like a long time to some, Fischer said, “I feel like I’m just getting warmed up.”
Over the years Fischer has served on many boards for professional and arts organizations. He and his wife Olivia have funded several historic restoration projects in the Three Village area, and they sponsor events and public programming. Currently, Fischer serves as Chairman of the Village of Head of the Harbor Planning Board.
In 2024 alone, he was named a Best in State Wealth Advisor by Forbes and received the Corporate Citzenship Award by the Long Island Business News.
As he reflects on his years in business, the financial advisor is deeply grateful to Bill Weidner, his mentor from early in his career, and the clients of Branch Financial Services, Inc.
“My career journey has been enriched by the wonderful people I have worked with and for through the decades,” Fischer said. “I eagerly look forward to working with everyone for years to come.”
The original book cover, showing Fats Domino, and the 1970s New Orleans skyline. Courtesy John Broven
By John Broven
My first book, “Walking to New Orleans: The Story of New Orleans Rhythm and Blues,” was published Aug. 9, 1974. That’s 50 long years ago. The anniversary has triggered memories of my original research, the book’s impact and my subsequent journey from England to live in the United States.
The title was inspired by Fats Domino’s big 1960 hit — although his most famous record was “Blueberry Hill.”
An Englishman walking to New Orleans? It had a nice surreal ring.
Importantly, I discovered early on there was an untold story ready to be documented, namely the rise and fall of New Orleans R&B in the rock ‘n’ roll era (1945-70). The city’s vibrant R&B scene was a successor to its proud jazz heritage. My coverage extended beyond the artists, to include record people, session men, disc jockeys, distributors, jukebox operators, clubs and the musicians’ union, to give a rounded picture of the local music industry.
With the passing of time, very few of the original interviewees are still alive, which makes the preservation of their stories even more satisfying. The interview tapes and associated files are now lodged with my record collection, at the Library of Congress.
I had made my magical debut journey to the United States in April 1970, when transatlantic travel was an expensive luxury. Mike Leadbitter, my mentor and co-founder of Blues Unlimited — the first international blues magazine — and Robin Gosden, of Flyright Records, completed our small party.
We started out in New Orleans, then traveled through south Louisiana, up to Shreveport, Louisiana, across to Jackson, Mississippi, and then north, to Memphis, Chicago and New York. All locations had strong blues, (and more,) connections, as we observed the cultural and social conditions, firsthand. It was the time of good old-fashioned, shoe-leather journalism, when pen and notebook ruled.
Writing the book
On our return home, Leadbitter inquired pointedly if I was going to write a book. After asking on what subject, he retorted, “You’ve just been to New Orleans, haven’t you?”
The fuse had been lit.
And so, in the early 1970s I began assembling material for a first draft while, still, working full time in bank management. With the notable exception of Charlie Gillett’s seminal, “The Sound of the City,” there were few books covering any genre of rock ’n’ roll at the time.
The big breakthrough came in 1972, when Leadbitter arranged an interview in London for us with Dr. John, then making waves as the “Night Tripper” of voodoo rock.
The good doctor proved to be a walking encyclopedia of New Orleans R&B, much preferring to shed light on forgotten artists and musicians, as well as discussing hallowed sessions at Cosimo Matassa’s recording studios, than promote his own career.
With the first draft completed, I made another trip to New Orleans, for further interviews, to consolidate my initial research. It was spring 1973, just when the Nixon Watergate scandal was brewing.
In the introduction to the first edition, I recorded my excitement at approaching New Orleans by plane and thinking, “Could it be down there, that Fats Domino, Professor Longhair, Huey Smith, Allen Toussaint, Earl King, Ernie K-Doe, Lee Dorsey and a whole host of talented musicians, made their names and actually live?”
Pre-Hurricane Katrina, most original, New Orleans R&B performers were still living in town so it was relatively easy to track them down — aided by my New Orleans friend and driver, James La Rocca, of course. The interviewees willingly told their rich stories into what was a, comparatively, new invention — a tape recorder.
