Scene from the Antique Train Car Open House on 9/22/24. Photo courtesy the Port Jefferson Station/ Terryville Chamber of Commerce
Scene from the Antique Train Car Open House on 9/22/24. Photo courtesy the Port Jefferson Station/ Terryville Chamber of Commerce
Scene from the Antique Train Car Open House on 9/22/24. Photo courtesy the Port Jefferson Station/ Terryville Chamber of Commerce
Scene from the Antique Train Car Open House on 9/22/24. Photo courtesy the Port Jefferson Station/ Terryville Chamber of Commerce
Scene from the Antique Train Car Open House on 9/22/24. Photo courtesy the Port Jefferson Station/ Terryville Chamber of Commerce
Scene from the Antique Train Car Open House on 9/22/24. Photo courtesy the Port Jefferson Station/ Terryville Chamber of Commerce
Scene from the Antique Train Car Open House on 9/22/24. Photo courtesy the Port Jefferson Station/ Terryville Chamber of Commerce
Scene from the Antique Train Car Open House on 9/22/24. Photo courtesy the Port Jefferson Station/ Terryville Chamber of Commerce
Scene from the Antique Train Car Open House on 9/22/24. Photo courtesy the Port Jefferson Station/ Terryville Chamber of Commerce
Scene from the Antique Train Car Open House on 9/22/24. Photo courtesy the Port Jefferson Station/ Terryville Chamber of Commerce
Scene from the Antique Train Car Open House on 9/22/24. Photo courtesy the Port Jefferson Station/ Terryville Chamber of Commerce
Scene from the Antique Train Car Open House on 9/22/24. Photo courtesy the Port Jefferson Station/ Terryville Chamber of Commerce
Scene from the Antique Train Car Open House on 9/22/24. Photo courtesy the Port Jefferson Station/ Terryville Chamber of Commerce
The Train Car in Port Jefferson Station. Photo courtesy of PJS/Terryville Chamber of Commerce
Visitors to Train Car Park in Port Jefferson Station on Sept. 22 were all aboard for a trip back in time.
The Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Chamber of Commerce hosted an Antique Train Car Open House along with open mic and karaoke performances. In addition to enjoying music from local residents, attendees were invited inside the park’s 1920s MTA train car. The event was the first to celebrate its 100th year.
Jeff Kito, the chamber’s facilities director, was on hand to provide collages of letters, photos and proclamations that traced the history of the decommissioned baggage car that once traveled from Jamaica to Manhattan. The landmark now doubles as the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Chamber of Commerce headquarters.
Suffolk County Legislator Steve Englebright (D-Setauket) also attended and was happy to discuss the history of the train car and park with residents. Englebright, during his first tenure as a legislator in the 1980s, advocated for several small county-owned parcels to be added to town properties to create the park.
“I pass here all the time but I’ve never been inside,” said Port Jefferson Station resident Kyle Jackson. With his hand on his heart and his family in tow, he added, “I love trains, and I love Long Island history. This is a treat.”
Englebright said he loved meeting new faces and sharing the train car’s history.
“Sharing these lessons about our community’s history with new generations is what allows us to continue to foster an ongoing sense of place and belonging,” the legislator said.
Scenes from Open Mic Day at the Train Car Park. Photo by Aidan Johnson
The Rumdogs play at the Train Car Park in Port Jefferson Station. Photo by Aidan Johnson
Scenes from Open Mic Day at the Train Car Park. Photo by Aidan Johnson
By Aidan Johnson
Singers and musicians of all ages showcased their talents at Open Mic Day in the Park on Saturday, July 20, in Port Jefferson Station.
The event, which was hosted by the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Chamber of Commerce, gave bands and singers a chance to perform on stage at the Train Car Park.
Real estate agent and chamber of commerce vice president, Paul Perrone, had the idea for the open mic event after wanting to support his son’s musical endeavors.
