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HALF HOLLOW HILLS Copyright © 2013 Long Islander Newspapers, LLC

Online at www.LongIslanderNews.com

N E W S P A P E R

VOLUME FIFTEEN, ISSUE 43

2 SECTIONS, 40 PAGES

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2013 HALF HOLLOW HILLS

The Paramount Spotlight

Redistricting Map Approved Half Hollow Hills photo/Jacqueline Birzon

Multi-platinum selling singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne plays The Paramount Dec. 11.

AvrilLavigne Knows Platinum

By Peter Sloggatt psloggatt@longislandernews.com

Avril Lavigne knows platinum. Or should we say, platinum knows Avril Lavigne?

The Canadian pop superstar emerged on the international stage a little more than 10 years ago with the release of her 6x-platinum album “Let Go.” The follow-up album, “Under My Skin,” released in 2004 was 3x-platinum, and “The Best Damn Thing,” released three years later, also went platinum.

In record industry talk, platinum designation recognizes 1 million album sales, or 2 million singles. In (Continued on page A17)

“Scenario Four” was the redistricting map Half Hollow Hills Board of Education trustees approved Monday night. would affect elementary school feeding order to maximize building efficiency and

By Jacqueline Birzon jbirzon@longislandernews.com

It was an uphill battle, but the Half Hollow Hills Board of Education Monday night approved a redistricting map that

patterns for the 2014-2015 school year.

Due to declining enrollment, the district announced this fall they will close two of the district’s seven functioning elementary schools – Chestnut Hill and Forest Park – in

as a result, save roughly $3 million, mostly from staff reductions.

At a Nov. 21 meeting the board presented three possible maps, or redistricting sce(Continued on page A17)

MELVILLE

Civic Leaders Clash Over Housing Disagreements over rentals, ‘misleading’ ads at center of controversy

By Danny Schrafel dschrafel@longislandernews.com

A civic association president pushing for one-bedroom affordable ownership housing to be built on property along Ruland Road in Melville is accusing affordable housing advocates backing rental housing with one, two- and threebedroom units of deceptive advertising.

Alissa Taff, president of the Civic Association of Sweet Hollow, accused the Huntington Township Housing Coalition of deceiving the public through a series of social media and newspaper ads, including one which was printed in last week’s Half Hollow Hills (Continued on page A17)

The Huntington Township Housing Coalition is pushing for a settlement that would clear the way for Ruland Knolls, pictured in a site rendering prepared by D&F Development.

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Holiday Traditions, Now & Then

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COMMACK ROAD American Community Bank ANC Food The Everything Bagel Deli Beer Smoke

100 Commack Rd, Commack 134 Commack Rd, Commack 217 Commack Rd, Commack 223 Commack Rd, Commack

JERICHO TURNPIKE Commack Lucille Roberts New York Sports Club The Cutting Edge Hair Design Mozzarello’s Pizza Stop & Shop Bagel Boss Dix Hills Diner The Critic’s Choice Deli Stop & Shop Desi Bazar Brooklyn Pizza Ruby Salon Dunkin’ Donuts Roy’s Deli Golden Coach Diner Bagel USA

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DEER PARK AVENUE Dix Hills Fire Department Bethpage Fed’l Credit Union

580 Deer Park Ave, Dix Hills 1350-35 Deer Park Ave, North Babylon

Nelly’s Deli Grocery Gigi’s VIP Deer Park Nails Inc Tony’s Pizza Deer Hills Delicatessen Park Avenue Barbers

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OLD COUNTRY ROAD/SWEET HOLLOW ROAD Dix Hills Hot Bagels 703 Old Country Road, Dix Hills Half Hollow Hills Library 510 Sweet Hollow Road, Melville ROUTE 110/BROADHOLLOW ROAD Deli Beer Cigar Walt Whitman Road, Huntington Station Dunkin Donuts 281 Walt Whitman Rd, Huntington Station Berry Healthy Cafe 350 Walt Whitman Rd, Huntington Station Marios Pizza 1 Schwab Rd #17, Melville International Haircutters 439 Walt Whitman Rd, Melville Bethpage Fed’l Credit Union 722 Walt Whitman Road, Melville Roast 827 Walt Whitman Rd, Melville PIDGEON HILL RD South Huntington Library HAUPPAUGE RD Commack Public Library VANDERBILT PKY Half Hollow Hills Library

145 Pidgeon Hill Road, Huntington Station 18 Happauge Rd, Commack 55 Vanderbilt Pky, Dix Hills

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THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • DECEMBER 5, 2013 • A3

DIX HILLS

Five Towns President: Probation ‘Overstated’

By Jacqueline Birzon jbirzon@longislandernews.com

Administrators at Five Towns College, an accredited academic institution in Dix Hills, said the school was the “aggressive target” of a regional higher education review commission.

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education on Nov. 21 decided to maintain Five Towns’ status as an accredited institution but put the arts college on probation due to what it said was a lack of sufficient leadership standards.

Five Towns President Stanley Cohen, 85, of Melville, said Monday the probation status was determined after a premature visit by the Philadelphia, Pa.-based Middle States board in July when few students were enrolled and two of the five Five Towns trustees died several weeks prior to the review.

According to Cohen, Trustees Sam Teicher and Milton Hirschfeld died within one month before the review took place, leaving only three active trustees overseeing the institution in the several weeks following the two board members’ passing.

The regional accreditation commission said in the Nov. 21 report the college was put on probation because of the “insufficient

evidence that the institution is currently in compliance with Standards 4 (Leadership and Governance) and Standard 5 (Administration);” but that “Five Towns remains fully accredited…while on probation.”

According to the report, schools are placed on probation when, in the commission’s judgment, the institution is not in compliance with one or more of the commission’s accreditation standards. Noncompliance is “sufficiently serious, extensive, or acute” and raises concerns about either the “adequacy of education provided; the school’s capacity to make appropriate improvements in a timely fashion; or its capacity to maintain itself in the long term,” it reads.

Five Towns College, which this year had 1,107 undergraduate and 57 graduate students, offers associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees and is approved by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, a designation which Cohen said is “much more demanding” than designations made by regional councils such as Middle States. Five Towns is also accredited by the New York State Board of Regents, the school’s president added.

“We remain fully accredited without any

TOWN OF HUNTINGTON

Looking West For Hires

By Danny Schrafel dschrafel@longislandernews.com

Suffolk County lawmakers are divided on a proposal that would allow County Executive Steve Bellone to hire New York City residents for a handful of appointed positions in county government.

The legislation would allow the county executive to hire New York City for positions in Bargaining Unit 21 and in the unclassified service, the exempt class or the noncompetitive class. Currently, those hires must live in either Nassau or Suffolk County. The requirement was expanded to include Nassau County, at Bellone’s request, last year.

Changing the law would provide flexibility to hire someone who “has the experience and the background that can bring a lot to the table for our residents,” Bellone said, who estimated that it would affect approximately one percent of Suffolk County government jobs.

Since the law was changed last year to allow Nassau County residents, Bellone said there are just two Nassau County residents who have been appointed to positions. One of them is Department of Social Services Commissioner John O’Neill, who was hired with overwhelming support last year, the county executive said.

“It’s a very limited thing, but it provides a little bit of flexibility so if we find a really attractive candidate who happens to live in the region but outside of Suffolk County, we don’t want to lose the opportunity to bring someone like that into the government,” Bellone said.

Legislator Lou D’Amaro (D-N. Babylon) said he supports the change because it would attract the “best and brightest individuals” to work in the county while maintaining a “limited scope.”

“It expands the talent pool, but is narrow enough in scope that I can support it,” D’Amaro said.

Presiding Officer Wayne Horsley (DBabylon) stressed that the county should look to hire locally first, but the law opens

an opportunity to meet special needs.

“We have a very broad-based county that’s got a lot of talent… We should be, of course, looking to the county residents first and foremost when making appointments,” Horsley said. “But there are those special occasions when someone is from the city that might have special talents, but I would first reach out to Suffolk.”

However, opposition to the change is emerging, and the proposal’s fate may be divided on a slim margin.

Minority Leader John Kennedy (RSmithtown) said he is “vehemently, adamantly and thoroughly opposed” to the change. He argued adopting the legislation would essentially nullify the county’s residency requirement for exempt employees and lead to Suffolk County taxpayers subsidizing the salaries of New York City residents. He expected that most of the Republican caucus will follow his lead.

“I think it is a smack in the face to every Suffolk County resident and I find it unconscionable,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy and Legislator Kate Browning (WF-Shirley) said they both reject the argument that the county cannot find suitable appointees under current restrictions.

“That’s an insult to Suffolk County residents to say there’s not one in the 1.5 million people in Suffolk County to perform these jobs. Absolutely there is,” she said.

Browning questioned whether the change was tailored to retain Cat Daniels, a California native who moved to Brooklyn and currently works in the Department of Labor under a one-year residency waiver.

“The bottom line is that was something they took the job knowing that would have to move to Suffolk County,” she said.

Bellone denied that the law change was tailored to benefit any particular county employee.

“She’s there right now – if the law does not pass, she would obviously be impacted,” Bellone said. “She would comply with the law. It’s not about her. The John O’Neil circumstance proved the point.”

Five Towns College administrators say a regional commission’s decision to put the school on probation was aggressive and overstated. changes. This was overstated by a very hostile examiner who was not incorrect that the number of trustees was low, so we’ve corrected that… It was a minor glitch,” Cohen said Monday.

To rectify the administrative deficit, Five Towns has named four more trustees, bringing their total to six independent members and Cohen as the board president.

According to the Middle States Commission, every five years after the commission accredits a college, the academic institution is required to submit a Periodic Review Report (PRR) to the commission, which Five Towns submitted in the spring of 2012.

The routine review this year occurred July 17 and July 18, Cohen said.

Following the commission’s physical survey of the Dix Hills campus over the sum-

mer, Five Towns has until March 1, 2014 to submit a “Monitoring Report” to the Middle States Commission outlining the steps taken “to develop an active governing body; to assure continuity and stability of institutional leadership…that fosters respect and communication among faculty; and the establishment of “sustainable lines of authority…throughout the organization.”

At that point, the Middle States Commission will assess Five Towns’ compliance with the commission’s standards.

Depending on the outcome of the assessment, the commission’s board will determine whether or not Five Towns has made “appropriate progress” and may act to remove the prohibition.

According to the Middle States report, the next review of Five Towns College’s campus is scheduled for 2016-2017.

DIX HILLS

Magazine: FTC A Top School

A student gets hands-on experience in Five Towns College’s music program.

Five Towns College has been locally known for being a solid music school, but now the nation knows it, too.

The Dix Hills college was named in Billboard Magazine’s Aug. 24 issue as one of the top 35 music schools in the United States due to its music business program.

With the music industry facing new technologies and a shrinking market, the program at Five Towns provides hands-on experiences through internships and industry related courses such as business law, marketing, advertising, public relations and salesmanship and technology in order to remain competitive in this fast-paced industry, college officials said in a press release.

In addition to music business, the college offers a number of other degree programs in music, audio record-

ing technology, filmmaking, theatre arts, mass communication, music education and childhood education.

Five Towns College will showcase its programs to potential, new and transfer students at an open house on Saturday, Dec. 14 starting at 11 a.m.

Interested parties can meet with faculty, staff and students; watch presentations and demonstrations; and chat with representatives from admissions, financial aid and career services.

Can’t make the open house? Transfers can be evaluated on the spot during Transfer Enrollment Days on Wednesdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.; bring in your transcript and the application fee will be waived.

Spring classes start Jan. 27 and enrollment is still open. For more information, contact an admissions representative at 631-656-2110 or ftc.edu.

A4 • THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • DECEMBER 5, 2013

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POLICE REPORT Compiled by Danny Schrafel

It’s Electric!

Homeowner Returns To Ransacked Bedroom

What a parade… What a wonderful night it was in

leg lamp, but I have to mention what a great tradition that is. Who doesn’t love “A Christmas Story”? It’s Huntington village on Saturday, when the fourth anone of those must-see films for the holidays. If you nual lighted holiday parade rolled through town in haven’t seen it, be sure to catch bright, colorful fashion. Dozens of fire trucks and it this year, as there are always floats drove by, with each one IN THE KNOW marathons on TV. Actually, better than the one before it. I WITH AUNT ROSIE now’s the time to catch up on have to admit, my inner child all the holiday classics. My faawoke that day! Each fire truck vorite might be “White Christsiren perked up my ears and had me looking around mas” – which coincidentally is to see if Santa was on his way. I couldn’t stop singing being staged at the Engeman Theater this holiday the Hess truck song (you know the one… “The Hess season; I am a sucker for ballroom dancing, probably truck’s back and it’s better than ever…”) when Combecause I myself have two left feet. I am told by my mack’s truck came by. And I found myself waving to nieces I have to see “Elf,” so I will add that to the the man in red himself when I could have sworn he list. And if I don’t see “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” winked at me from atop Huntington Manor’s truck. well… I may be making a trip to the store to buy it.

Truly, magic was in the air!

The holidays are just not the same without seeing Floating on air… What creative folks we have here that pathetic little tree become so full of life with just a little cartoon love! in Huntington. I have to take a moment to congratulate everyone who helped decorate a truck or build a Speaking of must-see movies… This one isn’t float for Saturday’s parade. Winner Greenlawn FD holiday themed, but it is a must-see in my book. certainly had me thinking of the good old days with And what’s even better, even though it’s a classic, their float of nostalgic toys, while the nonprofit winyou’ll be able to watch it on the big screen in Huntner, the Huntington Chamber, left me smiling with ington at the end of the month! “My Fair Lady” will their misfit toys theme. But oh my, was I impressed be shown at Cinema Arts Centre on Thursday, Dec. by the fire department who had the LEGO-inspired 26 at 7 p.m., in archival 35mm print. By George, helicopter! They may not have won, but that sure was what a splendid idea! Audrey Hepburn is just stuna clever idea. ning in this film, and what lady doesn’t love that enormous hat she wears to the races? I truly don’t Bouncing ornaments… Funny thing happened on know how she carries it so gracefully – it must my way home from the parade. I was driving behind weigh 100 pounds! I remember watching this film a monstrous truck carrying a giant tree. “Where did when I was young and trying to mimic Eliza Doolitthis giant tree come from?” I asked myself. Then I tle’s accent. Of course, no one in my family could saw a basketball-sized ornament ball fall right off the understand me. Won’t you join me and buy a flower tree and start bouncing behind the truck as it drove off a poor girl? along Main Street. I quickly realized it was the tree from the Wall Street festival, being transported to what I saw was the Huntington Chamber! Let me tell (Aunt Rosie wants to hear from you! If you have comyou, that bouncing ornament followed the tree all the ments, ideas, or tips about what’s happening in your way to the chamber and stopped right at the driveneck of the woods, write to me today and let me know way. Isn’t it nice when things find their way home? the latest. To contact me, drop a line to Aunt Rosie, c/o The Long-Islander, 145 East Main Street, HuntLighting the leg lamp... I unfortunately couldn’t ington NY 11743. Or try the e-mail at join my friends in Northport for the lighting of the aunt.rosieli@gmail.com)

A burglar robbed and ransacked a Dix Hills home at 8:35 p.m. Nov. 23, stealing jewelry and electronics during the incident. Police said the resident was away from home at the time when the burglar alarm was activated.