Publication
On my return, I set about transcribing the interviews, and incorporating the best bits into the existing draft.
Simon Napier, the other co-founder of Blues Unlimited, suggested that the magazine should publish “Walking to New Orleans.”
We ordered an optimistic 3,000 copies, including 500 hardbacks, from the magazine’s professional printer. Our marketing strategy — if it could be described as such — was that Blues Unlimited had just over 2,000 subscribers, who were so interested in Black music, that half of them would buy the book to cover the outlay.
Amazingly, it worked.
John Broven at a book signing. Photo by Diane Wattekamps.
We sold a thousand copies by November 1974 and easily recouped our investment. That was the month Mike Leadbitter, such a visionary blues researcher, died of meningitis, at the tragically young age of 32.
The book’s reviews were universally favorable, (almost).
For promotion, I was a guest on two BBC radio shows, including “Honky Tonk,” hosted by Charlie Gillett, on Aug. 4, 1974. I nervously asked Gillett what his first question was going to be, to which he replied, “I don’t know, whatever comes to my head.” Luckily, the New Orleans records we played spoke for themselves.
A year or so later, out of the blue, Milburn Calhoun, owner of Pelican Publishing Co., in Gretna, Louisiana, asked if he could license the book for the U.S. We knew he would be able to hit markets that we ourselves could not possibly touch, such as the New Orleans tourist shops, and the Louisiana educational system.
But Calhoun insisted that the title be changed in spite of the self-explanatory subtitle — to my regret.
He said that “Americans” would not understand the title, “Walking to New Orleans.” And so the book became the simplistic “Rhythm and Blues in New Orleans” (1978.) In the pre-internet era, it wasn’t a problem, but over time, there was modest confusion about the same book having different titles.
The great thing is that Pelican has kept the book in print until now. Its reception was good enough for Pelican to commission another book, “South to Louisiana: The Music of the Cajun Bayous” (1983,) detailing the local Cajun, zydeco, swamp blues, hillbilly and swamp pop music scenes.
In 2016, Pelican published an updated third edition of “Rhythm and Blues in New Orleans,” and followed with an updated “South to Louisiana,” which won a 2020 ARSC award for “Best History in Recorded Country, Folk, or Roots Music.”
Oh, and yes. “Walking to New Orleans” was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2011, as a Classic of Blues Literature. The various editions of the book have sold in excess of 25,000 copies.
The book’s legacy
It is hard for me to be objective about the legacy of “Walking to New Orleans.” What I can say is that by documenting and preserving stories, it brought a spotlight on many overlooked artists and musicians. Quite a few enjoyed resurrected careers. With the record reissue market in its infancy, the book helped to open up a back catalog of New Orleans R&B recordings on LP, and then, compact disc.
Remember, this was decades before music was just click away on Apple, Spotify, YouTube and the like.
I was delighted when local researchers Tad Jones, Jeff Hannusch and Rick Coleman, took up the challenge to explore the New Orleans R&B scene, in even greater depth, with their later books.
Further support in the city came from Wavelength, and then Offbeat magazines, not to mention Radio WWOZ, the Jazz & Heritage Festival and the Ponderosa Stomp.
“Walking to New Orleans” and “South to Louisiana” led me to write many liner notes for record companies — first for LPs, then for CDs. The books served as calling cards that led to my commission as a compilation consultant for Ace Records in London, from 1991 to 2006.
This experience paved the way for writing “Record Makers and Breakers: Voices of the Independent Rock ’n’ Roll Pioneers,” (University of Illinois Press, 2009), where I interviewed influential record men and women, who launched the indie record business in the post-World War II years. Again, almost all the interviewees are dead, but oh what stories they had to tell.
Over the years, I have spoken at conferences from New Orleans to Los Angeles, and even the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The cherry on the cake was meeting my wife, Shelley, through the Ace Records connection — her father owned Golden Crest Records, out of Huntington Station — and starting a new life on Long Island.
I was living the English Dream and American Dream at the same time. What a journey it has been — and to think, it all started 50 years ago!