“My son James plays the drums with three different of his school-age friends’ bands, and I support him, and I wanted to see him get out there,” Perrone said. “I figured what better way to get them out there, get them on stage, get them the experience of performing live. So I did this for him.”
James performed as part of the band Just The Steves, which played covers of well-known classics such as Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” and Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”
Brookhaven Town Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook) also participated in the event, performing with his band Rumdogs.
“This event was so much fun and got a lot of people from the community involved. It was so wonderful to see the community starting to use this new park that they built for such a great event,” Kornreich said in a statement.
“Paul Perrone and his team deserve a lot of credit for putting this together, and I think we’re going to see a lot more events like this in the future,” he added.
The event also featured karaoke performances, including from 9-year-old Ava Tulkop, who performed “You Belong With Me” by Taylor Swift, and 14-year-old Zachary Esposito, who performed a variety of songs including “At Last” by Etta James and “Isn’t She Lovely” by Stevie Wonder.
Zachary said while he felt nervous at first, he became more sure of himself as he continued onto his next tune.
His song choice was significant to him, saying that he picked “At Last” because “I wanted my moment for a long time, and at last it actually happened.”
A small yet meaningful display of unity and hope unfolded at Resistance Corner in Port Jefferson Station last Sunday, Nov. 5.
This was no grand protest outside the hamlet’s Train Car Park but rather a quiet gathering. Along the side of the road, cars passing by, demonstrators delivered a message of peace and compassion against the stark backdrop of geopolitical unrest in the Middle East.
A handful of peace demonstrators stood by the roadside holding small, homemade signs bearing messages calling for peace in Gaza.
“It is important for our community to come out and let people see that we’re here,” said event organizer and Port Jeff resident Myrna Gordon. “We’re active. We’re not going to be silent while tens of thousands of people are being killed, injured and homeless.”
Gordon urged that locals throughout Long Island should lend their voices to speak up on international affairs such as these. “We have to step up,” she said. “It’s not taking a side — it’s for humanity.”
This message encapsulated the essence of the gathering, bringing to light the voices of those who desired a halt to the ongoing violence. They maintained that taking a stand for humanity was paramount, irrespective of their background or identity, and as necessary.
As cars whizzed by, the demonstration continued a small yet resolute display amid everyday life.
Members of the Backstage Studio of Dance attend Family Fun Day at Port Jefferson Station’s Train Car Park. Photo courtesy Joan Nickeson
By Aramis Khosronejad
Over the rainy weekend and despite the weather, the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Chamber of Commerce, determined to kick start the fall season, hosted a community celebration on Saturday, Sept. 30.
The chamber held its annual Family Fun Day celebration at the Train Car Park in Port Jeff Station, where this unique site goes well beyond Saturday’s festivities.
Members of the League of Women Voters table during the event. Photo courtesy Joan Nickeson
The chamber is “trying to make it the hub of Port Jeff Station,” said PJSTCC president Jennifer Dzvonar. “We’re trying to bring a central sense of community here.”
Family Fun Day has taken place since 2018. However, this year was the first the event was back after a two-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, among other factors. The event consisted of many local vendors and businesses, various performances, games for children and adults, and apple pie and scarecrow contests.
One of the local businesses that performed at the event was the Backstage Studio of Dance, a volunteer group that teaches young adults various dances, including ballet and boys hip hop, among others. “My kids can perform and not feel pressure of competition or anything else,” said Gwenn Capodieci, the executive director of the dance studio. “They’re just up there having fun.”
Pies are on display. Photo courtesy Joan Nickeson
Capodieci added what this event means for the community: “Support your local business while having fun with your family.”
Dzvonar noted that the event aims to “bring something to our community that encompasses everybody — the local businesses, families, our community.”
The original incentive, she added, was to create a simple, fun space where families can gather and enjoy each other’s company while supporting their local businesses.
Dzvonar also mentioned how the event “is really highlighting our kids, our next generation and our future.”
Town of Brookhaven Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich, center, swears in Ira Costell, right, and Carolyn Sagliocca as president and vice president of the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Civic Association.