When he returned home he discovered that the secondfloor bathroom door of his Lucille Avenue home was open and that the master bedroom had been ransacked and burglarized.

You Go, Grandma!

An attentive Melville grandmother thwarted a shortsighted scammer Nov. 21. Police said the woman received a phone call from a person at 11:25 a.m. that day, claiming that her grandson was in a car accident in Mexico and that he needed money wired over immediately to cover damages. However, the woman called her grandson, who was not in Mexico. She did not send over any money and instead called the cops.

Charge!

Someone got hold of a Dix Hills resident’s credit card information and racked up a series of fraudulent charges on the account from Oct. 21-Nov. 12. The complainant notified police with the identity theft complaint Nov. 21.

Blocked Caller Sets Off Alarm A Dix Hills resident called the cops at 7 p.m. Nov. 25 after receiving numerous disturbing phone calls on their cell phone. The complainant alerted police after the caller made alarming comments during the series of phone calls from a blocked telephone number.

Crook Lifts Things Up... And Keeps Them A car parked at a Ruland Road fitness center in Melville was damaged and burglarized Nov. 22. Police said that at 8 p.m. someone smashed the front passenger window of a 2011 Honda Element parked at Planet Fitness, and then stole money, an iPad and glasses that were inside the car.

Jewels, Bike Stolen A Dix Hills home on Langhans Court was burglarized at 5 p.m. police said that someone entered the home and stole a bicycle and jewelry during the burglary.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK MICHAEL WATT

PICTURE THIS THE HESS TRUCK’S BACK… Half Hollow Hills photo/Luann Dallojacono

No Lock, No Wallet

“If a man or woman can go to war, they should be able to buy a pack of cigarettes.”

Spencer To Teens: Flush The Butts, PAGE A7

… and it’s better than ever. The Commack Fire Department rolled out a classic Hess truck at the holiday parade in Huntington village on Saturday.

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Burglars Stealing Time Assorted watches, a MacBook Pro and Beats by Dr. Dre headphones were stolen from a Melville home at 7:22 p.m. Nov. 27. Police said the burglars got into the Bramble Lane home through a second-floor window.

Identity Thief Sought A Melville man called police Nov. 23 after discovering his identity had been stolen. Police said the man discovered several days earlier that someone gained access to personal identifying information, including his name and Chase account information, without his permission.

HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER

A wallet was stolen from an unlocked car in Melville at 3:20 p.m. Nov. 30. The 2008 Dodge Nitro was parked on Richbourne Lane in Melville.

expires

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THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER

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TOWN OF HUNTINGTON

Paying Tribute To Pearl Harbor’s Fallen Half Hollow Hills photos/Danny Schrafel

Veterans salute during “God Bless America” at an observance paying tribute to the 72nd anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attacks Sunday.

By Danny Schrafel dschrafel@longislandernews.com

In typically simple, clear terms, Northport Mayor George Doll explained why Northport Village and the Northport American Legion pay tribute each year to the men and women who died Dec. 7, 1941 during the attacks on Pearl Harbor.

“My 8-year-old grandson asked, ‘Why do you do this?’” Doll told the crowd gathered at Sunday’s event. “I told him that on Dec. 7, 1941, American men and women died in a far-off place defending our freedom. And we should never let time diminish our memory of them. That’s why we do this.”

During a day of prayer and remembrance Dec. 1, hundreds paid tribute to the thousands of Americans who died during the sneak attack on the Hawaiian military base, an ambush which thrust the United States into World War II. Since the early 1990s, the village has hosted the observance close to the anniversary.

“Seventy-two years ago, we lost 18 ships – sunk in Pearl Harbor. One-hundred-seventy-four planes destroyed, and over 3,000 military and civilian casualties,” said Jim Mahoney, a veteran and longtime Northport Fire Department volunteer who led the observance. “Today we are here to honor those American heroes and all the American heroes that are serving our land.”

One in attendance, East Northport’s Francis Minnock, a retired U.S. Navy lieutenant, survived the attack and was frequently praised for his service. Not only did Minnock survive the attack, he continued his service, ultimately remaining in the Navy for a 30-year career that includ-

American Legion members distributed hand-held American flags as they marched down Main Street Sunday.

Mayor George Doll leads a procession from First Presbyterian Church down to Northport Harbor following an interfaith prayer service commemorating the anniversary. ed service in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Minnock was recently honored for his service with a park bench dedicated to him at John J. Walsh Park in East Northport.

“We need to be constantly reminded of our gift of freedom and those who gave their all to make sure future generations continue to know life in a free and democratic society,” said Rev. Timothy Hoyt Duncan of First Presbyterian Church.

There, a commemorative interfaith service was held earlier in the day.

After the service, congregants, scouting troops, veterans organizations, and members of the Northport High School choir and varsity football team joined elected officials and congregants in marching down Main Street to the World War II memorial by the harbor.

The attack on Pearl Harbor was an assault only matched in horror by the attacks on New York City, Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania on Sept. 11, 2001.

“The United States of America was changed forever,” keynote speaker Assemblyman Andrew Raia said. “In the same fashion that 9/11 was a defining moment for this generation, the attack on Pearl Harbor was the crucial moment for an earlier generation that would be forever be defined by the second World War.”

THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • DECEMBER 5, 2013 • A5

A6 • THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • DECEMBER 5, 2013

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TOWN OF HUNTINGTON

21 To Buy Tobacco?

By Danny Schrafel dschrafel@longislandernews.com

Should you have to be 21 years old to buy cigarettes?

That’s the question Suffolk County lawmakers will likely be grappling with early in 2014, and Legislator William Spencer (D-Centerport) will be leading the charge to make that the law of the land in Suffolk.

The announcement comes about one month after the New York City Council voted to increase the tobacco-purchase age in the five boroughs.

Spencer argues the change will help reduce addiction to nicotine and steer local youth clear of a deadly habit. But trade organizations that rely on tobacco sales argue the move will only hurt retailers without providing much public benefit.

Following a unanimous recommendation by the Suffolk County Department of Health on Nov. 20, Spencer said he will introduce legislation in early 2014 to increase the minimum purchase age for tobacco products to 21.

Spencer said that 21 is a “responsible age that makes sense” based on scientific data analyzing young people’s brain development.

However, trade organizations representing convenience store owners and gasoline retailers argue changing the law will do little good – but to drive business to Native American reservation smoke shops and Nassau County retailers.

According to the National Association of Convenience Store Retailers, sales of cigarettes and other tobacco products generated more than 42 percent of in-store revenues for convenience stores in 2011.

Jim Calvin, the executive director and legal counsel for the organization’s New York chapter, said convenience stores would be “perfectly willing to sacrifice those sales if it would do any good,” but said he was skeptical of the proposal’s effectiveness.

“Year after year it shows that teenage smokers obtain their cigarettes not from retail stores, but from adult relatives and acquaintances,” he said. “The bigger question is – will it do any good given the unfortunate reality of where underage smokers really obtain their cigarettes?”

While Long Island Gasoline Retailers Association Executive Director Michael Watt said the law is “well-intentioned,” he said it would ultimately hurt retailers and put a drain on county tax revenue. Stores near the Nassau-Suffolk border, like those in Melville and Farmingdale, will be hit especially hard, he argued.

“We certainly appreciate it, but the reality is that people make their choices and if you’re going to force them to make a choice to go elsewhere for a product they want, you’re just hurting yourself,” Watt said.

Nineteen and 20-year-olds, he added, are “certainly mature enough to make their own decisions,” he added.

“If a man or woman can go to war, they should be able to buy a pack of cigarettes,” Watt said.

Spencer argued that opponents of the law are offering conflicting arguments.

“If you are saying that not letting 19- and 20-year-olds [buy tobacco products] is going to have that big of an impact on your business – you’re making my point,” Spencer said. “And if there is no difference – it’s not going to hurt you.”

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THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • DECEMBER 5, 2013 • A7 Photo by Rob Fling

DIX HILLS/MELVILLE

Police Seek Clues In Recent Thefts

Police believe this man stole an iPhone from a Dix Hills Radio Shack Nov. 13.

Officials say this man and woman are suspected in a Nov. 14 Kohl’s theft.

Police are seeking the public’s help in hopes of cracking a pair of cases involving thefts from local businesses.

Second Precinct officials are looking for leads in the Nov. 13 theft of a cell phone from the Radio Shack in the Elwood Shopping Center near the Dix Hills/East Northport border, where a man allegedly stole an iPhone that was charging on the counter. He fled the store at 5:40 p.m., according to police.

They are also looking for information about a Nov. 14 theft from a Kohl’s store in Melville. At approximately 8:30 p.m., a man and two women stole clothing, fragrances jewelry and computers.

They fled after being confronted by store security. One of the women, who is 17, was arrested and charged with fourth-degree grand larceny. Police are looking for the others – a man, who may be named James, is described as 40 years old, 5’8”, thin and bald; the teen, who may be named Ashley, is described as 17, and 5’5” with brown hair.

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to an arrest.

Anyone with information about this crime can call 1-800-220-TIPS anonymously. All calls will be kept confidential.

DIX HILLS

Firefighters Pry Open Car, Free Woman Car was destroyed after Wolf Hill crash Dix Hills Fire Department volunteers used the Jaws of Life to free a woman trapped in her Toyota Camry after she crashed into a utility pole and then a tree on Wolf Hill Road near Winthrop Drive at 4:10 a.m. Nov. 24. She was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries by Dix Hills Rescue Squad.

A8 • THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • DECEMBER 5, 2013

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Opinion

Sen

d letters to The Editor, : Half Hollo w Hills Ne wspaper, 145 E. Huntingto Main Street, n, New Yo rk 11743 or e info@long mail us at islanderne ws.com

‘Not the types set up by the printer return their impression, the meaning, the main concern.’

Say Yes To Housing Members of the Huntington Town board have an fordable or otherwise on Long Island, and in paropportunity to do what’s right for the community ticular, in the Town of Huntington. Where the ratio at their upcoming meeting Dec. 10. The board is of owned to rental housing averages two-thirds expected to vote yes or no on a proposed settlement owned to one-third rental nationally. The ratio in of a lawsuit brought by fair housing advocates con- the Town of Huntington is 85-percent owned to 15testing limitations placed on Ruland Knolls, a percent rental. The numbers are so far skewed that housing complex that would bring needed rental our young people are leaving the Island en masse. housing to the Town of Huntington.

After spending upwards of $300,000 educating They should vote yes on the proposed settlement each of our children from grades K-12, we basiand bring an end to the litigation. cally tell them they are not welcome. So they leave, Ruland Knolls was originally conceived as a and they take their talents with them, making it difmeans for the developer of The Greens at Half Hol- ficult for employers to attract workers. low to meet the town’s requirement that a percentMeanwhile, with the school district closing two age of large-scale, high-density developments be elementary schools due to declining enrollment, set aside as affordable units and priced according- those who so vehemently oppose any project that ly. The developer, in addition to payaccommodates families with children ing into an affordable housing fund, EDITORIAL should think long and hard about that was allowed to build the appropriate strategy. No one predicted that construcnumber of units off-site, and so purchased proper- tion of The Greens – a 55-and-over community – ty on Ruland Road in Melville. The Greens – would create an influx of children into area which was limited to over-55 buyers – retained its schools. It did because with so many of the buyers exclusivity, more than 10 years later, the affordable coming from the community, there was a huge component of the project still hasn’t been built. turnover of single-family homes. The former resiThe current sticking point is over the insistence by dents could stay in the town they love and new local civic groups that the rentals be limited prima- families could buy their homes. That progression rily to one-bedroom units. They fear that two- and brought so many children into the district that a three-bedroom apartments will attract families with long-shuttered school had to be re-opened. children, and children in schools drive up school taxRuland Knolls offers the town an opportunity to es. In fact, by delaying the deal, the school district do the right thing. The board should settle the lawhas lost much needed property tax revenue that the suit and allow for construction of 117 new, afforddevelopment could have been delivering. able rental units in the Town of Huntington. As proWhile the town board was initially willing to posed, that breaks down to six three-bedroom, 34 limit the project primarily to one-bedroom units, two-bedroom and 77 one-bedroom units. The projhousing advocates filed the lawsuit charging that ect will generate property taxes, most of which will would discriminate against families with children go to the school district, and more importantly, the in violation of federal housing guidelines. project will meet a small percentage of the area’s The Town Board could opt to continue litigating needed rental housing. It is time to take active at a cost to all taxpayers in Huntington to fight a measures to stop the brain-drain from our town and misplaced battle. Here’s why they shouldn’t. to provide legitimate rentals for residents and There is a severe shortage of rental housing – af- workers.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Please Support Rentals At Ruland Knolls The following letter was sent to the Huntington Supervisor and members of the Town Board: On behalf of the more than 400 corporate members of the Melville Chamber of Commerce and thousands of Long Island residents who work along the Route 110 Corridor I am once again writing to you to express our strong support for approval of the Ruland Knolls project that

we understand will under consideration at the December 10, 2013 Town Board meeting.

The high quality and reasonably priced rental housing that will be provided at Ruland Knolls is essential to the current and future success of our community. Attracting, retaining and nurturing solid business to Huntington is a priority our business leaders take very seriously. It is disheartening when we realize the talent we require to teach our students, care for the health of our families, staff our corpora-

HALF HOLLOW HILLS N E W S P A P E R

Serving the communities of: Dix Hills, Melville and the Half Hollow Hills Central School District.

Founded in 1996 by James Koutsis Copyright © 2013 by Long Islander News, publishers of The Long-Islander, The Record and Half Hollow Hills Newspaper. Each issue of the The Long-Islander and all contents thereof are copyrighted by Long Islander. None of the contents or articles may be reproduced in any forum or medium without the advance express written permission of the publisher. Infringement hereof is a violation of the Copyright laws.

tions and respond to everyday emergencies turn down the opportunity to live and work on Long Island due to a limited supply of reasonably priced housing.

It is even more disheartening when those accepting out of the area job alternatives are our own Long Island children. We show them the benefits of life in Huntington. We educate them for twelve or more years in our fine schools. Then with no reasonable options they must leave us to build their futures elsewhere.

The comfortable, affordable,

and safe quality housing that will be available to the veterans, educators, nurses, first responders and young professionals who will rent the units at Ruland Knolls are the future of Melville and the Huntington area. Their comfort and success will add to the strengths of the entire region.

We ask you to join us in this investment in our future. Please support Ruland Knolls and do all you can to make this most important project a reality as soon as possible.

Thank you for your support.

MICHAEL DELUISE President Melville Chamber of Commerce

Prime Time For Checking On Elders DEAR EDITOR: For many families across New York, this is the once-a-year time that they travel from across the nation and, often times, globe to be with loved ones. In addition to enjoying time with family and friends, AARP says it’s also prime time to check on older family members and relatives.

To help, today, AARP is releasing a list of tips and questions to simplify observing how Mom, Dad and other relatives are doing 1. Taking a Look at their Home – How to tell if their home is still appropriate.

• Can they still manage the stairs, or would a chair lift or a home on one level be better?