John Broven of East Setauket is a copyeditor with TBR News Media. In celebration of the book’s 50th anniversary, Jasmine Records in the U.K. has released a double CD “Walking to New Orleans: An Aural Accompaniment” (available on Amazon).
Cinema Arts Centre's new series will kick off with 'Ladybird' on Oct. 6.
December 1st, 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Cinema Arts Centre (CAC). To celebrate the milestone anniversary, the Huntington cinema will introduce a new series, CAC Through the Decades. The series will commemorate each decade that the Cinema Arts Centre has been in operation by presenting special screenings of some of the most important and popular films shown at CAC throughout its history.
The cinema was founded by Founded by Vic Skolnick, Charlotte Sky and Dylan Skolnick December 1st 1973 as the New Community Cinema – later changing its name to the Cinema Arts Centre following a move into the Town of Huntington’s John J. Flanagan Center.
Co-Founders Vic Skolnick and Charlotte Sky, with their son Dylan, were passionate organizers who sought to bring Long Islanders together to create a movement around film culture that would eventually help shape and define the very character of our area, now renowned as a cultural destination and an arts-rich community.
Robert Rossen’s ‘Lilith’ will be screened on Dec. 1.
Long-time supporters of the Cinema often reminisce about the “sheet-on-the-wall” days, when films were projected from a borrowed projector in a friend’s dance studio. From those early days, the Cinema Arts Centre has expanded into a state-of-the art theater with film and digital projection capabilities, newly renovated theaters, and a multi-use space called the Sky Room Café.
Today, the Cinema Arts Centre presents approximately 400 special screenings and events a year, along with a full slate of new release first-run features. Regular special programming includes film and discussion programs with film historians, directors, and critics, silent films with a live score, historically significant classics, international cinema, educational lectures, classes and workshops, live music, open mic nights, as well as weekly screenings of cult and family favorites.
CAC Through the Decades will launch on Oct. 6 with a screening of Greta Gerwig’s award-winning coming-of-age comedy/drama Ladybird which will represent the 2010s. The 2000s will be represented by a screening of Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth on Oct. 10, the 1990s with a screening of the Coen Brother’s The Big Lebowski on Nov. 3, and the 1980s with a screening of Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing on Nov. 17. Each screening will include a reception with fundraising raffles and other fun activities.
The series will culminate on Dec. 1 with a special celebration that will span the entirety of the Cinema Arts Centre’s space, including its three theaters, each of which will play an iconic and celebrated film shown at the Cinema during its early days in the 1970s.
Audience members will have the opportunity to attend one of three film screenings — Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather, Robert Altman’s Nashville, or Robert Rossen’s Lilith — which was the first film ever screened by the Cinema Arts Centre. Following the screenings on Dec. 1, the Cinema will hold an anniversary party and reception featuring live music, hors d’oeuvres, and even a film projected on a sheet on the wall as a call back to the Cinema’s early days.
The films featured in the series were selected, and voted on by close Cinema Arts Centre supporters, staff members, a committee of dedicated volunteers, and the CAC Board of Directors.
Tickets to the Oct. 6, Oct. 20, Nov. 3 and Nov. 17 screenings are $22, $15 members; tickets to the Dec. 1 event are $40, $30 members. You can purchase tickets to these and other events, and find more information about how to support the Cinema Arts Centre at www.cinemaartscentre.org.
Bruce Lee in a scene from 'Enter the Dragon'. Photo courtesy of Fathom Events
Three screenings will be held at Regal Deer Park & IMAX.
By Heidi Sutton
Calling all Bruce Lee fans! In celebration of its 50th anniversary, the 1973 classic martial arts film Enter the Dragon will return to select movie theaters on Sunday, Aug. 13 and Wednesday, Aug. 16 courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Fathom Events’ Big Screen Classics series.
In Suffolk County, the film will only be screened at Regal Deer Park & IMAX, 1050 The Arches Circle at the Tanger Outlets in Deer Park at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Aug. 13 and at 7:05 p.m. on Aug. 16.