Photo by Raymond Janis
The newly reconfigured executive board of the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Civic Association went straight to work Tuesday night during the body’s general meeting April 25.
Nearly six dozen people turned out as former civic president Ed Garboski and vice president Sal Pitti left their posts, transitioning leadership authority to Ira Costell and Carolyn Sagliocca, respectively.
Village of Port Jefferson Mayor Margot Garant, former New York State Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket) and representatives of state Sen. Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk) and Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn (D-Setauket) were all in attendance.
Town of Brookhaven Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook) officiated over a formal swearing-in ceremony for the newly elected civic officers. He thanked the departing civic leaders and congratulated their successors.
“There’s an energy in this community that we haven’t felt in years,” he said. “It’s a whole new optimism, and in large part, that’s because of the drive out of this civic organization.”
To Garboski and Pitti, the councilmember added, “You two are fantastic civic leaders, and I have every confidence that the new board will continue to focus and do the work that you’ve done.”
The newly reconfigured executive board of the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Civic Association during a general meeting on Tuesday, April 25. Photo by Raymond Janis
Land use
Costell quickly got moving, announcing the creation of a land use committee headed by Sagliocca, which will monitor development and related land use activities within the hamlet.
Further expanding on this theme, Costell articulated his vision for overseeing the redevelopment of the area, narrowing his focus around the projected $100 million proposed investment into Jefferson Plaza, owned by Staller Associates.
“The Staller project is the keystone, if you will, about the entire development of our little hamlet,” he said.
Between the Jefferson Plaza proposal, several planned retirement communities throughout the hamlet and significant residential development in Upper Port, Costell described PJS/T as looking at challenges associated with population density.
“I think it’s incumbent upon us as an organization to register our desire and intention to seek new planning overall, to bring a traffic study and some of the impacts of all of these things cumulatively,” the civic president said.
He added, “I’d like to go in front of the [Brookhaven] Town Board and express our concern that our little hamlet needs some attention, that we’ve gotten a whole lot of multifamily activity here that we welcome but want done in a fashion and manner that’s going to ameliorate the impacts on existing residents and invite new people in.”
Kornreich concurred with this assessment in part, stating that overdevelopment represents a danger to the quality of life in the area.
“I agree with you that overdevelopment is one of the gravest threats that we face in the destruction of the suburbs, both in respect to our way of life and from an environmental standpoint,” the councilmember said.
Town natural gas program
Kornreich informed the body on a cost-savings strategy for consumers of natural gas.
Recently, the town launched its Community Choice Aggregation program, partnering with Manhattan-based Good Energy to deliver a fixed rate on natural gas at 69 cents per therm. [See story, “Community Choice Aggregation: Town of Brookhaven joins energy revolution,” March 9, TBR News Media website.]
The councilmember said ratepayers could potentially save hundreds of dollars per year by strategically opting in and out of the CCA program based on the gas price from National Grid.
“Essentially, you can opt in and out at any time as many times as you want for free,” he said.
To save money, he encouraged residents to closely monitor National Grid’s service rates, published at the beginning of every month. “When that price is lower than 69 cents, you stay on National Grid,” he said. “When it goes over, you switch over.”
Based on a model he had conducted for his bill measuring the CCA against the National Grid price, Kornreich projected he would have saved approximately $250 last year.
“This month, in the month of April, National Grid’s price is 35 cents a therm,” he said, adding, “It’s half the price of the CCA … so I’m opting out.”
Reports
A Suffolk County Police Department officer delivered a report on public safety, noting that the phenomenon of catalytic converter theft within the area remains ongoing. The 6th Precinct also observed a slight increase in petit larcenies from this time last year.
He remarked on the new speed cameras installed on the Long Island Expressway. [See story, “New York implements new work-zone enforcement program.”] . The officer reported that during testing, the cameras generated roughly 6,500 summons within a 45-minute window.