• Are you concerned that their home may have safety hazards, such as dark stairs, loose rugs, clutter, or fire hazards? Would brighter lighting and fewer tripping hazards help? The check-

James V. Kelly Publisher/CEO

lists on AARP’s web site can help.

• Is there a bath on the ground floor and a room that could become a bedroom if necessary?

• Could simple modifications to their home, like easier to use handles and switches, pull out cabinet shelves, a comfort height toilet or walk in shower make it more convenient?

2. Getting Around • If they are still driving, ride with them and observe their driving. Are they having close calls?

Are there dents or dings on the car or garage? Do they drive too slow or miss signs or signals? Do they have difficulties at intersections? Have they gotten warnings or tickets?

3. Health • If you don’t already know about their health problems and current medications, take this time to ask. Are their prescriptions current?

• Are they having any problems taking their medications?

Would a pill organizer be helpful?

• Make sure that they know that it is Medicare open enrollment season until Dec. 7 and see if they need to update their coverage.

• See if they could use help with filling out forms, such as insurance claims.

4. Finances – How to get ready to help • Is all of their financial information in one place and do you know where it is so you can access it in an emergency?

• Check on the condition of their mail. Are bills stacking up?

Are there late notices?

• Do they have any bills they can't pay?

AARP New York

Peter Sloggatt Associate Publisher/Managing Editor

Luann Dallojacono Editor Danny Schrafel Jacqueline Birzon Kristen Schultheiss Reporters

Ian Blanco Dan Conroy Production/ Art Department

Marnie Ortiz Office / Legals

Ross Weber Business Development

145 E. Main Street, Huntington, New York 11743 631.427.7000

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THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • DECEMBER 5, 2013 • A9

Life&Style FILM

Film Reflects On LIRR Massacre Filmmaker Charlie Minn, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy and victims to appear in Huntington Photos by Riley Fields

Dennis McCarthy’s resting place in Westbury. He was a victim of the LIRR Massacre in 1993.

The documentary “LIRR Massacre” will screen on the 20-year anniversary of the brutal crime, one that many people will never forget, especially on Long Island.

The screening will be followed by discussion and reception with the filmmaker Charlie Minn, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy and several LIRR Massacre victims on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 2 p.m., as part of the Real-To-Reel Documentary Series at Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington.

On Dec. 7, 1993, what many consider the worst crime in New York history prior to the 9/11 attacks took place on the Long Island Railroad. A crazed gunman shot 25 people in less than two minutes, killing six.

Director Charlie Minn (“A Nightmare in Las Cruces”) interviews victims, witnesses, law enforcement and Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy, who lost her husband and nearly her son in the brutal attack.

Minn is a filmmaker who lives in Manhattan. He grew up in Manhasset Hills and attended Herricks High School.

The massacre happened 10 minutes from where he grew up. He lost a classmate that day.

Each year on Dec. 7, Carolyn McCarthy and Joyce Gorycki hang wreaths in memory of their husbands who were killed in the LIRR Massacre.

The filmmaker makes “victim-driven” documentaries.

He has sold films to Lions Gate and Investigation Discovery while once working on the show “America’s Most Wanted.” From his drug war trilogy in Mexico to many other true-crime films, he said his aim is to give vic-

tims a much-needed voice.

The Cinema Arts Centre is located at 423 Park Ave. in Huntington. Tickets, which include a reception, are $10 for arts centre members and $15 general admission. Call 631-423-7611 or visit www.CinemaArtsCentre.org.

HISTORY

Mrs. Scudder And The Salem Witch Trials

By George Wallace info@longislandernews.com

In today’s America, it is sometimes difficult to recall the interconnectedness of the Puritan communities and families involved in the settlement of New England during the first 50-60 years after the English arrival. But many of the early residents of Huntington came here originally as part of the “Puritan Diaspora” from England and through places like Salem, Mass., and the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

And at least one prominent Huntington family was intimately connected to the infamous witchcraft trials of 1692.

That connection runs from the head of Northport Harbor to the Salem gallows, in the person of Henry Scudder, his wife Catherine Estey, wife first of Northport’s Henry Scudder and then Thomas Jones of Huntington, and her sister Mary Estey, who was one of those hung as a witch.

The children of Jeffrey Estey (born in 1587 in Freston, Suffolk, England), a man who settled on 20 acres in Salem in 1636,

Mary remained in that town while Catherine married Henry Scudder, the son of a Salem businessman, and in 1651 moved to Long Island in the 1650s.

Catherine Estey’s life on Long Island revolves around the founding of Quakerism in this region. As for Mary, she became a highly respected member of the Salem community, a wife and the mother of seven children, with a dignified manner which fit “the Puritan mold for appropriate cultural behavior,” according to family historian Cathy Hartt.

Highly respected that is, until 1692, when at the age of 68, Mary’s fate got caught up in the infamous Salem witch trials, a story well known to us today as depicted in Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible.”

It turns out that the young girls who went on an accusatory rampage in the little village fingered Mary, saying that her specter was tormenting them.

The courts, which Hartt notes would accept accusations such as these, put intense pressure on Estey to confess, but she refused. Here’s an extract from the

court record, provided by Hartt: At the bringing in of the accused several fell into fits.

Q: Doth this woman hurt you?

A: Williams said it was Goody Eastie, & she had hurt her.

Q: What do you say, are you guilty?

A: I can say before Christ Jesus, I am free.

Q: You see these accuse you. There is a God — Hath she brought the book to you? Their mouths were stopt. What have you done to these children?

A: I know nothing.

Q: How can you say you know nothing, when you see these tormented, & accuse you that you know nothing?

A: Would you have me accuse my self?

Q: Yes if you be guilty. How far have you complyed w’th Satan whereby he takes this advantage ag’t you?

A: Sir, I never complyed but prayed against him all my dayes, I have no complyance with Satan in this.

What would you have me do?

Q: Confess if you be guilty.

A: I will say it, if it was my last time, I am clear of this sin.

A few nights after her appearance, one of the girls claimed that Mary Estey’s specter tried to strangle her — and she was condemned to death.

Hartt offers up a letter which is well known to this day, in which Mary pleads not for her own life but for further victims of the witch hunt frenzy. “…seeing plainly the wiles and subtility of my accusers by myself,” she cannot but judge charitably the others similarly accused, she writes. “I petition to Your Honors not for my own life, for I know I must die, and my appointed time is set...

But, by my own innocency, I know you are in the wrong way. The Lord in his infinite mercy direct you in this great work, if it be his blessed will that no more innocent blood be shed!”

Whatever the letter accomplished in communal or historic terms, it was to no avail in saving her. On Sept. 22, 1692, Catherine Scudder’s sister was hung for witchcraft.

A10 • THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • DECEMBER 5, 2013

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DIX HILLS

FD Drill Simulates Active Shooter Scenario They say that practice makes perfect, and the same goes for rescue workers.

With this in mind, the Dix Hills Fire Department held an active shooter drill at Five Towns College on Sunday.

The Dec. 1 drill scenario involved an active “shooter” in the building’s cafeteria, resulting in 10 victims with multiple gunshot wounds and a fire set off by the shooter.

Working the simulation, fire crews

About 65 firefighters and rescue squad volunteers participated in a drill scenario involving an “active shooter” on Sunday.

entered the building after the scene was deemed safe by police, and found a heavy smoke condition in the cafeteria area. The simulated fire was extinguished, and the victims were removed from the building by firefighters to a safe area outside. The shooting victims were then evaluated and triaged by Dix Hills Rescue Squad personnel.

About 65 firefighters and rescue squad volunteers participated in the drill, with the victims portrayed by the department’s junior firefighters. The training drill was held under the command of Dix Hills Fire Chief Tom Magno, with the support of Assistant Chiefs Robert Fling and Tom Napolitano.

Apparatus on the scene included three ambulances, three heavy rescue trucks, three engines, paramedic and first responder units.

“This proved to be a valuable training exercise in light of past incidents around the country, but we hope to never experience it first hand. Our EMS and firefighters worked well together in getting the victims quickly removed to a safe area to receive medical care in a professional and efficient manner,” Magno said.

Photos by Steve Silverman

Junior firefighters played the roles of victims in the drill.

Rescue workers practice triaging victims in a drill at Five Towns College on Sunday.

Firefighters extinguish a simulated fire in Five Towns College’s cafeteria.

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THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • DECEMBER 5, 2013 • A11

A12 • THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • DECEMBER 5, 2013

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HUNTINGTON OPEN HOUSES Want to get your open houses listed? Get your listings for free on this page every week in the Long Islander News. Call Associate Publisher Peter Sloggatt at 631-427-7000 or send an e-mail to psloggatt@longislandernews.com.

SOUTH HUNTINGTON

89A Horton Dr Bedrooms 4 Baths 2 Price $430,000 Taxes $11,430 Open House 12/7 1:00pm-3:00pm Coach Real Estate Assoc Inc 631-427-1200

DIX HILLS

Town Address Beds Baths Price Taxes Date Huntington 12 Woodlot Ln 3 2 $699,000 $12,883 12/4 Cold Spring Hrbr20 Midland St 4 3 $1,179,000 $18,449 12/4 Huntington Sta 139 Mckay Rd 4 2 $349,000 $8,018 12/7 Huntington 98 Bayberry Dr 4 2 $350,000 $12,035 12/7 S. Huntington 89A Horton Dr 4 2 $430,000 $11,430 12/7 E. Northport 128 Catherine St 5 2 $435,000 $8,413 12/7 Huntington 5 Huntington Bay Rd 4 2 $439,500 $9,744 12/7 Huntington 17 Gary Pl 4 2 $450,000 $10,935 12/7 Huntington 7 Compass Ct 3 2 $514,000 $11,584 12/7 Northport 10 Salonga Woods Rd 5 4 $649,900 $14,327 12/7 Northport 15 Bruce Ln 4 2 $679,000 $9,600 12/7 Lloyd Neck 8 Soundview Dr. N. 5 3 $995,000 $21,810 12/7 Huntington 42 Fort Hill Rd 4 3 $999,000 $11,617 12/7 Greenlawn 3 Goldsmith Ave 3 2 $349,900 $10,529 12/8 E. Northport 10 Verleye Ave 3 2 $395,000 $9,676 12/8 E. Northport 2 Elford Pl 3 2 $399,000 $10,746 12/8 Commack 33 Bluegrass Ln 3 2 $469,000 $11,118 12/8 Huntington 194 West Neck Rd 3 2 $518,700 $11,981 12/8 Huntington 194 West Neck Rd 3 2 $518,700 $11,981 12/8 Huntington 87 Madison St 5 2 $529,000 $14,496 12/8 Huntington 1 Beech Pl 3 2 $539,000 $10,579 12/8 Fort Salonga 1 Dolores Ln 4 3 $579,000 $14,175 12/8 Commack 3 Sarina Dr 3 3 $585,000 $14,094 12/8 Huntington 6 Barre Pl 4 3 $675,000 $11,118 12/8 Dix Hills 5 Windward Ct 5 4 $731,025 $21,969 12/8 Huntington 2 Cherry Ln 5 6 $749,990 $16,523 12/8 Centerport 30 Harbor Cir 4 3 $799,000 $17,190 12/8 Huntington 7 Landing Rd 4 5 $1,049,000 $18,711 12/8 Lloyd Neck 12 Watch Way 5 6 $1,299,000 $29,565 12/8

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SE U HO N E OP

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H UNT I NG T ON- E AS T M AI N S T RE E T

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BUYER CAN DESIG N T HEIR OWN G O URM ET EIK ! !! Property presents a rare opportunity for a buyer, Builder has left the best for you!! Receive a totally quality renovated home in Dix Hills and Commack School District, and pick design (within reason) of cabinets and appliances. Gas fireplaces in EIK and master bedroom suite, wood burning fireplace in den, choose fireplace facia. New neverused baths, in-ground gunite pool. Ready to roll, call, email, visit open house.

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TOWN OF HUNTINGTON

Confection Perfection At Rhapsody Cakes Shop indulges in decadent decoration Half Hollow Hills photo/ Jacqueline Birzon

Rhapsody Cakes owner Lisa Magrane stands in front of a colorful array of, from left to right, a standard cake; a holiday cake pop bouquet for the Christmas season; and one lucky child’s first birthday cake inside her Centerport storefront Friday.

Spotlight On

Huntington Businesses

By Jacqueline Birzon jbirzon@longislandernews.com

Walking into Rhapsody Cakes, a bakery tucked away in a small shopping center in Centerport, one may feel they just entered a small art studio. Situated in a small, studio-style room, owner Lisa Magrane meticulously practices her craft—baking, molding and painting cakes all while paying attention to the slightest details that make each and every custom cake an authentic, inspired creation.

Opening shop just one and a half years ago, Magrane’s business—and cakes— have blossomed, sometimes as tall as four stories high, into a destination, designer cake shop. In a short period of time Magrane’s decorative flair has caught the eye of celebrities, having the first anniversary cake of ABC Network’s “Live! With Kelly and Michael” debut on the television show.

“A lot of what we’re known for is the neatness of our cakes and for the artistic quality. The precision is the hard part, but this is decorating and I like to be very creative. Baking is an exact science – it’s a very exact recipe and structure to baking – but decorating is the fun part,” Magrane said.

On her most recent resume of elaborately exquisite cakes is a sandcastle cake; a carousel cake; a Louis Vuitton bag cake; and even an abstract, tennis racket-guitar cake combination one father ordered as a way to symbolically fuse together two of his son’s most adored passions.

“The part that’s really fun is delivering the cakes and seeing people’s reactions.

People are so happy; they love them,” the

owner said.

According to Magrane, the devil is in the details, and the owner and her staff of two spend countless hours perfecting every single facet of a customer’s cake— whether basic or elaborately over-the-top.

The confectionary artist grew up in Huntington, graduated from Walt Whitman High School and attended the School of Visual Arts. The current Northport resident then went into tech web-design but craved a stronger presence in art, a field where she could better express her creativity.

Magrane said she found a niche in Rhapsody Cakes where designers “Feed your hungry imagination!” in a similar fashion that an artist or writer channels their own creativity, by being able to take someone else’s vision, milestone or story and turn it into a piece of art – an edible one at that.

Most custom cakes should be ordered two weeks prior to the event or cake “unveiling,” while other simpler cakes kept in house can usually be picked up on any given day. To be safe, Magrane suggests all customers call in advance regardless of their needs.

After the holiday season winds down, Magrance will offer cake-decorating classes for both children and adults during the month of January.

“Being able to make colorful, funky designs are satisfying. With every cake comes a new challenge every time. We’re growing slowly, and that’s the way to do it,” Magrane said.

And a small business that offers doorstep delivery straight to your home — for the time, in New York or New Jersey — is certainly, for Magrane, a step in the right direction.

Rhapsody Cakes 2 Little Neck Road, Centerport 631-269-5949 www.rhapsodycakes.biz

THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • DECEMBER 5, 2013 • A13

A14 • THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • DECEMBER 5, 2013 THURSDAY Helping Hands Helping Hand Rescue Mission’s annual Christmas Boutique Sale is Thursday-Saturday, Dec. 5-7, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at 225 Broadway in Huntington Station. Items include toys, designer shoes, handbags, clothing, collectibles and bedding. 631-351-6996.

www.LongIslanderNews.com

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Calendar O M M U N I T Y

Free Help For Vets Every Tuesday from 12-4 p.m. is “Military Appreciation Tuesdays,” when Long Island Cares specifically assists veterans, military personnel and their families at the Hauppauge and Freeport emergency pantries. Appointments can be made by contacting jrosati@licares.org.