Bruce Lee explodes onto the screen in the film that rocketed him to international superstardom. Recruited by an intelligence agency, martial arts student Lee participates in a brutal tournament at a remote island fortress in an attempt to gather enough evidence to convict the international drug-trafficker responsible for the murder of his sister. In the now-classic fight-to-the-death finish, two men enter a mirrored maze, but only one will exit.
Directed by Robert Clouse from a screenplay written by Michael Allin, the film also stars Robert Wall, John Saxon, Bolo Yeung, Ahna Capri, Jim Kelly, Kien Shih, Angela Mao, and Peter Archer. Chuck Norris and Jackie Chan also make an appearance in the film, although they were uncredited.
Enter the Dragonwas Lee’s final completed film appearance before his death on July 20, 1973 at the age of 32. An American and Hong Kong co-production, it premiered in Los Angeles one month later. It became one of the most profitable films of all time as well as the most successful martial arts film and cemented Bruce Lee’s legacy.
In 2004, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
Each screening will include an exclusive introduction by film critic and historian Leonard Maltin who will discuss the seminal martial arts masterpiece’s unprecedented legacy, which made history as the first Kung Fu action film produced by a Hollywood studio. He will also highlight its meticulous fight sequences that continue to influence the genre to this day.
Special anniversary screenings continue with Rain Man on Sept. 17 and 20, The Birds on Oct. 22 and 23, Scarface on Nov. 12 and 15, and A Christmas Story on Dec. 10 and 13.
Your golden ticket to adventure awaits! Enter a world of pure imagination when Fathom Events, Turner Classic Movies and Warner Bros. Entertainment bring the beloved film, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971), back to the big screen in select cinemas nationwide for a special two-day event on Sunday, Aug. 15 and Wednesday, Aug. 18 in celebration of the film’s 50th anniversary.
When eccentric candy man Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder) promises a lifetime supply of sweets and a tour of his chocolate factory to five lucky kids, penniless Charlie Bucket (Peter Ostrum) seeks the priceless golden ticket that will make him a winner. Thanks to his Grandpa Joe (Jack Albertson), Charlie gets the prize of his dreams! But a far more wonderful surprise than Charlie ever imagined awaits him.
In a land of chocolate waterfalls, giant lollipops, edible flowers and, of course, Oompa Loompas, it’s nonstop, mouth-watering fun in this timeless fantasy. Plus, enjoy exclusive insights from Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz that will serve as your Golden Ticket to learn more about this magical film.
In our neck of the woods, screenings will be held at Island 16 Cinema De Lux in Holtsville on Aug. 15 at 3 p.m. and on Aug. 18 at 7 p.m.; and AMC Stony Brook 17 in Stony Brook on Aug. 15 at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. and on Aug. 18 at 7 p.m. To order tickets in advance, please visit www.fathomevents.com.
Town of Brookhaven Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich visited Buttercup’s Dairy Store in Terryville on June 9 to congratulate the Smith family on their 50th year in business.
The multigenerational, locally owned and operated business, which opened in 1971, was originally a working dairy farm when the family purchased it in the 1930s. Now, four generations later, the business has a staff of more than 40 full time employees and an inventory that includes a wide selection of dairy products, baked goods, produce, cold cuts, sandwiches, “heat and eat” dinner options and more.
“Buttercup’s Dairy Store has been a mainstay in Terryville for half a century and they are still going strong. I am grateful to the Smith family for their continuous support of our local community-based organizations, thoughtful land management, delicious cookies, and for being a such a vital part of the fabric of Brookhaven Town,” said Councilmember Kornreich.
Pictured from left, Tyler Smith, Richard Smith and Councilmember Kornreich.
