Tags Posts tagged with "Stony Brook Village Green"

Stony Brook Village Green

Park sitting at his favorite bench in Stony Brook Village. Photo by Barbara Anne Kirshner

By Barbara Anne Kirshner

SWEET 16! A milestone in the life of a teenager-a threshold into exciting adventures on the horizon whether it be college, military service, work, Sweet 16 ushers in all of life’s expectations with parents right there to rejoice and take pride in accomplishments awaiting their child.

BUT what if the Sweet 16 is your precious dog? In that case, 16 becomes a dreaded number foreshadowing the impending end. You look at your little charge and instead of being filled with joys for the future, you are reduced to the dread of that haunting overriding question “WHEN?” When will your companion suffer the ravages of old age? When will our time together run out? When will you experience your last day together and be forced to whisper “goodbye”?

All these thoughts fill me with dread. Park has been the BEST boy, my special little man. I’ve written about how we met; how I was hesitant to take on another dog with two at home already; how he became Park The Christmas Puppy having joined our family on Christmas 2006; how he became my traveling buddy; how strangers marveled at how good he was in his stroller as we toured local stores; and how, on numerous occasions, cars stopped, and people called out, “That is the most beautiful dog I’ve ever seen!”

Park sitting at his favorite bench in Stony Brook Village.
Photo by Barbara Anne Kirshner

Then the day came when my editor asked me to write an article on the 2014 motorcycle exhibit at the Ward Melville Heritage Organization’s Educational and Cultural Center in Stony Brook Village. The curator asked me to come down on July 3, Park’s birthday. I couldn’t bear to leave my boy on his special day, so I asked if he could join and thankfully, Park was welcomed. They were impressed with how good he was as we toured the exhibit and how he let me work just as long as I was in his eyesight.

The curator suggested that Park and I stop off at the Village Green, a lush park-like section fronting quaint shops at the Stony Brook Village Center. Park and I were delighted with this picturesque spot and we rested for the first time on what was to become “Park’s Bench.” That was the first of our annual visits to this special bench overlooking Stony Brook Harbor. Every year since then, no matter what we have planned for his birthday celebration, we pause at his bench — two friends sitting and enjoying a few quiet moments together before the rest of his birthday festivities begin.

Last year Park was paralyzed, having gone down May 15, 2021, through the summer including his birthday. Then miraculously, through constant visits to the vet for treatments, he regained the use of his hind legs in late September 2021.

Now, at 16, his face shows signs of age though amazingly, he hasn’t grayed, but his eyes now lack that playful sparkle once so prevalent and that constant energy is gone. He has a decided tremor that seems to be more apparent with each passing day and lately he’s faltering again when he walks.

Yet I am blessed to have my little man at Sweet 16, to still be able to pet him and look into those loving eyes. But TIME and the BIG question “WHEN” loom large.

When Park decides he has had enough of this world, it will be one of the greatest hits in my life as there is no consolation for the loss of a loved one. The only solace for me comes from an adage from Brandon McMillan of the original Lucky Dog series:

“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”

A resident of Miller Place, Barbara Anne Kirshner writes theater reviews for TBR News Media and is a freelance journalist, playwright and author of “Madison Weatherbee — The Different Dachshund.

Photo from WMHO

The Ward Melville Heritage Organization (WMHO) recently announced an extension to their annual Summer Concert Series on the Village Green. In addition to the Aug. 21 concert featuring  Just Sixties, a tribute band that plays hits from the 1960’s, an additional concert has been added featuring the Sound Symphony on Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. This is a free concert sponsored by the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF). Ernie Canadeo, LIMEHOF Chairman, will make exciting announcements about the Hall of Fame and the red carpet grand opening in November.

The Sound Symphony, an orchestra comprising of about 50 pieces, will perform a combination of light classical songs, movie themes and Broadway tunes. Additionally, a vocalist will performs opera songs. The Sound Symphony was created in 1984 by Long Island musicians for Long Island communities.