“Please be careful when you get on the LIE,” he said, adding jokingly, “That’s not a county thing. That’s a state thing, so please don’t call us and complain.”
Comsewogue High School students Kylie and Max updated the civic on various developments within the school district. The Spanish Honor Society at the high school recently held a fundraiser to buy Progresso soup donated to the Pax Christi Hospitality Center in Port Jefferson.
Andrea Malchiodi, assistant director of Comsewogue Public Library, announced that the library is conducting a raffle for all cardholders as part of National Library Week. “We’re doing a huge raffle basket, so anybody who is a library card holder can go and put in a raffle to win this fun basket,” she said.
The library is also collecting pet food for a collection drive through Long Island Cares.
PJSTCA corresponding secretary, Charlie McAteer, reported that the town would be holding a Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 29, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the Train Car Park in Port Jefferson Station.
McAteer also said that the Friends of the Greenway would conduct their next cleanup on Saturday, May 13, at 9 a.m. at the Port Jefferson Station trailhead. This cleanup will coincide with this year’s iteration of the Great Brookhaven Cleanup.
PJSTCA will meet again on Tuesday, May 23, at 7 p.m. at Comsewogue Public Library.
Community members participated in a menorah lighting at the Train Car Park in Port Jefferson Station Sunday, Dec. 18. Photo by Paul Perrone
The Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Chamber of Commerce annual menorah lighting ceremony took place Sunday, Dec. 18, at sundown in the hamlet’s Train Car Park.
Rabbi Aaron Benson of North Shore Jewish Center officiated the ceremony, offering a prayer to mark the first night of Hanukkah. The event was well attended by community members and many from the North Shore Jewish Center.
Among those joining the festivities were PJSTCC vice president Paul Perrone, the chamber’s community liaison Joan Nickeson and Town of Brookhaven Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook).
Left to right: Town of Brookhaven Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook), Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Chamber of Commerce president Jen Dzvonar, Santa Claus, New York State Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket), Mrs. Claus, and PJSTCC community liaison Joan Nickeson.
Dozens of community members, performers, business leaders and public officials gathered at the Train Car Park in Port Jefferson Station Dec. 8, continuing a lasting holiday custom.
The Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Chamber of Commerce has hosted this event for decades, perennially reuniting the various facets of the community amid festive cheer. Guests were greeted with hot chocolate under a tent, with some chamber members tabling inside.
The stars of the event, Santa and Mrs. Claus, arrived in a stylish fire rescue vehicle supplied by the Terryville Fire Department. Along with them was chamber president Jen Dzvonar, New York State Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket) and Town of Brookhaven Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook).
Santa and Mrs. Claus spent quality time with the children, sitting for photographs and taking requests for Christmas. Vocalists from the School of Rock performed Christmas carols and Hanukkah songs. Dancers from the Port Jefferson Station-based Backstage Studio of Dance jived to the musical beats of several tunes.
“We try to rally the entire community for a great community event,” Dzvonar said. She responded to the sizable turnout and talented performers by saying, “I think it’s so heartwarming. It’s like a true holiday festival, celebratory and inviting.”
The laughter and fun of the evening were just another positive development in a string of forward momentum for the community this year. Kornreich described the spectacle as exemplifying the area’s distinctiveness and charm.
“By my reckoning, I think this is reason number 74 for why Port Jeff Station is one of the best places to live in Suffolk County,” he said. “This town is changing so quickly, and there are just so many fun things going on here all the time,” adding, “I’m just really happy to be here with everyone from the community on yet another happy occasion in our new park.”
Englebright outlined some of the historical contexts behind this event. The assemblyman regarded the gradual development of the area and the Train Car Park as the product of decades of joint efforts between community groups, governmental entities and engaged residents.
“To see all of the young people here, and Santa and Mrs. Claus … it is showing us all the direction that this holiday is meant to be in,” the assemblyman said. “It’s very heartening to see the very talented kids, the dancers and the fire department. The whole community is here, and it’s just amazing.”