The Comsewogue Public Library's only three directors — Richard Lusak, Debra Engelhardt and Brandon Pantorno — in front of the newly dedicated Richard Lusak Community Room. Photo by Alex Petroski
The Comsewogue Public Library celebrates its 50th anniversary Oct. 14. Photo by Alex Petroski
The Comsewogue Public Library celebrates its 50th anniversary Oct. 14. Photo by Alex Petroski
The Comsewogue Public Library celebrates its 50th anniversary Oct. 14. Photo by Alex Petroski
The Comsewogue Public Library celebrates its 50th anniversary Oct. 14. Photo by Alex Petroski
The Comsewogue Public Library celebrates its 50th anniversary Oct. 14. Photo by Alex Petroski
The Comsewogue Public Library celebrates its 50th anniversary Oct. 14. Photo by Alex Petroski
The Comsewogue Public Library celebrates its 50th anniversary Oct. 14. Photo by Alex Petroski
The Comsewogue Public Library celebrates its 50th anniversary Oct. 14. Photo by Alex Petroski
Much of the Port Jefferson Station community, and all of the Comsewogue Public Library’s past director’s were on hand Saturday for a day of celebration to commemorate the facility’s golden anniversary.
As part of the event, the library’s community room was dedicated to its first director, Richard Lusak, who served in that position from 1966 to 2002. In its 50-year history, the Comsewogue Public Library has had just three directors. The 50th anniversary celebration Oct. 14 also featured games, a bounce house, farm animals, crafts, giveaways, snacks, face-painting, balloon animals, music, a historical society photo gallery and tour and a new gallery exhibit.
“The program says ‘celebrating our past, present and future,’ so that’s what we’re doing all in one day, with the community,” the third, and current Director Debra Engelhardt said during the event. “We thought of it as a community thank you for the ongoing support that we’ve had since day one, across all three administrations.”
Engelhardt’s predecessor, Brandon Pantorno, who served at the helm of the library from 2003 through 2012 and is a Port Jefferson Station native, is a lifetime member of what they each referred to as the library family, as they all worked in several different capacities in the library’s hierarchy before becoming director.
“I remember when Blockbuster video came into the neighborhood right on Route 112 in Port Jefferson Station and people would say ‘videos, they’re going to be the end to libraries,’” he said. “Well, libraries started circulating videos in addition to books, in addition to library coordinated programs, and guess what? Blockbuster video is no longer here, but Comsewogue library and other libraries — the library world — is still stronger than ever. We have evolved; we have very cleverly metamorphosed into different things for so many people.”
Lusak was brought on to lead the library in its infancy in 1966 by its board of trustees at the time. During the summer of 1966, the Comsewogue School District board of education petitioned the community in 1966 to schedule a vote, in which five trustees would be elected and establish a budget of about $68,000. In November 1966, Lusak was hired, and the library’s original grounds were established in a portable classroom at the southern end of Terryville Road, which still exists today. By November 1967, the community overwhelmingly voted in support of funding the building of a 16,000-square-foot facility at 170 Terryville Road, where the library remains today, though it has grown exponentially over the years.
Lusak said he was honored and humbled to have the community meeting room dedicated in his honor.
“I think the community decides whether or not we did a good job,” he said. “I can say this: the community has always been supportive of the library. The board of trustees here has always been dedicated to this institution — totally dedicated.”
The library’s first director tried to sum up what his time at the community institution meant to him.
“The people just love this library for the community, and I take a tremendous amount of pride in being associated with that,” said Lusak, who is still a resident of Port Jefferson. “It made my life a pleasure.”
Lusak’s wife Rosalie also attended the ceremony to celebrate her husband’s lifelong work.
“It was never a job to him, it was just his passion,” she said. “It’s very, very moving that something would be dedicated to him and I’m glad he got to see it.”
The Cumsewogue Historical Society was on hand during the event to share stories of the library’s history. Historical society Vice President Joan Nickeson said the very first library card issued in 1967 was to Thomas E. Terry, the grandson of Edward Terry, who was one of the Terry brothers who founded Terryville.
Director Robert Ozman leads members of the Harbormen Chorus during a concert at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at Stony Brook in E. Setauket on June 27. Photo by Heidi Sutton
By Rita J. Egan
Current and former members of the Harbormen Chorus are warming up for a special luncheon scheduled on Aug. 13 at Lombardi’s on the Sound in Port Jefferson. The North Brookhaven chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society, well known in the area for its four-part harmony chorus and quartet performances, is celebrating its 50th anniversary and decades of musical memories.