WEDNESDAY

Share Your Life

Open Mic Night

Every Thursday except holidays, “Sharing Our Lives” at the Women’s Center of Huntington, 125 Main St., Huntington, gives women in the later stages of life a chance to share joys and concerns and in turn receive support and confidentiality. 11 a.m.-1 p.m. $10 members/$15 non-members, per session. Advance registration: 631-549-0485.

Play your heart out at an acoustic open mic night every Wednesday at Caffe Portofino, 249 Main St., Northport, 7-10 p.m. www.facebook.com/cafportopenmic.

Power Breakfast Join business professionals at BNI Executive Referral Exchange’s breakfast networking meeting every Wednesday, 7-8:30 a.m. at the Dix Hills Diner, 1800 Jericho Turnpike, Dix Hills. 631-462-7446.

FRIDAY Deadline For Opt-Out In an effort to go green by going paperless, the Town of Huntington is providing residents with the ability to opt-out of the annual printed Trash Pick Up & Recycling Calendar mailing. Those who are interested in the paperless “opt-out” program, can visit www.huntingtonny.gov/gopaperless. All opt out requests that are received on or before Dec. 6 will be removed from the mailing of the 2014 calendar. Requests received after this date will be held until the 2015 calendar. Contact Councilman Mark Cuthbertson at 631-351-3171 or call the Environmental Department’s Hotline at 631351-3186.

SATURDAY

AT THE LIBRARIES Cold Spring Harbor Library 95 Harbor Road, Cold Spring Harbor. 631-6926820. cshlibrary.org.

• Professional photographer John Spoltore will show you how to use your digital camera to take the best quality photographs on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 7-8:30 p.m.

Great Chefs For A Great Cause Support the Family Service League and enjoy an afternoon of cuisine like no other during the 21st annual Great Chefs of Long Island. From 2-5 p.m. Dec. 8, enjoy the fare of more than 40 of Long Island’s best restaurants and chefs as they showcase their signature dishes, paired with live music and wine from around the world. $200 p.p., RSVP at https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/1417304.

Pop-Up Huntington Shop With St. Nick

Join Source the Station and the Huntington Station community as they celebrate local entrepreneurs and the holidays when the Popify shopping experience comes to Source the Station’s office at 1266 New York Ave., Huntington Station. Enjoy free light refreshments, crafts for kids, and a shared retail component on Saturdays, Dec. 7 and 14, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; and Sundays, Dec. 8 and 15, 1-5 p.m.

The St. Nicholas Bazaar returns to Trinity Episcopal Church, 130 Main St., Northport on Dec. 7, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Includes a variety of exciting new vendors, crafts, their famous Chinese auction baskets, the Cookie Walk table, great raffles and more. Enjoy lunch at the café and meet Santa. Call 631-261-7670 for more information.

Holiday Thrift Shop

Funny Folk

Visit Commack Methodist Church’s Thrift Shoppe, 486 Townline Road, Commack 631499-7310 every Saturday before Christmas in December for great yuletide bargains. Annual toy sale on Dec. 7; different in-store specials on Dec. 14 and 21. Huge after-Christmas sale on Friday, Dec. 27. Shop closed on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.

Huntington’s Lois Morton, who writes and performs humorous songs of social commentary, celebrates the release of her second album, 20th Century Girl, during a special evening of “Funny Folk” at the Congregational Church of Huntington, 30 Washington Drive, Centerport, on Dec. 7. She shares the night with Massachusetts-based worldbeat- vaudevillian singer-songwriter Zoe Lewis. The 8:30 p.m. concert, sponsored by the Folk Music Society of Huntington, is preceded by an open mic at 7:30 p.m. $25, $20 for FMSH members; buy online at fmsh.org or at the door.

It’s Santa Paws Have a professionally-taken photo of your pet with the jolly old guy in red Saturday, Dec. 7, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at Fort Hill Nursery, 188 E. Main St., Huntington, to benefit the League for Animal Protection of Huntington, Inc. Charles Eames Photography has donated his time and talent. $10 donation gets you a 5x7 print of your furry friend with Santa Paws (or without if your pet prefers) in a festive setting. Email events@laphuntington.org or call 631-7574517.

Breakfast With Santa Magic Circle Nursery School, associated with the Union United Methodist Church of East Northport, hosts its 34th annual Pancake Breakfast with Santa on Saturday, Dec. 7, 8:30-11:30 a.m. at the church, 1018 Pulaski Road, East Northport. Bring the family and remember your camera. $6 adults/$3 children.

631-754-5565.

Italian Christmas In celebration of the 53rd anniversary of the Arturo Toscanini Sons of Italy Lodge, a Christmas celebration on Saturday, Dec. 7, “Tony Ferrari Chaperones Salute,” will feature music of the ’60s and beyond. $45 includes dinner, wine, beer, desserts and dancing. Call Josephine at 631-667-4835 for reservations.

Live Music Live local bands take over Finley's of Greene Street, 43 Greene St., Huntington, every Saturday night at 11 p.m. Join in the fun and food!

celebrate the close of its Holiday Help Program on Sunday, Dec. 15, 9 a.m.-noon. Enjoy delicious breakfast items and holiday fun in exchange for donations and gift cards. 105 Prospect Road, Centerport. 631-261-5160.

18 Hauppauge Road, Commack. 631-4990888. commack.suffolk.lib.ny.us.

• Showtime's new dramatic series “Masters of Sex,” starring Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan, is based on the biography of sex researchers William Masters and Virginia Johnson, written by Thomas Maier. A longtime Commack library patron, Maier will talk about the book and show some clips from the new TV series, some of which was filmed on Long Island, on Thursday, Dec. 5, 7:30-8:30 p.m.

Lunch With Santa

Deer Park Public Library

Have an exquisite lunch and get your photo taken with Santa at the Harbor Club at Prime on Sunday, Dec. 15. Seatings at 11:30 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. $40 adults/$10 children. Food stations include sliders, sushi, pasta and salad, with premium open bar and passed bites. 95 New York Ave., Huntington. 631-271-5600. harborclubatprime.com.

44 Lake Ave., Deer Park. 631-586-3000. deerparklibrary.org.

• Through a grant from New York State, the Deer Park Library is happy to offer Google Nexus 7 tablets for borrowing. Browse the web, download a book, play games and more with just a touch of your finger. Tablets can be checked out for two weeks on an adult Deer Park library card.

MONDAY Red Is For Passion Love the color red and enjoy living it up? The Red Hat women are looking for new members who enjoy going places and making new friends. Their motto: Fun, Frolic and Friendship. 631-271-6470 or flarpp@yahoo.com.

SUNDAY Great Chefs For A Great Cause

Commack Public Library

TUESDAY

Elwood Public Library 3027 Jericho Turnpike, Elwood. 631-499-3722. www.elwoodlibrary.org.

• Homework Help for grades 1-5 is now available at the library on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons from 3:30-5:30 p.m.

Call 631-499-3722 to make an appointment.

• Learn how to effectively use yoga props on Friday, Dec. 6, 10:15-11:30 a.m. Fee: $10 per student. In-person registration only beginning Monday, Dec. 2.

Half Hollow Hills Community Library Adult Education: Jewish Public Affairs

Support the Family Service League and enjoy an afternoon of cuisine like no other during the 21st annual Great Chefs of Long Island. From 2-5 p.m. Dec. 8, enjoy the fare of more than 40 of Long Island’s best restaurants and chefs as they showcase their signature dishes, paired with live music and wine from around the world. $200 p.p., RSVP at https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/1417304

The “Tikkum Olam: Jewish Communal Responsibility for Healing the World, the United States and Israel” forum will be held at the Huntington Jewish Center, 510 Park Ave., Huntington on Dec. 10, 8 p.m. Free. To register, email/call Debbie in the front office at debbier@hjcny.org or 631-427-1089.

Dix Hills: 55 Vanderbilt Parkway. 631-4214530; Melville: 510 Sweet Hollow Road. 631421-4535. hhhlibrary.org.

• Stanley Stock, retired music teacher, leads a group of musicians in a Chamber Music Ensemble on Mondays, Dec. 9, and Dec. 23, 10 a.m.-noon in Dix Hills. For more information or to register, call 631-498-1229.

“Esmerelda—A Christmas Parable”

Support For Seniors

Harborfields Public Library

Find yourself in the journey of young Esmerelda.

A Christmas Day disobedience banishes her from her father’s home, setting her on a journey to find the king who can break the curse—the curse which is both burdening her and separating her from her father. She wanders farther and farther from home, encountering colorful characters who pull her away from her quest. A year passes, and once again it is Christmastime. Will she at last open her heart to the King? Three performances, Sundays, Dec. 8 and 15, 4 p.m.; and Saturday, Dec. 14, 2 p.m. Free admission.

Island Christian Church, 400 Elwood Road, East Northport. www.ichristianc.org. 631-822-3000.

The Suffolk County Office For the Aging sends advocates to the area to speak to seniors about financial, social and personal issues.

The schedule is as follows: Tuesday, Dec. 17, Paumanack Village I & II, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.; Wednesday, Dec. 18, Huntington Nutrition Center, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. 631-853-8200.

31 Broadway, Greenlawn. 631-757-4200. harborfieldslibrary.org.

• Harborfields High School students will be at the library on Monday and Thursday afternoons, 4-6 p.m., when school is in session to assist with homework for kids in grades 3-8.

Camp Alvernia Pancake Breakfast Camp Alvernia hosts a Pancake Breakfast to

Mommy and Me Classes The Chai Center hosts Mommy and Me classes every Tuesday. Limit of 10 students per class. Walkers: 12 months and up 9:45-11 a.m.; Crawlers: 6-12 months 11 a.m.-12 p.m.

Stretch, Sing, dance and bond with your toddler, and meet other Jewish moms. Register by phone or online: Chai Tots Preschool, 501 Vanderbilt Parkway, Dix Hills. 631-351-8672. www.TheChaiCenter.com.

Huntington Public Library Main Branch: 338 Main St., Huntington. 631427-5165. Station Branch: 1335 New York Ave., Huntington Station.

631-421-5053. www.thehuntingtonlibrary.org.

• Learn how to navigate the Town of Huntington’s new website with Senior Net on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2-3 p.m. at the main branch.

• George Gough’s “Eye See the Light” is on display in the Main Art Gallery through Dec.

(Continued on page A15)

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THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • DECEMBER 5, 2013 • A15 see some of her early work, large scale paintings from the ’70s and ’80s, alongside some of her newest work. On display until Dec. 12.

(Continued from page A14) 27, with an artist’s reception Monday, Dec. 9, 6-8 p.m.

Northport-East Northport Public Library

Believe It Or Not, Psychic Comes Home

Northport: 151 Laurel Ave. 631-261-6930. East Northport: 185 Larkfield Road. 631-261-2313. www.nenpl.org.

• The six-part discussion series with Michael D’Innocenzo of Hofstra University, “Immigration in America: Melting Pot or Salad Bowl?” continues Dec. 13, 10 a.m. in Northport.

Psychic medium John Edward brings his “Coming Home Tour” to his hometown of Huntington on Feb. 25, 7:30 p.m. at The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington. 631-673-7300. www.paramountny.com.

Ticket Prices: $100, $150 and $225. On sale Friday, Dec. 6, 10 a.m.

South Huntington Public Library 145 Pidgeon Hill Road, Huntington Station.

631-549-4411. www.shpl.info.

• For the holidays, paint a gift that will last with your loved one for always. On Dec. 7 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. a session will be held in the library to lift some of the pressure of buying a holiday gift off your shoulders.

THEATER and FILM Cinema Arts Centre 423 Park Ave., Huntington. www.cinemaartscentre.org. 631-423-7611.

• Meet the filmmakers and actress behind “Se Safando (Getting Away With It)” Dec. 5, 7:30 p.m. The film is a story of love, migration and heartbreak that weaves the lives of five different people using the city of Salvador, Bahia in Brazil as the backdrop. $10 members/$15 public, includes reception. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, filmmaker Taganyahu Swaby was raised in the Caribbean, New York City, San Francisco and Long Island (Oyster Bay).

Dix Hills Performing Arts Center Five Towns College, 305 N. Service Road, Dix Hills. Box Office: 631-656-2148. www.dhpac.org.

• On Dec. 7 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., and Dec. 8 at noon and 2 p.m., the center hosts the world premiere of “Moey’s Fairy Tale Adventure,” an original musical comedy fable, directed by Broadway veteran and Five Towns College Professor Marie Danvers. The play is written by acclaimed children’s performer Melissa Levis, also known as Moey.

This production is ideal for children 10 years old and younger. $10.

• On Dec. 9 at 7:30 p.m. is The Mostly Barbershop A Capella Show, a lively show featuring dynamic pristine voices. $10.

John W. Engeman Theater At Northport 350 Main St., Northport. www.johnwengemantheater.com. 631-261-2900.

• It’s going to be a “White Christmas” in Northport as Engeman’s latest production takes the stage through Jan. 5.

• “Frosty!”, part of the children’s theater, plays: Saturdays at 11 a.m. and Sundays at 10:30 a.m. through Jan. 5 with special performances on Thursday, Dec. 26 at 11 a.m. and Friday, Dec. 27 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Minstrel Players of Northport Houghton Hall theatre at Trinity Episcopal Church, 130 Main St., Northport. 631-7322926. www.minstrelplayers.org.

• The Minstrel Players of Northport perform “A Christmas Carol” on Friday, Dec. 13 and Saturday, Dec. 14 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 15 at 3 p.m. $20 adults/$15 seniors/children..

AUDITIONS & SUBMISSIONS “Scenes From The Zone” Short Play Festival The Minstrel Players are accepting submissions for “Scenes from the Zone,” its third annual short play festival. Deadline for submissions is Jan. 15, 2014, via email to ray@minstrelplayers.org. Performances will be Saturday, July 26 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, July 27 at 3 p.m., at Houghton Hall Theatre in Northport Village. For more info, rules and specifications, call 631-732-2926 or visit the Players on Facebook or at www.minstrelplayers.org or on Facebook.

Northport Symphony Orchestra The Northport Symphony Orchestra seeks new members in all sections. Repertoire ranges from Baroque through classical and romantic to early 20th century. Music Director Richard

SPLIA Headquarters: 161 Main St., Cold Spring Harbor. Joseph Lloyd Manor House: Lloyd Lane and Lloyd Harbor Road, Lloyd Neck.

631-692-4664. www.splia.org.

• “Long Island at Work and at Play,” early 20thcentury photographs from SPLIA’s collections, is now on display Thursdays through Sundays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium

Hyman is an award-winning music educator and composer. Rehearsals are on Wednesdays from 7:30-9 p.m. usually at East Northport Middle School. Email info@northportorchestra.org to arrange an audition. Website: northportorchestra.org.

MUSEUMS & EXHIBITS

Glen Cove. Hours: Mon.-Fri.: 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Sat.-Sun.: noon-4 p.m. 516-571-8040 ext. 100. www.holocaust-nassau.org.