Gwenn Capodieci is the executive director of the Backstage dance studio. She said her dance groups have performed during this event for the past three years and frequently coordinate with PJSTCC. For her, the evening is a unique opportunity for the dancers to perform before their peers and community members.
“After all, this is a performing art,” she said. “Performing is a big part of it, so to get an opportunity to show that is really great.”
Nicole Terlizzo, artistic director and teacher at the dance studio, said the performances were the product of two months of preparation, with the rehearsals ranging from jazz techniques to hip-hop, tap, ballet and others.
“The girls practiced really hard and really came together,” Terlizzo said. “They have a lot of fun doing it, and it’s a fun way to get them out of the studio and in front of the community.”
Paul Perrone, vice president of PJSTCC, summed up why the chamber continues this tradition annually: “It gives people an opportunity to get out of their house and enjoy the community park,” he said. “It helps people feel that Comsewogue — Port Jefferson Station/Terryville — has something to offer everybody.”
Joan Nickeson, the chamber’s community liaison, offered her take as well, citing the tree lighting event as an annual tradition that highlights the area’s continued growth and support.
“It’s an annual Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Chamber of Commerce tradition, and we’re so fortunate to have a great Santa, support from our electeds, residents and the business community,” she said.
Two bastions of commerce and culture joined forces on Saturday, Oct. 22, for a night of fright and fun at Port Jefferson Station’s Train Car Park.
The Spooktacular Music Festival was a three-hour production co-hosted by the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Chamber of Commerce and the local affiliate of the School of Rock, the largest music school franchise nationwide. The event showcased the talents of local student musicians while bringing community members together for a night out.
Tracie and Jaime Smith have owned the Port Jefferson-based franchise of the School of Rock for 12 years. They described the music school as a place connecting like-minded youth with a shared passion for music.
“A lot of the kids that come to the School of Rock don’t quite fit in in public school,” Jaime Smith said. “When they come to our school, they are exactly who they are, and they’re accepted for that, regardless of age, race, it doesn’t matter.” He added, “They all share that common goal of art, and they do a heck of a job expressing that on stage.”
This sentiment held on Saturday night as the student performers entertained hundreds of spectators on the Train Car Park’s main lawn, playing songs across various genres, such as classic rock and punk rock.
Tracie Smith offered her perspective on the evening, saying that the event closely aligned with the music school’s organizational principles.
“We pride ourselves on getting the kids on stage,” she said. “It’s not just taking a guitar lesson in your basement and never doing anything with it. We get the kids on stage multiple times per year, and they get to rock out,” adding, “It helps them build their confidence and meet other like-minded kids.”
While the School of Rock has held the event in years past, this marked the first year the performance was held at the Train Car Park. Jennifer Dzvonar, president of PJSTCC, was also present during the event and discussed how it all came together.
“We’re trying to get some more community events over here at the Train Car Park, so together we said, ‘Bring it here, and we’ll do it in collaboration with the chamber,’” she said. “We have some chamber members here setting up some tables. It’s open to the community, free admission, and with live music and fun.”
For Dzvonar, this event marks just the next chapter in a string of recent positive developments for the Greater Comsewogue area. According to her, boosting recreational use at the Train Car Park has been the chamber’s priority for years.
Now, with the availability of public funds and political will, those plans are bearing fruit. “We have always been trying to get this up and running,” she said. “Phase one is trying to get the park usable for the community, so they’re going to be making a walking path in here, we’re getting a parking lot and we’re going to get a playground.” She added, “Hopefully, that should be completed by the end of this year. If not, then the beginning of next year.”
After these improvements are executed, the chamber plans to use the historic train car on-site for community tourism. In addition, plans are in place to repurpose some of it as office space, providing chamber members with new headquarters.
“Our vision is coming to fruition finally,” Dzvonar said. “This is exactly what we wanted for the community — a place to come, a place for kids and adults, a place for anybody. Basically, the motto of the chamber is to bring local businesses and the community together. This is a hub for that.”