Chapter president Fred Conway is looking forward to the celebration commemorating decades of business in the community. “I don’t think there are a lot of organizations in Brookhaven, especially in North Brookhaven, that have achieved that,” he said.
Conway said on hand for the anniversary luncheon will be Chris Moritz and Ray Gape, the chapter’s first musical director and president, respectively, who in 1965 took out an ad looking for men who were interesting in singing. Also, on hand will be Don Van der Kolk who was a member of the Three Village Four Quartet along with Moritz, Gape and the late Bill MacDevitt.
The organization, which officially became a chapter in 1966 of what was then known as the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America Inc., held its first meeting in 1965. That meeting drew a handful of potential members, and by their first performance in the fall of 1966, there were approximately two dozen men performing. In early 1967, the group had its first annual show.
Since then the Harbormen’s barbershop quartets have performed at the Good Shepherd Hospice Memorial Service, the Port Jefferson Village Dickens Festival, the annual Brookhaven Town Fair, New York Mets and Long Island Ducks baseball games, as well as offered Singing Valentine quartets to serenade local sweethearts.
The chorus, which meets every Monday at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Stony Brook, is open to men of all ages, who are interested in singing a cappella versions of Doo Wop, show tunes, love songs and other old favorites, even if they can’t read music. Conway, who has been a member for 47 years, said his experience with the group is a perfect example of how one doesn’t need to read music.
He was sitting on a crate in his new first house in Rocky Point while watching Super Bowl III when his neighbor knocked on his door and asked if he had seen the announcement in a newspaper. Conway said the ad asked: “Do you like to sing in the shower or in a bar?” “So the two of us went to the chapter meeting, and I stayed there ever since,” Conway said.
He said it took him three years before he could sing in a quartet due to not being a music reader. Since then he has been in nine registered quartets, including his current group Antiquity. Conway, who sings lead, uses a tape recorder to learn. “I form the quartet around myself being a weak link. Those other three guys they all play piano and organ and guitar and they read music, understand music,” he said.
On June 27 the chorus celebrated its first graduating class of “Ready, Set, Sing,” which included 14 men from college to retirement age interested in singing. Conway said the program is a “teaching mechanism.”
“The stipulation was that you have a love of music. You didn’t have to read music or really understand the science involved in it,” Conway said.
Chorus Director Rob Ozman said they don’t turn interested singers away as long as they can carry a tune and like to sing. “It’s nice if someone has a little bit of basic ability, and you just teach them everything they need to know to be able to sing, to work in the chorus,” he said.
The chapter’s director, a music teacher at Mattituck-Cutchogue school district, Ozman started in the chorus in 1980 and in 1981 became music director. He stepped down as director in 1995 to raise his family and was replaced by Antiquity member Gary Wilson as director. He returned a year and a half ago to direct the singers once again.
With over 30 current members as well as former members on hand for the luncheon on Aug. 13, there will be plenty of stories to share. Among Ozman’s favorite memories with the Harbormen is a visit to a local hospital to sing to patients during Christmastime. “There was a young woman who was in a coma and we went into the room, and we were singing for her and she woke up in the middle of the singing. She had been out for quite a while, a number of weeks. And, I’m not saying that we brought her out of it either, we may have just happened to be there at the time, but it’s sure was kind of neat to think well maybe there was just something about it that registered in her brain and woke her up,” Ozman said.
Like Ozman, chapter secretary David Lance, a member for 10 years, has many favorite memories from his years with the chorus. One is a show the group performed in 2012, “Return of the Pirate Chorus.” The chapter secretary said the singers donned pirate costumes while singing parodies such as “Don’t Walk the Gang Plank” to the tune of “Under the Boardwalk.”
He said the Good Shepherd Hospice Memorial Services, where they perform “Irish Blessing” and “I Believe” twice a year, are also special to him. Over the last few years, the Harbormen Chorus has donated part of the proceeds, totaling over $16,000, from their annual show to the health care organization.
