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Oktoberfest

By Craig Brown

On Sept. 21, the spirit of Oktoberfest was alive and well at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church’s annual German Festival in Smithtown.

Over 1,000 attendees from Smithtown and across Long Island gathered to celebrate German culture, food, drink and music. The atmosphere buzzed with joy and laughter as the community came together to support a church dedicated to making a positive impact.

Pastor Jean Dougherty shared the event’s mission, saying, “We are an inclusive church, and we want everyone in this community to feel welcome here.” With a passion for the youth of Long Island, Pastor Dougherty worked alongside the Smithtown West German Honor Society to set up various tents selling merchandise, including German desserts, shirts, hats and a popular hair-braiding station for children. Festival-goers strolled the grounds, enjoying the sounds of Troubadours dressed in Lederhosen and Alpine hats, playing the accordion and singing festive songs.

Barbara English, the festival organizer, donned a bright blue, German Dirndl.

“This is the seventh year we have done this. It is a wonderful way to reach the community,” she beamed. Despite a recent storm that flooded the church’s basement, causing thousands in damages, the volunteers were determined to help the church recover. A 50/50 raffle was held to raise funds for restoration.

The sunny, warm weather created the perfect backdrop for families to enjoy a hearty meal featuring bratwursts, Bavarian pretzels, pickles and plenty of German beer. Many attendees sipped from crafted steins adorned with mountains, lakes and goats, evoking the charm of The Sound of Music.

Jon Leicht, a Smithtown resident and German culture enthusiast, praised the event, saying it offered families a wonderful way to enjoy a Saturday afternoon together. Wayne Mennecke, a Bay Shore poet, added insight, noting that while food lines were long, they allowed people to relish the music, converse with friends and soak up the beautiful day.

Rusty is available for adoption at the Brookhaven Animal Shelter.

On September 28, the Town of Brookhaven Animal Shelter and Adoption Center will be featured during Oktoberfest at the Millhouse Inn, 284 Mill Road in Yaphank. Doors open at noon. Visitors can meet dogs that are available for adoption, obtain Matchmaker Forms, get volunteer information and  make a donation to help care for the animals at the shelter. Guests will enjoy food, drinks, music and more.

If you are unable to attend the Oktoberfest at the Millhouse Inn, visit the Brookhaven Animal Shelter and Adoption Center located at 300 Horseblock Road in Brookhaven. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m; and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, please call 631-451-6950 or visit the website at www.brookhavenny.gov/animalshelter to fill out a matchmaker form and set up a meet and greet with you and our adoptable dog.

Fresh produce will make its way to the streets of Kings Park once again as the annual farmers market takes shape with an opening date set for Sunday. Photo from Alyson Elish-Swartz

The market is fresh.

Kings Park’s coveted Farmers Market will start a brand new season on Sunday, June 7, with all of last year’s farmers returning plus some new additions. Founded in 2010, the market boasts everything from locally grown produce, baked goods, fresh fish, goat cheese, olive oil, pickles and more.

One addition includes the St. James-based Saint James Brewery, a craft brewery which specializes in Belgian beer.

Returning farmers market participants also include Thera Farms, from Ronkonkoma, Fink’s Country Farm from Manorville and Monty Breads from Islip Terrace.

There will be multiple festivals held at the market throughout the summer, including a strawberry festival, a corn festival, Oktoberfest, a baking contest and a chili cookout, according to members of the Kings Park civic group helping to organize events.

“This market has brought the town together, while also supporting local agriculture,” said Alyson Elish-Swartz, a member of the Kings Park Civic Association and a chairperson of the farmers market committee said.

The King’s Park Civic Association sponsors this event in partnership with ligreenmarket. Kings Park’s Farmers Market will also spotlight local musicians, as they have done before, with new acts coming this summer. But new this year will be a spotlight on local photographers, with booths featuring photographs from some of Kings Park’s most talented photographers.

Kings Park restaurants will also be hosting cooking demos, where they buy the ingredients from the farmers market and then show fun and fresh dishes residents can make with them. Restaurants like Café Red and Relish have participated in the past, making dishes like fresh watermelon soup.

The Kings Park Farmers Market is open Sundays, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., now through November 22, at the municipal lot on Route 25A and Main Street.

The whole idea of the farmers market started when two local residents who didn’t know each other, Ann Marie Nedell and Elish-Swartz, had the same the idea. Sean Lehmann, president of the Kings Park Civic Association, gave Nedell and Elish-Swartz each other’s phone numbers and told them to link up. He asked them to find out more and report back to the civic association.

Elish-Swartz and Nedell pounded the pavement, talking up the idea to community groups and handing out surveys to find out what Kings Park wanted in a farmers market, with free parking high on the list.

The plan took a leap forward when Nedell and Elish-Swartz met Bernadette Martin. Martin is director of Friends and Farmers Inc., a company she started to advocate for small family farms and to bring fresh, local food to Long Islanders. The market first opened in the summer of 2010 and Martin manages it, every Sunday, from June through November.

Susan Risoli contributed reporting.