LIMEHOF’s first physical facility is anticipated to open in November of 2022 at the WMHO’s Educational and Cultural Center (ECC). The ECC was designed for interactive programs and events; such as performances, exhibits and classes. In fact, the Great Room on the first floor has 28-foot ceilings.   There will be a permanent “Hall of Fame” with plaques and exhibits recognizing the over 100 and growing inductees, as well as areas for a library, classrooms for educational programs and master classes, and a theater.  The main exhibit space will contain a rotating exhibit theme, and the layout and first exhibit, “Long Island’s Legendary Club Scene: 1960’s to 1980’s” is currently being designed by world-renowned visual designer Kevin O’Callaghan.

The Summer Concert Series will take place in front of the Stony Brook Post Office in Stony Brook Village, located at 129 Main Street in Stony Brook. In the case of rain, the concerts will be cancelled. This year’s concerts are made possible by the following sponsors: the Tantillo Auto Group, Chevrolet of Smithtown, Realty Connect USA, Team Ardolino and Realty Three LLC.  For more information on the Summer Concert Series, call the WMHO at (631) 751-2244. For more information on LIMEHOF, visit their website here.

It was something to crow about! On July 1, the Ward Melville Heritage Organization (WMHO) announced the completion of the rooster weathervane atop the flagpole on the Stony Brook Village Green by Budco Enterprises Inc. and Olivia and Harlan Fischer.

During a storm in June 2021, the rooster on the weathervane fell to the ground and shattered. The rooster is an original piece of Stony Brook Village’s rehabilitation by Ward Melville in 1941. 

Buddy Simmons, President of Budco Enterprises Inc., restored the weathervane and personally attempted to reconstruct the original rooster, but was not able to because too many pieces were missing. He then donated a replica of the rooster.  

Alex Simmons, Vice President, Budco Enterprises Inc. detached the directional arrows, ground them down and painted them, as well as enhanced the rooster by painting it with true colors. Olivia and Harlan Fischer sponsored  the removal and reinstallation of the new rooster, completed by Poletec, which was no easy feat. 

The original weathervane was custom built by Ward Melville and was there for 81 years. Hopefully this one will be perched for at least another 81 years. 

To learn more about the Ward Melville Heritage Organization, call 631-751-2244.

Photo from WMHO

The Ward Melville Heritage Organization (WMHO) has announced the long awaited return of the Summer Concert Series on the Village Green. These free concerts will take place in front the Stony Brook Post Office, 111 Main Street, Stony Brook at 7 p.m. on Sundays from July 10 to August 21.

Performances include the Precisions, a vintage rock group performing songs form the golden age of rock and roll on July 10; the Rustlers, a high energy group performing classic and contemporary country and rock and roll songs on July 17; the Cluster, a super group performing hits from the 50s through the 80s on July 24; Linda Ipanema, performing traditional jazz songs on July 31; the Brooklyn Bards, performing folk and acoustic versions of classic and contemporary Irish music on August 7; the NY Exceptions, a doo-wop bandperforming songs from the 50s, 60s and 70s on August 14; and Country Rhythms, a line dance instruction group.

In the case of rain, the concerts will be cancelled.

The 2022 Summer Concerts Series on the Village Green are made possible by the following sponsors: the Tantillo Auto Group, Chevrolet of Smithtown, Realty Connect USA, Team Ardolino and Realty Three LLC.

For more information, call 751-2244.

Photo from WMHO

Last summer, the late Erik Halvorsen, owner of Norse Tree Service in Setauket, worked on a project with Michael J. Opisso Designs beautifying the Village Green in Stony Brook Village. When that project was finished, Erik mentioned that he had always wanted to donate a Dogwood tree to the Ward Melville Heritage Organization and it was determined that a location would be finalized at a later date. Unfortunately in light of his recent tragic passing, that will not happen.

In his honor, WMHO has now planted that tree for him. A 14-foot Kousa Dogwood was recently donated and installed by Jeff Owen of Owen Brothers Landscaping. The white flowering tree will bloom from May to July. A bronze plaque honoring Erik’s memory will be placed on a boulder on the Village Green at a special dedication ceremony this spring.

If you would like to make a contribution, please send your tax deductible donation to WMHO (P. O. Box 572, Stony Brook, NY 11790) and note Erik’s name. Any proceeds over and above the cost of the plaque and boulder will be given to the Halvorsen family. For more information please call 631-751-2244.