• The permanent exhibit explains the 1920s increase of intolerance, the reduction of human rights, and the lack of intervention that enabled the persecution and mass murder of millions of Jews and others: people with disabilities, Roma and Sinti (Gypsies), Jehovah’s Witnesses, gays and Polish intelligentsia.

Art League of Long Island 107 East Deer Park Road, Dix Hills. Gallery hours: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. weekends. 631-462-5400. www.ArtLeagueLI.net.

• For the 50th year, the Holiday Fine Art & Craft Fair is bringing 75 highly-skilled craftspeople and artists together under one roof for your holiday shopping pleasure. The fair is Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 7-8, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

• The Art League of will host a free Cabaret Concert for the Holidays on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 8 p.m. Great musical entertainment, wine, cheese, and holiday cheer will be served up in the Jeanie Tengelsen Gallery. The second half will feature interactive participation.

b.j. spoke gallery 299 Main St., Huntington. Gallery hours: Monday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., until 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. 631-549-5106. www.bjspokegallery.com.

• “Sell-a-bration 2013”, on display Nov. 27Dec. 30, is a display of fine art: paintings, photography, sculpture and crafts filling the galleries from floor to ceiling.

Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery 1660 Route 25A, Cold Spring Harbor. Open seven days a week, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday and Sundays until 6 p.m.: $6 adults; $4 children 3-12 and seniors over 65; members and children under 3 are free. 516-692-6768. www.cshfha.org • Drop off your new unwrapped toy or purchase one in the gift shop. 10-percent discount for any toy donated to Toys of Tots.

Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum

Huntington Arts Council Main Street Petite Gallery: 213 Main St., Huntington. Gallery hours: Monday - Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Art in the Art-trium: 25 Melville Park Road, Melville. Gallery Hours: Monday Friday 7 a.m.-7 p.m. 631-271-8423. www.huntingtonarts.org.

• “Still Life” is on display through Dec. 16 in the main gallery.

Huntington Historical Society Main office/library: 209 Main St., Huntington.

Museums: Conklin Barn, 2 High St.; Kissam House/Museum Shop, 434 Park Ave.; Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Building, 228 Main St. 631427-7045, ext. 401. www.huntingtonhistoricalsociety.org.

• The annual Historic Holiday House tour returns for another season Dec. 8 from noon4 p.m. The tour will feature five private historic homes in the Town of Huntington that the public will see for the first time. The annual house tour will again give the visitors a glimpse of the houses built and the families that owned them throughout Huntington’s history, with holiday lights adding festive flavor. Tour headquarters will be at the Society’s Conklin house, at the corner of High Street and New York Avenue.

LaMantia Gallery 127 Main St., Northport Village. 631-754-8414. www.lamantiagallery.com.

• Following the success of their display of exclusive featuring never-before-seen Dr. Seuss artwork, the gallery displays a permanent collation of estate-authorized art.

180 Little Neck Road, Centerport. Museum hours through April 15: Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday, 12-4 p.m. Grounds admission: $7 adults, $6 students with ID and seniors 62 and older, and $3 children 12 and under. Mansion tour, add $5 per person. 631-854-5555. www.vanderbiltmuseum.org.

• The Arena Players Children's Theater present “The Toys Take Over Christmas” in the Carriage House Theater. In the story, a toymaker uses his magic to make dolls that are most realistic. But he refuses to sell any of them. One Christmas Eve, they all come to life and find their way into the hearts of children. Performances are Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. through Sunday, Dec. 29.

Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for children, and children under 3 are free. For more information and to make reservations, call Arena Players at 516-293-0674.

• The Long Island Composers Alliance (LICA) presents Iktus Percussion in Winter Solstice Celebration on Sunday, Dec. 8. 6:30 p.m. at the William and Mollie Rogers Theater. $15 adults, $12 seniors and students, $10 children 12 and under.

Walt Whitman Birthplace 246 Old Walt Whitman Road, Huntington Station. Hours: Wednesday-Friday, 1-4 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, 11 a.m.- 4 p.m.

Admission: $6 adults, $5 seniors, $4 students, and children under 5 are free. 631-427-5240, ext. 114. www.waltwhitman.org.

• Schedule at a time convenient for your group for high tea and transport yourself back in time as your group experiences High Tea in a private gathering house at the Birthplace. $25/person. 631-427-5240, ext. 113. educator@waltwhitman.org.

• The third season of Walking with Whitman goes out with a bang on Saturday, Dec. 7 when Jane LeCroy and Diane Wakoski take the stage.

• Santa and musician and storyteller Johnny Cuomo visit the Walt Whitman Birthplace, 246 Old Walt Whitman Road, Huntington Station, on Sunday, Dec. 8, 1 p.m. $8/child, adults are free. Event includes cookie-decorating, face-painting and ornament-making.

MUSIC & DANCE

279 Main Street, Cold Spring Harbor. 631-3673418. www.cshwhalingmuseum.org.

• Monday Minnows are every other Monday from 1-3 p.m.

9 East Contemporary Art

The Paramount

9 East Carver St., Huntington. Gallery hours: Wed.-Sat., 3-8 p.m. or by appointment. 631662-9459.

fotofoto Gallery

Northport Historical Society Museum

14 W. Carver St., Huntington. Gallery hours: Friday 5-8 p.m., Saturday 12-8 p.m., Sunday 12-4 p.m. 631-549-0448. www.fotofotogallery.org.

215 Main St., Northport. Museum hours: Tuesday - Sunday, 1-4:30 p.m. 631-757-9859. www.northporthistorical.org.

• The new permanent exhibit, “Our Stories: the History of a Community,” transforms half of the Society’s gallery space into a timeline, tracing the history of the Northport-East Northport community and rarely seen photos and artifacts from the Society’s collection.

• The traditional holiday house tour, “Homes for the Holidays,” is Saturday, Dec. 8, from noon-4 p.m. Five charmingly decorated Northport homes will be open to guests of the society. This year the oldest house in Northport, the newly renovated, 250-year-old Skidmore House at 529 Main Street, is part of the tour. Tickets are $25 for members and $30 for non-members. Reservations are limited and advance registration is required.

370 New York Ave., Huntington. 631-673-7300. www.paramountny.com. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

• Ms. Lauryn Hill takes the stage Thursday, Dec. 26, 9 p.m. Tickets $75, $100.

• Tickets are now on sale to see Boz Scaggs perform Tuesday, May 13, 8 p.m. $59.50$99.50.

Gallery Thirty Seven 12b School Street, Northport. www.gallerythirtyseven.com.

• Visit Northport’s newest gallery and check out the resident artists.

Heckscher Museum Of Art 2 Prime Ave., Huntington. Museum hours: Wednesday - Friday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., first Fridays from 4-8:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission $6-8/adults, $46/seniors, and $4-5/children; members and children under 10 free. 631-351-3250.

• Get half-off your admission price in December by bringing a food donation.

Proceeds will be given to Long Island Cares: The Harry Chapin Food Bank.

• Flutissimo! Flute Quartet returns with a captivating evening of classical to contemporary music on Friday, Dec. 6, 7 p.m.

Holocaust Memorial And Tolerance Center Welwyn Preserve. 100 Crescent Beach Road,

Ripe Art Gallery 1028 Park Ave., Huntington. TuesdayThursday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Friday, 2-8 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. www.ripeartgal.com.

631-239-1805.

• Ripe Art Gallery welcomes Maxine Jurow and her new exhibit, “Then and Now,” a show encompassing Jurow’s long career as a painter and affords the viewer a chance to

Ridotto, Concerts “with a Touch of Theatre” • “The Gaze of Gods” is Sunday, Dec. 15, 4 p.m. when My Lord Chamberlain’s Consort returns to perform “A Renaissance Holiday.”

The Consort is joined by renowned counter tenor Phillip Cheah. The show is at the Huntington Jewish Center, 510 Park Ave., Huntington. $5 (child), $18 (members), $20 (seniors), $25 (adults). Reservations recommended: 631-385-0373 or Ridotto@optonline.net.

Send us your listings Submissions must be in by 5 p.m.

10 days prior to publication date.

Send to Community Calendar at 145 E. Main Street, Huntington, NY 11743, or email info@longislandernews.com

A16 • THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • DECEMBER 5, 2013

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ANSWER TO LAST WEEK’S CRYPTOQUIP HE HAD PROMISED TO HELP ME PAY FOR THESE PRODUCTS, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE HE BACKED OUT. IT’S A DEFRAYAL BETRAYAL. Published November 28, 2013 ©2013 by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

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PA G E

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THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • DECEMBER 5, 2013 • A17

Controversy brews amid housing suit settlement (Continued from page A1)

Newspaper, which urges residents to call the town board and tell them to accept a June 25 settlement offer from the Huntington NAACP to end a housing discrimination lawsuit. That settlement could clear the way for 77 one-bedroom, 34 two-bedroom and six three-bedroom rental units on 8.1 acres along Ruland Road in Melville, with a 50-percent preference given to military veterans.

Supporters and prospective builder D&F Development are calling the concept Ruland Knolls, which would serve as the affordable-housing offset for The Greens at Half Hollow senior community. Taff, however, said that Ruland Knolls is nothing more than a mirage.

“It’s false advertising since it doesn’t exist – never has, hasn’t been heard at the town at all. He just made it up,” Taff

“We’re doing all we can to state the obvious.

We need the housing.”

— DICK KOUBEK, President, Huntington Township Housing Coalition said. “How do they know something like this could even get approval?”

Dick Koubek, president of the Huntington Township Housing Coalition, dismissed Taff’s claims of

deception and said his group is only pushing for a concept that they support.

“That’s the next step,” Koubek said of approvals for the project. “We need a settlement first.”

Taff’s allegation serves as the latest skirmish ahead of a likely showdown at town hall Dec. 10 stemming from dueling visions for the parcel. She supports the original concept for an older concept for the land, then called The Sanctuary at Melville, which called for 122 onebedroom affordable units on the parcel.

“It is a real plan and does address the brain drain that everybody’s concerned about – people just starting out, just graduating, all the people the business groups are complaining that don’t have a chance to have housing,” Taff said.

That plan, however, has been mired in a decade-long court battle. The Huntington

NAACP is the remaining plaintiff in a March 2011 lawsuit, which alleged the 122-unit distribution is discriminatory against families with children. The settlement offer by the Huntington NAACP, which would have created the unit distribution currently being sought by the Housing Coalition, was pulled from the August town board agenda following a last-minute outcry from Dix Hills and Melville civic associations, including Taff’s.

Should the town fail to approve a settlement, counsel for the Huntington NAACP has said the organization will go to court and try the case.

Koubek said he believes his push for supporters to call and write to Huntington Town Hall is gaining traction.

“We’re doing all we can to state the obvious. We need the housing,” he said.

District approves elementary feeding patterns Half Hollow Hills photo/Jacqueline Birzon

(Continued from page A1)

narios, for students in grades 1-5 next year.

Dissatisfied with the three options, central office personnel went back to the drawing board and generated a fourth map— “Scenario 4”—which was unanimously voted on and approved during a special meeting at the Fran Greenspan Administration Center Monday night.

Superintendent of Schools Kelly Fallon said the fourth and final map best addressed the guiding principles of the redistricting process—providing safety and security for students; ensuring educational excellence for students attending all district schools; maintaining current secondary feeding patterns; balancing enrollment across schools; and most importantly, minimizing student change.

The guiding principles were established when the district commissioned a 30-member Facilities Studies Steering Committee last summer to study and analyze potential elementary feeding patterns to maximize building efficiency in light of declining enrollment at the elementary level. The steering committee was also charged to ensure that secondary feeding patterns to middle and high schools would be maintained despite the new elementary feeding patterns.

President James Ptucha agreed with Fallon, and said Monday the next step will be working with families in the district to

Half Hollow Hills Superintendent of Schools Kelly Fallon explains the four different redistricting scenarios at a special meeting Dec. 2, when the board of education finalized a map to redistrict elementary school feeding patterns next year. ensure a smooth transition process for students, parents and even teachers, many of whom stand to be relocated to a different elementary school next year.

During the first year of redistricting Vanderbilt Elementary School will have the highest population of students, totaling 662, followed by Signal Hill with 643 students.

Sunquam will have 585 students and Otsego is projected to have 520 students

enrolled. After the first year, board members said, enrollment is expected to decline based on the demographer’s five-year projection report.

The fourth map, trustees explained, was appealing because it addressed concerns from a variety of different tight-knit communities who expressed concerns at board meetings earlier this year about putting a wedge between friends and neighbors.

Some of the “appealing” aspects of the fourth and final scenario was it addressed anxiety from outlier communities, such as Wheatley Heights, where students will be sent to two — Vanderbilt and Signal Hill — instead of four different elementary schools as proposed at an earlier map. Students in the Legends community are proposed to attend Sunquam next year. Students living West of Rte. 110 in Farmingdale will likely attend Sunquam, and those residing east of Rte. 110 will feed into Paumanok, the board proposed in the fourth map.

The redistricting also looked to balance economic and social diversity among the schools, an element school board Trustee Eric Geringswald said was essential for all Half Hollow Hills students.

Based on estimates unveiled in the new map, Otsego’s diversity will spike from 8 percent to 9.5-10 percent; Paumanok from 15 percent to 10.5 percent; Signal Hill from 5 percent to 11.5 percent; and Sunquam from 9 percent to 10.5 percent. Vanderbilt, with a present diversity rate of 26 percent, will dwindle to 11.5 percent.

Trustees added that students moving into the Avalon apartments would likely attend Signal Hill.

Fallon said she and administrators have been actively reaching out to private prekindergarten programs to assess the volume of pre-k students who will enter the district next year.

Platinum artist Avril Lavigne at Paramount (Continued from page A1)

straight talk, Lavigne has sold more than 35 million albums and 20 million tracks worldwide. Over a decade-long music career, she’s earned eight Grammy nominations and circled the globe on concert tours. The current tour brings her to The Paramount on Wednesday, Dec. 11.

Lavigne was 17 when she emerged on the music scene. In an era when provocative pop starlets were dominating the industry, Lavigne, a self-taught musician who plays guitar, piano and drums, stuck to her pop-punk roots and stayed true to her art. The listening public loved it, pushing smash singles “Complicated” and “Sk8r Boi” from her debut album onto the charts. Her second album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200, fueled by hit singles “Don’t Tell Me” and “My Happy Ending.” But 2007’s No.1 single

“Girlfriend” would be Lavigne’s biggest record yet.

Commercial success has given this talented singer-songwriter room to explore.

She launched an apparel company, Abbey Dawn; collaborated with several musicians, including Kelly Clarkson with whom she co-wrote “Break-Away;” and made appearances in a few films. But her roots are music, and her fifth album, “Avril Lavigne,” has her working with new collaborators (Chad Kroeger and David Hodges, with whom she wrote eight songs; Martin Johnson, J Kash, Matt Squire, and others) and experimenting with new sounds, from the poppish (“Here’s To Never Growing Up,” “Bitchin’ Summer,” “17”) to all-out rock (“Rock N Roll,” “Bad Girl,” featuring Marilyn Manson). Also on the album is “Let Me Go,” a duet with Nickelback’s

Chad Kroeger, whom she married last year.