“The Good Shepherd Hospice Memorial is the most moving of all because when we sing for them it gives them such encouragement and comfort,” Lance said.
The singer added that anytime the audience responses to the music that “appeals to an older crowd but is not only for them” is a good memory for him. He said they have had many great responses with people singing along, especially at nursing homes. He has witnessed a patient in a wheelchair standing up to direct the chorus and one patient that was practically catatonic perking up upon hearing a song.
Ozman said one of the interesting things about singing in a barbershop quartet for him has been meeting people from all different backgrounds. He said sharing an interest in the four-part harmony genre has brought so many people together.
“You can meet up with people you don’t know, you never sang with them before, but you can sing a song together,” Ozman said.
Among its milestone anniversary activities this year, the chorus will also hold its 50th anniversary annual show at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at Stony Brook in Setauket on Oct. 15 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. For more information about the Harbormen Chorus and its 50th anniversary party at Lombardi’s on the Sound, call 631-476-6558 or visit www.harbormen.org.
The Crab Meadow Golf Course is celebrating its 50th anniversary this month.
The town-owned golf course in Northport hosts between 42,000 and 45,000 rounds annually, according to Don McKay, director of parks and recreation for Huntington Town.
“The playing conditions here are outstanding,” McKay said in a phone interview. “There is a very dedicated staff and I think one of the best features of this course is that you have a view of the Long Island Sound from 16 of the 18 holes on the golf course. The views are stupendous.”
McKay has been researching the history of the golf course since its beginnings in the 1920s.
Originally, Crab Meadow Golf Course was part of the Northport Country Club, which was established in the 1920s. McKay believes that world-renowned golf architect Devereux Emmet designed the original course in 1921, and that the membership then was approximately 125 people. The Northport Country Club was abandoned in the 1940s, according to McKay, and he speculates it had to do with the Great Depression.
Then in the 1960s, with Huntington Town Supervisor Robert J. Flynn, the Crab Meadow Golf Course began to develop.
“I say it all the time, if it weren’t for Flynn, we would never have the golf course today, along with many other municipal parks in Huntington,” McKay said. “His vision for Huntington was extraordinary.”
McKay said that in 1961, a $2.5 million bond was put up to vote to Huntington residents to fund a townwide park program. Included in that plan was use of the Crab Meadow property to create a new golf course. The referendum failed, but Flynn did not give up. He got more groups to back his plan, including the Huntington Township Chamber of Commerce, and was able to get the bond approved the following year in 1962.
Robert J. Flynn Jr. said his father’s greatest pride was knowing how many people enjoyed the town parks and Crab Meadow Golf Course.
“He believed in the importance of recreation,” Flynn said. “His vision was to establish a municipal park program that would last for decades to come.”
According to McKay, once the town made the purchase of the land, the municipality began to restore the course and alter the layout a bit.
William F. Mitchell designed the current course, which officially opened in 1965. It’s an 18-hole course that is 6,574 yards by 5,658 yards and open to the public. There are social clubs at the course, including clubs for men, women and seniors, that anyone is welcome to join. “The club members are the MVPs of the course,” McKay said. There is also a restaurant, concession stand, locker rooms and a pro golf store.
Maureen Lieb worked at the golf course at its inception in the 1960s. She started working for the town in 1964, immediately after she graduated from Suffolk County Community College.
“When the golf course was opening, they asked if I would want to work there,” Lieb said in a phone interview. “It was between being a meter maid or working on the golf course. There wasn’t any question.” She started as a cashier and eventually became the manager.
Lieb said she worked out of a trailer when she first started working for the golf course, because it took another year after the course was opened for the club to be built.
“I always loved my job,” Lieb said. “I was very lucky. I enjoyed the residents the most that came to golf. They were so nice and I’ve actually kept in touch with some I met when I first started working there.” She retired in December 1993.
The Huntington Town Board authorized a special one-day reduced tournament green fee of $25 at the course on Oct. 21, as part of the 50th anniversary celebration. The day will also feature reduced fees for golf carts, driving range and food.