Jaime and Tracie Smith have observed a gradual shift in the area throughout their time running the music school. For them, the arts will continue to play a central role in the area’s burgeoning cultural renaissance.
“What we’ve seen in the over a decade that we’ve been here is a movement toward families and the arts and a dedication to the community,” Jaime Smith said. “There has been a real movement forward toward creating something different here … and music always brings people together.”
Tracie Smith added to this perspective, touching upon how the COVID-19 pandemic has brought more families from New York City onto Long Island. Given these trends, she sees reason for optimism.
“We’ve seen such a nice bump in our enrollment post-COVID,” she said. “We’ve seen a lot of new families, a lot of resurgences, a lot of people moving from the city to come here, so we’re looking forward to the future for sure.”
Town of Brookhaven Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook) presented a proclamation to Lou Antoniello, whose dream of bringing Shakespeare to the Train Car Park has finally come true. Photo from Joan Nickeson
By Aidan Johnson
Port Jefferson Station/Terryville is receiving a breath of fresh air with the help of public funds and engaged community members.
In an exclusive interview with Town of Brookhaven Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook), he discussed ongoing work throughout the hamlet such as the revitalization of the Train Car Park at the intersection of routes 347 and 112. Kornreich believes the area is finally getting the care it deserves.
For many years, the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Civic Association had dreamed of making the park a central hub for the community. Residents created an ambitious plan, and the town even hired engineers, but the plan never materialized.
Despite the idea of revitalizing the Train Car Park falling by the wayside, when Kornreich entered office in March 2021 he met with local civic leaders to discuss their priorities. Since the park remained at the top of their list, they decided to approach the project for a second time.
“Once we really understood that the [original] plan for the park was not feasible, we decided just to break it into achievable steps and go for the intent of what they were trying to do,” Kornreich said. This process worked, and both a stage and a fence were built.
Resident and member of the civic association, Lou Antoniello, had long wished for the Train Car Park to serve as a venue for the performing arts. With the new additions, those aspirations have finally become reality.
Last month, Antoniello fulfilled his dream of bringing “Shakespeare in the Park” to the Train Car Park. On Wednesday, Aug. 3, “The Taming of the Shrew” was played there. Kornreich, who had helped bring Antoniello’s wish to fruition, felt that the performance night encapsulated all the hard work and years of devotion everyone had put in.
“It was like an idyllic evening, and a lot of people came,” the councilmember said. “It just was such a happy night.”
In addition to the Train Car Park, plans are in the works to give the Jefferson Plaza a facelift. Similar to the park, the plan to redevelop the shopping center has been in the making for quite some time.
“Like so many plans, things gestate for a long period of time before they are born — and certain ideas for a long time,” Kornreich said, adding, “I believe it was [town] Supervisor [Ed] Romaine [R] who came to them and suggested that instead of redeveloping the whole thing as commercial, it would be a more interesting project if you had mixed-use development — half residential and half commercial.”
There is hope that the Jefferson Plaza redevelopment project will catalyze more investment throughout the area. [See TBR News Media story, “Developers pitch plans for Jefferson Plaza,” June 23.]
Overall, the councilmember expressed excitement about the direction he sees Port Jefferson Station/Terryville taking.
“I think there’s going to be a diversity of housing stock,” Kornreich said. “I think that it’ll be a place where younger people can and will want to live … a place where people can live in proximity to public transportation.” He added, “People want to live someplace walkable, and maybe it’s starting to move away from the car-centric lifestyle.”
The Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Chamber of Commerce, Old Town Blooms and the PJS American Legion held a Daffodil and Plant Sale fundraiser at the Chamber Train Car in Port Jefferson Station on April 17. The sale continues this Saturday, April 24 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Proceeds go towards the beautification of the Train Car Park.
“It is important for our community to come out and let people see that we’re here,” said event organizer and Port Jeff resident Myrna Gordon. “We’re active. We’re not going to be silent while tens of thousands of people are being killed, injured and homeless.”