The pair was introduced by Lavigne’s manager, who thought they’d be a good writing team.

“I thought working with Chad was a good idea because I thought it’d be a cool experience to write with another performer,” Lavigne said. “He knows what it’s like to have to sell a song in front of a big crowd. He’s a guitar guy. He’s a rock star. He goes through what I go through.

We’re both Canadian. To put two people in a room who have the exact same life made sense. We met for the first time in the studio. We bonded over music. In the studio it was Chad, myself, and Dave Hodges. We called ourselves The Tripod.

That’s really how this record began. I had just finished a world tour and my job was to go to the studio every day with these

guys. We’d wear top hats and smoke cigarettes and order pizza and lay on the floor and write a song every day, just laughing our asses off. I thought Chad was the funniest person ever. It just grew from there.”

With a new husband, a new album, and another world tour approaching in 2014, Lavigne attributes her success to staying true to who she is. What would she say to her 17-year-old self just getting started in the music business? “I would say just be yourself. Do what you want to do and don't let anyone change you. Know who you are as an artist and where you want to go stylistically and stick to your guns.

Fight for who you are.”

Lavigne appears at The Paramount Wed., Dec. 11 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $45$75 at the box office, or go to paramountny.com.

C L A S S I F I E D S

A18 • THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • DECEMBER 5, 2013

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THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • DECEMBER 5, 2013 • A19

HillSPORTS GIRLS BASKETBALL

Lady Colts Prepping For Hoops Season Half Hollow Hills photo/Jacqueline Birzon

The Lady Colts take a quick break from practice to pose for a picture at the Half Hollow Hills West high school gym.

By Kristen Schultheiss kschultheiss@longislandernews.com

For the past two weeks, the Half Hollow Hills West high school gym has had intensity in the air as the varsity girls basketball team prepares for its upcoming season. As a young team, the Lady Colts have been practicing hard during the preseason to play up to their tough League IV competition.

Head coach Stefanie Mouzakes said they are focusing on speeding up their play at practice, so the team can get used to the fast pace of varsity-level basketball games.

“What goes on in practice translates to what happens out on the court,” she said.

“I want them to see how they should be moving and how it’s a battle sometimes.”

Last year, the Lady Colts had three seniors, and this year they only have two – Daniella Desabato and Joan Mackey.

The team is mostly comprised of juniors, numbering at seven; there are also two sophomores and a freshman hoping to bring success to the team.

Freshman Tori Harris was brought up to the varsity team last year when she was in eighth grade for her impressive skills.

Although the Lady Colts are fairly young, Mouzakes sees a great deal of leadership and verbal skills in a handful of players, she said. She is looking forward to seeing who steps up as key leaders on and off the court. As of last week, many positions including captain titles were still, “up for grabs.”

Mouzakes is confident that her diverse players will create a solid offense for the team and believes that a strong defense will be most important in keeping up with their opponents.

“Hopefully we’re going to maximize strengths and minimize weaknesses,” she said. “We hope we can be competitive and give these teams a game.”

The Lady Colts will play their first non-league game of the season on Friday, Dec. 6 against Connetquot. Game time is set for 6 p.m. at Connetquot High School.

Jacqueline Birzon contributed to this report.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Doubleheader Event To Benefit MS Research

By Jacqueline Birzon jbirzon@longislandernews.com

Half Hollow Hills High School West senior Shannon Drury put on a brave face as she approached Bill Mitaritonna, her high school social studies teacher, several weeks ago to ask if proceeds from an annual basketball tournament could be donated for research toward multiple sclerosis (MS) —a condition her aunt suffers from on a daily basis.

Mitaritonna, the Colts varsity basketball coach, each year hosts the Coaches For A Cure doubleheader basketball tournament between the Hills West and Hill East junior varsity and varsity teams. In past years, the event has raised anywhere from $2,000 to $30,000.

A majority of proceeds from the last 10 fundraisers have gone to the American Cancer Society (ACS), which donates all proceeds to cancer patients throughout the country who the Half Hollow Hills players and coaches have never met.

In more recent years, however, Mitaritonna has taken a more local approach to the fundraising event, looking to give back to families in the teams’ community who are in need. This year, the event will address the chronic condition of MS, which, according to the Tisch MS Research Center for New York website, is

“a chronic, incurable, and unpredictable disease of the central nervous system (the brain, optic nerves, and spinal cord).”

The donations will go toward Drury’s aunt’s treatment to help stabilize her walking and her speech.

“There’s always someone affected in the community who’s always in need. For seven years we donated to the ACS, which was great, but we wanted it to be more personal and wanted to help people in our own community,” Mitaritonna said.

Proceeds from the event, scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 7, will be donated to Dr. Saud Sadiq, director of research at the Tisch Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Research Center of New York. Sadiq in 2006 founded the MS Research Center, which according to the Tisch MS website, receives more than 11,000 patient visits annually.

His research interests are focused on multiple sclerosis.

The Dec. 7 doubleheader will start with the two Half Hollow Hills junior varsity boys team, set to tip off at 11 a.m. at High School East. The varsity teams, the Colts and the Thunderbirds, are scheduled to take to the court at 1 p.m. at Hills East.

Raffles and giveaways will be ongoing throughout the event, from golf carts to a signed John Stark jersey, a former player for the New York Knicks, Mitaritonna said.

Half Hollow Hills photo/Jacqueline Birzon

‘Coaches For A Cure’ tournament to raise money for relative with multiple sclerosis

Senior captains Ross Greenfield and Terry Harris, co-captains of the Hills West boys varsity basketball team this year, will face off against their Hills East opponents in a non-league Coaches For A Cure fundraiser Dec. 7 for multiple sclerosis research.

The only page to turn for complete coverage of the: HALF HOLLOW HILLS EAST THUNDERBIRDS and HALF HOLLOW HILLS WEST COLTS

A20 • THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • DECEMBER 5, 2013

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Holiday Traditions Now&Then

INSIDE

A look at how traditions have changed

Charity begins at home: nonprofits to the rescue

Calendar of holiday activities

A SUPPLEMENT TO THE LONG-ISLANDER, THE RECORD/NORTHPORT JOURNAL AND THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER

B2 • HOLIDAY SUPPLMENT • DECEMBER 5, 2013

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Holidays In Huntington

Cover: The Greenlawn Fire Department won the float contest in this year’s electronic holiday parade in Huntington village on Nov. 30. Photo

by Steve Silverman.

The holidays are upon us, and that means the return of several traditions that make the Town of Huntington unique among its Long Island counterparts. From the electronic fire truck and float parade in

Huntington village, to the lighting of a leg lamp from “A Christmas Story” fame, these more recent traditions certainly made this town special.

And that got us thinking – how did residents used to cel-

This page: Huntington’s annual boat parade on Nov. 29 lit up the waters of the harbor.

Photo by Ross McTyre.

ebrate the holidays? Flip through our special holiday edition to read about how celebrating the holidays have changed over the years, and how some of your favorite traditions were born.

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HOLIDAY SUPPLEMENT • DECEMBER 5, 2013 • B3

The Birth Of Holiday Traditions An excerpt from ‘A Visit From St. Nicholas’

By Clement Clarke Moore

Two men are credited with creating and popularizing the American version of Santa, embodied above during a visit to the Walt Whitman Birthplace. Poet Clement Clarke Moore’s poem “A Visit From St. Nicholas” influenced cartoonist Thomas Nast, who published for Harper’s Weekly, and drew the jolly, round figure depicted by Moore.

By Kristen Schultheiss kschultheiss@longislandernews.com

In 18th-century colonial America, Christmas was not the family-oriented holiday, centered on children, that we know it as today. Early American documentation reveals that actually, children were not a main focus in holiday event planning, or even invited to holiday gatherings.

Philip Vickers Fithian, a tutor at a Virginia plantation in the 1770s, is now famous for the journals he kept during this time period. In his Saturday, Dec. 18, 1773 journal entry, Fithian discusses a lavish daylong holiday party which included dancing, feasting and musical entertainment, all for adults – no children were invited to festivities.

Similarly to present times, children back in the colonial years also got some time off from school for the holidays. In Fithian’s Friday, Dec. 24, 1773 journal entry, he wrote that he had dismissed his students until Wednesday, Dec. 29. On Christmas, Fithian didn’t describe any special holiday traditions, other than people wishing one another a joyful Christmas.

The Germans and Dutch brought the idea of celebrating Christmas in one’s own home and with family to America in the 19th century. This also made Christmas a more magical time for children.

And what would the holidays be without frantic shopping, hectic wrapping of gifts, and immense giving of presents?

Well, it would be more like Christmas in the early days of America. According to The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, back in the 18th century, only small gifts were given during the holiday season, and more-so given than exchanged like they

are today.

Superiors, such as parents or plantation owners, gave small gifts such as books or cash tips to their children and servants, but children and others did not give gifts to their superiors. It has only been in the last 50 years or so that gift-giving from dependents to their superiors has become normal; children now give presents to adults and employees exchange gifts with their bosses.

Since European countries founded America and many of our earliest ancestors are from Europe, it is only plausible that much of our holiday traditions came from Europe. Today, we have stockings hanging from the fireplace or on other furniture in our homes to be stuffed on Christmas Eve. This tradition came from Amsterdam, where Saint Nicholas was said to have filled children’s wooden shoes with fruit and candy.

The current vision of Santa Claus developed right here in New York, and did not come about until the late 1800s. The Saint Nicholas known in early American history was more of a slim fellow derived from English and Dutch heritage.

In 1823, Clement Clark Moore of New York wrote a poem called “A Visit from Saint Nicholas”, giving Americans a whole new version of the Christmas icon. In the 1860s, cartoonist Thomas Nast, who was also working in New York, brought the poem to life with his own drawings of Santa. The image of Santa Claus today remains close to the roots of Nast’s artwork.

The ultimate symbol of Christmas may just be the Christmas tree – that wonderful evergreen tree decorated with lights, ornaments and a star or angel sitting on top.

The Christmas tree was unfamiliar to colonial America, as it was not warmly wel-

comed and spread in the country until the mid 1800s.

The Christmas tree was a German tradition called “Tannenbaum.” German professor Charles Minnegerode at the College of William and Mary decided to show local children this tradition, and that was when it first began to steadily increase and grow in the United States, according to the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.

Traditions of Hanukkah have also developed greatly over the past 200 years in America. It was during the late 19th and early 20th century that massive Jewish populations immigrated to the country.

The celebration of Hanukkah really began to flourish in the country in the early 1900s while the Jewish population was rapidly growing, due to its proximity to the Christian holiday, Christmas, according to My Jewish Learning, a trans-denominational website of information about Judaism.

With the spirit of giving in the air, and with gift-giving a major aspect of the holiday season in America, merchandisers began advertising products as Hanukkah gifts. Loft’s and Barton’s candies wrapped chocolates in gold foil to resemble “gelt,” and so

The dreidel is a popular Hanukkah figure that has been around for centuries.

As I drew in my head, and was turning around, Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot, And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot; A bundle of toys he had flung on his back, And he looked like a pedler just opening his pack.

His eyes—how they twinkled! his dimples, how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow, And the beard on his chin was as white as the snow; The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth, And the smoke, it encircled his head like a wreath; He had a broad face and a little round belly That shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf, And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;

became the popular tradition of chocolate coins.

Jews who came over from European countries brought with them their holiday food customs such as latkes. In the 1920s, Aunt Jemima claimed to be “the best flour for latkes”, according to My Jewish Learning.

The most traditional and religious symbol of Hanukkah is the menorah, which we still see today decorating the homes of Jewish families during the holidays. While in the early 1900s, the menorah was the main decoration of the Jewish holiday; today, many Jewish families decorate with lights, stars, and blue and gold ornaments in addition to displaying a menorah.

Another popular Hanukkah figure that has been around in the Jewish religion for centuries is the dreidel.

According to the C h a b a d Lubavitch Media Center, Hanukkah dreidel games are a way to honor the ancient Jews who used dreidels to study their religion during a time when studying the Torah was illegal.

And so, while the religious and time-honored aspects of celebrating Hanukkah and Christmas remain, some traditions have certainly evolved over the years, especially when it comes to giftgiving.

B4 • HOLIDAY SUPPLEMENT • DECEMBER 5, 2013

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A Time When Christmas Was King Photo/Huntington Historical Society

By Danny Schrafel dschrafel@longislandernews.com

Ask around Huntington for a story of Christmases past, and you’re sure to hear Christmastime stories of ice skating on the Heckscher Park pond, sledding on the hills of the Huntington Crescent Club, gifts of knitted socks filled with fruit, and Main Street decked out in garland and lights.

You’ll also hear tales of the beautiful display windows at Hermann and Ray’s, visits to Toy Town, where everything was wrapped in polka-dot paper, and maybe a stop at the Hamburger Choo Choo to recharge your batteries with a roast beef sandwich – delivered in the traditional manner, of course, via tiny train.

In recent years, Huntington village has experienced a marked increase in holiday season celebration, and the current nighttime holiday parade, held the Saturday after Thanksgiving, is more than a tip to the hat to traditions of yore.

During those days, Santa sightings were plentiful in town during the holiday season. Santa Claus greeted the children at the Huntington Theater, now home to The Paramount. He was also a regular at various businesses, including Grant’s five-and-dime on New Street. Before merging with other local departments to form the Suffolk County Police Department in 1960, the Huntington Police Department was a regular provider of holiday cheer to local youngsters, hosting annual holiday parties featuring Mr. Claus as well.

Children would also parade through the streets of Huntington Station, as they did on Dec. 21, 1939. They marched from 11th Street and New York Avenue and ended at the Huntington Station Bank. Music in the parade was provided by the Huntington Manor Fire Department Band and the Drum and Bugle Corps, according to Huntington Station historian Al Sforza, who included the tradition in his book, “Portrait of a Small Town.” Santa Claus would hop a ride in the chief’s car and give candy and $1 bills to children who won a costume contest.

Soon after, they’d officially light the Christmas tree.

“Some of the kids would go around the neighborhood singing Christmas carols,” Sforza added, citing the memories of the late Huntington attorney Herbert Haas.

Large-scale holiday celebrations appear to have reached a peak in the 1960s and 1970s. In the early days of the Walt Whitman Mall, which recently celebrated a grand-reopening as the Walt Whitman Shops, Mr. Claus was known to make a splashy entrance to

Children are pictured outside the Huntington Station Bank on Dec. 21, 1939 after marching in a holiday parade that day. Music was provided by the Huntington Manor Fire Department Band and the Drum and Bugle Corps. Santa Claus rode in the chief’s car and gave the children candy and a $1 bill to children who won the holiday costume contest. kick off the season in Huntington. He arrived in Huntington Station by helicopter in 1966 before “being driven through the other parking fields and around the stores in a special red convertible furnished by Calmus Motors,” according to a Dec. 1, 1966 article in The Long-Islander.

He arrived to a town decked out in its best Christmas finery. “The Big H Shopping Center… is again festooned with garlands of red and gold, huge candelabrum and thousands of glittering lights…” according to the Dec. 1, 1966 Long-Islander report.

Huntington village was decked out in

“red and green banners of Christmas laurel intertwined with lights.”

“There were a lot more decorations across the road – they used to string things across the road with decorations,” recalled lifelong Huntington resident Linda Guido, who now works as Legislator William Spencer’s aide. “It was definitely pretty to drive down coming from the St. Pat’s area and seeing the garland glisten as you drove through. If it snowed, it was even prettier.”

Guido added that Grant’s transformed into a winter wonderland each year for shoppers and children to enjoy.

“They used to cordon off a section of it and make that into the most beautiful holiday place. It was like a fairy land. Santa Claus, all the toys – it was terrific,” Guido said.

When Santa arrived four years later to similar helicopter fanfare, he had an additional stop to make – the annual Thanksgiving-Santa Claus Parade in downtown Huntington village, which the Huntington Village Businessmen’s Association first staged in 1969 and would continue through the 1970s.

“Then, the big moment –

Even in 1952, local business associations were encouraging shoppers to buy locally during the holiday season, as seen in this advertisement.

Santa and his sleigh on top of a flat bed truck… arrived at the grandstand” located near the Long-Islander office at the intersection of Clinton and Main Streets, a Dec. 3, 1970 report reads.

“Crowds mobbed the pine-smelling vehi-

cle, impatient to talk to the kindly gent and receive the free candy canes and plastic Ronald McDonald puppets.”

Village merchants pitched in to ensure no meter-maid Grinches put a damper on

“They used to cordon off a section of [Grant’s] and make that into the most beautiful holiday place. It was like a fairy land.”

— LINDA GUIDO, lifelong Huntington resident a forgetful shopper’s Christmas spirit.

“The shopkeepers in the village and the station would leave things on the meters for Christmastime that gave them free parking for the Christmas season,” Sforza recalled. Today, the town waives parking meter fees in Huntington village for the holiday season.

Even back then, local business advocates were espousing the virtues of local shopping like the Huntington Township Chamber of Commerce does today. The Huntington Village Merchants Association touted “wide selections of merchants… ample free parking” and a chance to “shop in comfort” in a December 1952 ad.

Another benefit espoused by the local business organization might not seem like much in 2013, when some shoppers jostle for position for Thanksgiving bargains before and long after they sit down for a turkey dinner. That same advert proudly announced, that for shoppers’ convenience, many local stores would be open ‘til 9 p.m.

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HOLIDAY SUPPLEMENT • DECEMBER 5, 2013 • B5

Huntington Station Latin Quarter Hosts Annual Toy Drive

Friends of Huntington Station Latin Quarter are again running the Annual Toy Drive. Last year, the group helped 94 families.

Each year, the Friends of Huntington Station Latin Quarter reach out to members of the community and local businesses to help with the organization’s Annual Toy Drive. As the holiday season approaches, the group is looking to collect gifts for the families underserved of our community.

The Annual Toy Drive works two ways.

First, the group asks members, friends, and the community to nominate a special family in need of gifts for the holiday season. The group collects information about each family member, including age and gender, to ensure that these gifts help holiday wishes come true. In addition, the group asks local businesses and organizations willing to have a collection box placed at their locale to collect donations.

Once HSLQ gathers this information, a list is created and distributed to friends and members who in turn wrap the gifts collected from the community and distribute

them to families most in need.

In 2012, Friends of HSLQ donated over 800 gifts to more than 94 families. Children received toys, books, board games, coats, clothes, and most importantly, love and thoughtfulness from many members of the Huntington community.

“This event is very special to HSLQ because in a few circumstances, these gifts are the only ones these children will receive for the holidays. This is truly one of our most special events because it can change the life of a child who may sometimes feel forgotten and demonstrates how a community can come together to give hope to and shape our future generations,” the group said in a press release.

If you are a local business and would like to have a box delivered to your location, or you would like to become a donor and sponsor a child or family, email info@hslq.org. Likewise, if you know a child or family in need, let the group know.

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HOLIDAY SUPPLEMENT • DECEMBER 5, 2013 • B6

Volunteers Deliver For Families In Need

Kiwanis Club of Huntington President Brenda Leigh Johnson, center, with Kiwanis volunteers at Huntington Station Food Plaza, one of several stores that assist with the YMCA/Kiwanis Thanksgiving food drive.

By Peter Sloggatt psloggatt@longislandernews.com

Thanksgiving for many is more than a time to give thanks. It is a time of giving back.

All across town, groups from scout troops to service organizations and many businesses conduct food drives to help needy families enjoy a Thanksgiving meal that they otherwise would have difficulty providing.

The weekend before Thanksgiving was a busy one as some 40 volunteers worked to get the makings of Thanksgiving feasts into the hands of those in need.

At the VFW hall in Huntington Station last Saturday, members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH), Div. 64, had an assembly line going to pack food baskets for distribution through local food banks. Volunteers packed in excess of 350 food baskets and turkeys and delivered the goods to food banks run by St. Patrick’s Trocaire House, St. Hugh of Lincoln, Our Lady Queen of Martyrs and St. Francis churches, and others. In all, food donations totaling $8,500 were distributed.

“Every Saturday before Thanksgiving we put together the results of our annual turkey drive,” said Jack Ryan, who chairs the Jim Regan Memorial Food Drive for

“What’s really nice is that it’s this collaborative, community effort where we’re able to bring all these organizations together to spend a little bit of time and have a big impact.”

— EILEEN KNAUER, Huntington YMCA the Ancient Order of Hibernians. An ongoing effort all year long, the campaign shifts into overdrive at Thanksgiving.

“Members of Division 4 AOH pick up the food on Friday, and in the morning on Saturday, put the baskets together and distribute them to the different food pantries” Ryan said.

The Hibernians, a Irish-American fraternal organization best known for putting together the St. Patrick’s Parade in Huntington, can be seen throughout the year at area supermarkets asking shoppers to pick up a few extra items to donate to food banks.

In addition, the campaign raises funds through such events as a golf outing, an

Volunteers from the Ancient Order of Hibernians hold several food drives outside Walbaum’s supermarket in Huntington village during the year. Their ongoing efforts to help feed families in need go into overdrive at Thanksgiving. annual pub crawl and through direct donations.

“Throughout the year we ask people for donations to support the Jim Regan Food Drive. We use the funds throughout the year to help local food pantries meet their needs,” Ryan said.

This year the campaign raised about $16,000, through small donations as well as a few sizable ones from Kitchen Depot, AOH member Jimmy Clifford, the VFW, and others.

“We’re also grateful to Waldbaum’s in Huntington which this year and during the past six or seven years has been very cooperative in letting us hold food drives in front of their store. Thanks, too, to all the shoppers for supporting our drives,” Ryan added.

While the Hibernians were packing boxes last Saturday, a similar assembly line was in place at the Huntington YMCA where volunteers from the Y and Kiwanis Club of Huntington packed 60 Thanksgiving baskets for some of Huntington's neediest families. The YMCA conducted the food drive and

Lending A Paw For Shelter Pets Stewards of town shelters raising money this weekend

By Danny Schrafel dschrafel@longislandernews.com

Many holiday trees began to glow in the Town of Huntington this week, but none quite like the one that animal welfare advocates are preparing to flip the switch on this weekend.

For the first time, the League for Animal Protection will light and decorate a Giving Tree at the Grateful Paw Cat Shelter on Deposit Road in East Northport at 4 p.m. this Sunday.

For a $10 donation, supporters can honor or remember a beloved pet or animal lover by having their name inscribed on an ornament and hung upon the tree.

Refreshments will be served during the lighting, and all proceeds will go directly to the rescue and rehabilitation of the animals in the league’s care.

The weekend will be a big one for the league – one day before lighting the Giving Tree, the organization will be at Fort Hill Nursery in Huntington, where they will team up with Charles Eames Photography for “Pet Photos with Santa Paws.” For a $10 donation on Dec. 7,

Eames will take holiday pictures of your well-behaved, leashed pet at the nursery in festive trappings. Donors will receive a 5x7-inch print of their pet; gift baskets will also be up for grabs during the fundraiser.

Founded in 1973, the League for Animal Protection is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the rescue, care and rehabilitation of stray, abandoned and abused animals in the Town of Huntington. The group volunteers at the town’s dog shelter on Deposit Road in East Northport and operates the adjacent Grateful Paw Cat Shelter, which the league opened in 1982 in partnership with the Town of Huntington. The cage-free refuge is designed as a temporary home for kittens and cats and funded solely by contributions to the League for Animal Protection.

For more information about the event, visit www.laphuntington.org or call 631-757-4517.

Pets can get a holiday-themed photo taken on Saturday and help their friends at the League for Animal Protection at the same time.

Kiwanis provided the fresh produce, dairy items and additional foods to supplement the collected food. The Town of Huntington Department of Human Services completed the package by donating a turkey for each family. After the packages were assembled, the volunteers delivered them direct to the families.

“The combined goal is to provide a week of food for the families, including a complete Thanksgiving dinner,” said Kiwanis spokesperson Barbara Maccharioli. “Kiwanis gratefully thanks Stop & Shop Supermarkets, Best Yet Market, and Huntington Station Food Plaza for donations for the project.”

“We’re here to really help people who don’t have as much as we do,” said Huntington Y Executive Director Eileen Knauer. “And what’s really nice is that it’s this collaborative, community effort where we’re able to bring all these organizations together to spend a little bit of time and have a big impact. It’s a great way to kick off the holiday season and it’s a great way to help people in the community who really are in need.”

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Nicky’s Says Cheers To Community

By Danny, Jackie and Luann foodies@longislandernews.com

In a season where charity and giving back are first and foremost, one local hangout in town seems to make that a way of doing business –for local charities and their customers alike.

Witness Nicky’s at Centerport, where on Nov. 23, the team at Nicky’s joined with the Moonjumpers Children’s Charity and longtime Saturday night performer Peter Mazzeo and his Hit Squad to drum up support for the Family Service League and Tri CYA’s Project TOY. It’s one of the countless events hosted at the restaurant and bar with an aim of helping the community.

The restaurant, which the LaCarrubba family opened in 1971, has been a laidback neighborhood spot since then, something Toby and Carol Offermann continued when they bought the restaurant in 2005.

Sitting down for a bite or a brew at Nicky’s feels something like slipping into your most comfortable old pair of shoes – familiar, reliable and comfortable. Their menu follows a similar theme and brings plenty of comfort food to the table.

Nicky’s menu will also bring great comfort to your wallet, and their lunch menu boasts generous prices and portions that can’t be beat.

During a recent lunch visit, we sampled an array of appetizers that rank among the classics at Nicky’s. First up were crisp, cheddar-filled Jalapeno Poppers ($5.25), fried to a satisfying crunch inside and out and paired with sour cream for dipping. Cheese-dusted Fried Artichoke Hearts ($5.25) offer a similar fried, crisp exterior but melt in your mouth once you dig your teeth into them. Classic Buffalo Wings ($6.95 for 14) are meaty and the medium wings (you can also choose hot or mild) are

Appertizers at Nicky’s include classic comforts like Buffalo wings, jalapeno poppers and fried artichokes. zesty and flavorful.

Since it is located in Centerport, good seafood is a must for the restaurant, and the Fried Clams Basket ($6.95) hits the mark with a big helping of sweet clams gently breaded and fried in light, crispy batter and flavorful tartar sauce paired with excellent fries or onion rings.

Choose the ample Steak Tidbits ($12.95), piled high over garlic croutons, and you certainly won’t leave the table hungry.

At Nicky’s, they’re fond of saying it’s a place “where everyone’s a regular.”

And with the great prices, attentive service and long tradition in the Centerport

community, we can understand how you can become one in a hurry.

Nicky’s of Centerport 6 Little Neck Road, Centerport www.nickysofcenterport.com Atmosphere – Laid-back neighborhood spot Cuisine – Comfort food Price – Inexpensive Hours: Sun-Thurs 11 a.m.-midnight; Fri-Sat 11 a.m.-1:30 a.m.

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HOLIDAY SUPPLEMENT • DECEMBER 5, 2013 • B9

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DINEHUNTINGTON.COM Foodie photo/Danny Schrafel

County Executive Steve Bellone and Legislator William Spencer, left and right of the Ideal Cheese sign, visit Huntington during Small Business Saturday. From left; Huntington Township Chamber of Commerce Vice Chairman Brian Yudewitz; Ideal Cheese owner Julius Binetti, Bellone, Spencer, Huntington Chamber Co-Chairman Bob Bontempi and Binetti’s son Chris.

WELCOMING THE BIG CHEESE: It was an

‘ideal’ way to spend Small Business Saturday when County Executive Steve Bellone swung into the Ideal Cheese & Wine Café (308 Main St. Huntington 631-9233434) with a few friends in Legislator William Spencer and top brass at the Huntington Township Chamber of Commerce.

Owner Julius Binetti and his family gave Bellone the grand tour of the wine café/cheese shop/Georgio’s Roasters satellite, whipping up a double-order of their famous pomme frites to enjoy. Bellone left with a carving board in tow for a relative who frequently hosts wine and cheese parties before continuing on to Mac’s Steak-

house (12 Gerard St., Huntington 631549-5300 www.macssteakhouse.com) for a quick visit with owner Mark Gelish and the gang before continuing his whistlestop tour of Suffolk County downtowns.

BLONDIE-MOBILE: Fire trucks and float

weren’t the only ones lighting up the street at the annual electronic holiday parade in Huntington village on Saturday.

Blondie’s Bake Shop (90A Washington Drive, Centerport 631-424-4545 www.blondiesbakeshop.com) was part of the parade, too, with a little lighted truck that had everyone dreaming of baked goods.

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Residents Spearhead New Traditions From electric parades to ‘leg lamp’ lightings, the Town of Huntington takes on new events jbirzon@longislandernews.com

The holidays in Huntington will cover all natural elements—decorated fire tucks and floats will draw “oohs and ahs” from eager onlookers during the 4th Annual Holiday Parade; boats will sparkle and glisten along the harbor for the Huntington Harbor Parade of Lights; Christmas trees will make their seasonal mark in the earth; and holiday spirit and cheer will become a contagious element throughout the air.

A culmination of like-minded, community oriented leaders and stakeholders worked separately, yet consequently, collaboratively, to make celebrating the holidays in Huntington the cheerful, community tradition it has become in recent years.

Spearheaded by groups of business leaders, volunteer fire responders, boating aficionados and holiday enthusiasts, Huntington has all areas covered when it comes to transforming an often busy, suburbanmetro town into a quainter, more cheerful place during the holiday—and parking— rush.

Years ago, according to Joan Cergol, director of the Town of Huntington’s Community Development Agency, the holiday spirit was present throughout the town, with the occasional Santa Claus and elves greeting visitors, but never did it compare to the caliber and effort of the town’s current business, political leaders and community stakeholders.

As original and unique as Huntington’s blossoming and bustling downtown is, many leaders who organized holiday events in town, including the boat and float parades, were inspired by a lack of community celebration in the Town of Huntington.

Event organizers said this year’s 4th Annual Holiday Parade was the most elaborate celebration of them all, having grown bigger and bigger each year, according to John Damico, ex-lieutenant of the Huntington Manor Fire Department who in recent years has taken the helm—or the driver’s wheel—of the tradition.

Fire departments from across Long Island, including Cold Spring Harbor, Huntington, Huntington Manor, Halesite, Greenlawn, Northport, East Northport and even departments outside of Huntington, like Smithtown and Islip, joined the festive

brigade this year. Damico said a lot of manpower goes into making a successful float that is both appealing to kids and adults, but at the end of the day, it’s about capturing the holiday spirit for children and having them share that with their families.

Inspired by other towns that held similar parades, four years ago, Damico pitched the idea to other Huntington-area fire departments. Once the group garnered enough support from within its ranks and from the town, the volunteers dedicated endless hours to organizing, conceptualizing and physically building the floats for that first year.

The Huntington Manor Fire Department, Damico said, began working on this year’s float in September, more than two months before the Nov. 30 debut.

“I was born and raised in Huntington and wanted to see something like this be a part of how our town celebrates. There really was nothing in town that celebrated the holiday season. There’s the boat parade, but it’s not something you can really see from the streets like you can in the village of Huntington,” Damico said.

In addition to Damico’s co-founding of the float parade, fellow firefighters ex-captain Greg Hocknell and Dave Crocco, both from the Huntington Manor Fire Department, and Captain Scott Dodge from the Huntington Fire Department have all been instrumental in ensuring a safe, successful float parade this and in past years.

According to Pam Setchell, president of the Huntington Yacht Club, this year’s Huntington Harbor Parade of Lights boat parade will comprise of 38 sail and motor boats, each lit up with holiday lights, festive decorations and catchy holiday tunes.

The boat parade was born four years ago.

“I was a little tired of everybody else’s [other towns] having a boat parade… It’s been a tradition in so many boating communities that the time has come to have one here. We have a beautiful harbor, a lot of boaters here, and it’s a great way to bring in the holiday season.” Setchell said.

There were judges this year, who watched as the houses along the water flicked on their holiday lights at exactly 6 p.m., when the boat bridge started near Gold Star Battalion Beach and circled past Willis Marina and the Huntington Yacht Club.

Another relatively new local tradition

The boat parade in Huntington Harbor has become a new town tradition.

Long Islander News photo/Jacqueline Birzon

By Jacqueline Birzon

Huntington Station Business Improvement District President Jack Palladino; John Vater, owner of Spa Ardiana; and Bobby Hirschfeld, board member of the Huntington BID, stand on Main Street in Huntington days after the village BID put up Christmas wreaths and installed speakers for music to bring some seasonal cheer to shoppers.

Lighted, extravagant floats are the name of the game for the Annual Holiday Parade in Huntington village. Above, the Polar Express was the Huntington Manor Fire Department’s theme one year. kicking off the holiday season is the Leg Lamp Lighting in Northport. This year marked the eighth year that the owners of Northport Hardware Company took a page out of the movie “A Christmas Story” and lit a 20-inch tall leg lamp in the window.

Bill Reichert, co-owner of the store, said the leg-lamp lighting started “kind of as a goof” in 2005.

“The mayor was in here one night and it was the day after the tree lighting,” he said.

“I was kidding around – ‘We have to have an official leg lamp lighting.’”

So the crew at Northport Hardware stopped someone on the street and asked them to flip the switch to make it official.

The next year had a few more guests, and each year, the gathering grew more popular by word of mouth to where it is today, which includes residents dressing up as characters from the movie.

Member of the business communities also take steps toward maintaining a sense of holiday charm throughout their regions once the parades and tree and menorah lightings pass. In Huntington village, BID president Jack Palladino and Bobby Hirschfeld had seasonal wreaths installed at various posts along Wall, Gerard and Main streets, with some at the corners of New York Avenue.

There is also a musical element when shopping in Huntington village. John Vater,

a member of the BID, was instrumental in adding dozens of speakers throughout the village over the past 29 years to play holiday hymns and jingles throughout the day starting at 9 a.m. in downtown Huntington village.

Vater recalls when he was younger and had a third-story apartment in the village that he and his roommates used to wire the music straight from their apartment, so shoppers in the village could enjoy the light, cheerful tunes.

“Over time it just expanded, and when the BID came we were able to get the funding for some new equipment and we’re looking to make even more improvements,” Vater said. “I love the feeling of the holidays and love seeing people walking through the village shopping; and the mood and closeness and family and community… It just really embodies the spirit of the holidays, and bringing joy and happiness to others it what it’s all about” Vater said.

In addition to the business leaders, boaters, firefighters and volunteers who help make the annual celebration possible, Mary Ann Hurd and Richard Gentle, Huntington residents who co-direct the Main Street Task Force, have been essential to ensuring a safe, holistic celebration that covers all grounds and appeals to the entire community, Cergol added.

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HOLIDAY SUPPLEMENT • DECEMBER 5, 2013 • B11

Anchors Away On Lighted Boat Parade Photos by Ross McTyre

By Danny Schrafel dschrafel@longislandernews.com

While boating enthusiasts are hoping to get the name “Blue Friday” to stick as the name for the day after Thanksgiving in Huntington, there was nothing to be sad about Friday night during the fourth annual Huntington Harbor Parade of Lights – except a bit of cold weather, perhaps.

Thousands lined the shores of Huntington Harbor Nov. 29 to take in the spectacle, which included boats of all shapes and sizes decked out in their best glittery, sparkly décor.

Organizer Pam Setchell said 37 vessels of all shapes and sizes paraded through Huntington Harbor during the celebration.

“It was an incredible success – there’s no doubt about it,” she said.

Setchell gushed about this year’s participants, saying they stepped up their efforts “not just a notch, but several notches.”

Those efforts include music blaring from vessels, water cannons putting on aerial displays, a snow machine aboard a

Hundreds cozy up at Prime Friday night with hopes of getting the best view of the fourth annual Huntington Harbor Parade of Lights. vessel and even fireworks; Setchell said she had no idea where they came from.

“The decorations were out of this world – the effort that went into this parade was amazing,” she said.

Proceeds from viewing parties and Tshirt sales will benefit the Huntington Lighthouse Preservation Society. Of that, $2,500 will be coming from a parade viewing party held at the Harbor Club at

Prime, owner Michael Bohlsen said. It was the first held there since the Bohlsen Group purchased and reopened the catering hall in September following an extensive overhaul.

This house boat, captained by Michael D'Onofrio and his son, Michael Jr., trekked all the way from Connecticut to participate in Huntington’s parade.

Coney Marine’s spectacular, hulking barge setup leads the parade into its fourth year.

This crew went for a decidedly Viking theme in lights – and in the case of one of the shipmates, in warm headgear, too.

Santa makes a big entrance aboard the James Joseph II with a few helpers by his side.

Ketewomoke Yacht Club was also a prime viewing spot for parade-goers.

B12 • HOLIDAY SUPPLEMENT • DECEMBER 5, 2013

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Thousands Revel In The Glow Of Holiday Cheer Fourth annual lighted parade in Huntington Village is ‘electric’ Long-Islander News photos/Danny Schrafel

By D. Schrafel & L. Dallojacono info@longislandernews.com

It’s beginning to look at lot like Christmas in Huntington.

For the fourth consecutive year, thousands packed the streets of Huntington village to celebrate the arrival of the holiday season with a lighted parade and street festival.

Touted as the largest electric light parade and float contest on Long Island, the parade drew a crowd of up to 6,000 cheery spectators, according to organizer John Damico, a lieutenant in the Huntington Manor Fire Department.

Damico said a total of 44 fire departments, businesses and nonprofits signed up to participate in the parade, drawing entries from as far as Nesconset and East Islip.

“I feel like every year that all of the departments and businesses progress with their floats – better and better every year,” Damico said.

Before a holiday fair set up on Wall Street, town officials simultaneously lit trees on the Village Green and at Town Hall while also illuminating on at the fair.

The parade is something that makes the Town of Huntington unique, said Tina Balogh of Huntington.

“There aren’t too many towns that have parades and big gatherings. It’s nice to see everyone in the neighborhood,” she said.

Over on Wall Street, as the Uvena and Kanzer brothers waited in line to meet Santa Claus, they said their favorite part of the parade was how many marchers and firemen tossed candy into the crowd.

Santa’s appearance on the Huntington Manor Fire Department’s truck was also a hit.

“I like when Santa rode on the truck. He usually rides in a sled,” said Jackson Kanzer, 10, a student at Woodhull.

The Huntington Township Chamber of Commerce’s journey to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’s Island of Misfit Toys won best in show in the nonprofit division.

Despite her short stature, the Uvena brothers’ little sister Riley, 5, was still able to see the wonders of the lighted parade.

“I peeked through some people,” she said.

The winners of the holiday float contest were: the Huntington Township Chamber of Commerce, the Greenlawn Fire Department and McGovern Trucking and Landscapers. In addition to bragging rights, the winning fire department earns the right to transport Santa Claus in next year’s parade on their winning float.

The parade is presented by the Town of Huntington, the Huntington Village and Huntington Station Business Improvement Districts, the Huntington Township Chamber of Commerce, the Huntington Manor and Huntington Fire Departments and the Huntington Chiefs’ Council.

McGovern Trucking and Landscaping goes vintage in part of its display, which won best business float.

Melville’s Avery and Sean and Kaden get the best view on the route atop the shoulders of their parents, Tim and Jenna.

Scooby-Doo does double duty by bringing tidings of cheer from both the Willow Pet Hotel and the Chai Center in Dix Hills.

Photo by Steve Silverman

Members of the Melville Fire Department greet the crowd as they make the turn onto Main Street.

Santa Claus makes his grand entrance from atop a Huntington Manor Fire Department ladder truck.

(More photos on B13)

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HOLIDAY SUPPLEMENT • DECEMBER 5, 2013 • B13

(Continued from page B12)

Thousands Revel In The Glow Of Holiday Cheer

The Dix Hills Fire Department is in high spirits as they travel along the parade route.

The celebration was capped off when Town officials lit a magnificent holiday tree in the heart of Wall Street.

Hey, I thought Schroder played the piano! East Northport Fire Department’s Charlie Brown plays a bit of air piano while he marches.

This duo is all smiles in Halesite Fire Department’s truck before the parade begins.

Huntington Councilman Mark Cuthbertson and his children join Councilwoman Susan Berland and Councilwoman-elect Tracey Edwards along the parade route.

Lighting Northport’s Leg Lamp Tradition Long Islander News photos/Miya Jones

The community of Northport Village on Nov. 30 continued its annual tradition of lighting a leg lamp, like the one from the classic holiday movie “A Christmas Story,” in the window of Northport Hardware. The festivities included entertainment, refreshments and even some costumes.

B14 • HOLIDAY SUPPLEMENT • DECEMBER 5, 2013

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Photography Gifts For Every Shutterbug Through The Lens

By Kevin Armstrong info@longislandernews.com

ture F series film cameras, only with stateof-the-art digital technology. Lots of knobs and dials will keep any photographer happy. Time will tell if photographers embrace a camera in this price range that doesn’t record video – it’s all about the still image. You will definitely get some looks with this camera around your neck.

If your holiday budget allows, it looks like a fun (and powerful) camera.

GLIF ($30, studioneat.com): The GLIF is a tripod mount and stand for your smartphone. This pencil sized device lets you attach your smartphone to any tripod, as well as prop up your phone at various angles for easy viewing.

Every year it gets tougher to buy a gift for the shutterbug in your life. The selection of innovative and unique items is ever expanding. It is, however, the right time of year to take a look at what’s new and popCanon Powershot G16 ($499): This is ular in the world of digital imaging.

Canon’s most recent Whatever your budget, there are plenty of and most expenitems to keep you busy. Recapping 2013, sive point-andwe can see there are a few clear shoot camera. To trends that took hold. even call it a The reality of mobile point-and-shoot photography is finalcamera is doing it ly living up to the a disservice, since it is theory. Traditional very solid construction. The The GLIF tripod camera-makers camera sports Canon’s new mount have finally DIGIC6 processor, Wi-Fi capaembraced the concept bilities and superior image quality. of mobile photography, and most cameras Sony DSC - QX10 ($250): This is a released now include Wi-Fi capabilities. digital camera that clips to your cell Your social networking photos no longer phone. The camera itself looks like a lens, are limited by the boundaries of a smart- but once it is clipped to the back of your phone camera, and there is no more need smartphone it becomes both lens and camto lug around pounds of “real” camera era. Your smartphone becomes the viewequipment around your neck. ing monitor.

Speaking of smartphones, 2013 gave us eBooks ($2 and up): There has been an phones with cameras that offer high-qual- explosion in photography-themed selfity image-making capabilities. Apple’s publishing in the last couple of years. iPhone 5S with its redesigned sensor chip Professional photographers have found and lens modifications is now truly a new ways to reach those looking to learn. usable family camera. In my opinion, it is The prices and topics vary and most work the first smartphone camera that will let on all the tablets and eReaders. Look at you keep your family camera in the den websites like craftandvision.com and picdraw. Nokia (Lumia 1020) and Samsung turecorrect.com.

(Galaxy Note 3) also have offerings that Nikon S02 ($129): This little camera raise the bar on mobile photography. gives new meaning to “little”. The Smartphones like the iPhone have been dimensions of this camera are 3 inches the genesis for another 2013 trend – the long and 2 inches wide. It delivers 13 death of the small point-and-shoot camera. mega pixels, 1080 p HD movies, and a Camera-makers are reporting that ship- 2.7-inch touch screen on the back. This ments of the small shirt pocket cameras camera is about half the size of a smartare down by 60 percent this year, with phone. smartphones taking the blame. This has GoPro Hero3+ White Edition ($200): required camera-makers to change their This is the world’s best line of action focus. video cameras for those looking to capCamera manufacturers’ recent efforts ture all their outdoor adventures. Wide now rest on the slightly more expensive selections of accessory mounts are availmirror-less camera systems. These point- able to secure this camera to just about and-shoot sized cameras are packed with any surface on your body or sports equipDSLR-size image sensors and inter- ment. A recent story televised on the changeable lenses. They give a big camera news program “60 Minutes” chronicled performance in a smaller package. the quick rise to stardom for this little The last noticeable trend is cosmetic, as camera. You can visit gopro.com for a more and more cameras are sporting a complete discretion and sample videos. retro look. Camera manufacturers are Magazine subscription ($15): An looking to capitalize on the popularity of annual photography magazine subscripcameras that harken back to the days of tion can be both educational and enterfilm photography. taining. You can order subscriptions both Taking into account these recent trends, in digital form or delivered by snail mail. here is my 2013 list of the favorite pho- Two of my favorites are “Outdoor tography-related gifts any photographer Photographer” and would love to receive. Most “Shutterbug.” are available at your local Nikon Df Adobe Lightroom camera store or online.

5.2 ($149): With Nikon Df ($3,000): Let’s get the granddaddy out of the way right off the bat.

Nikon just released this camera, and its looks just like their old classic signa-

Adobe’s signature photo-editing program Photoshop going to a monthly subscription model, many photographers have turned their

attention to Lightroom. All the attention of camera in your pocket. is deserved since Lightroom, unlike A good camera bag or backpack Photoshop, was produced and designed exclusively for photographers. ($30-$75): This accessory can be a phoLightroom lets you catalog, edit and print tographer’s best friend, especially if they your photos seamlessly. You can also cre- are out photographing for long hours or in ate books and slideshows directly from locations where conditions are unfriendly Lightroom. to photo equipment.

Panasonic Lumix Styles range from a DMC TS5 simple backpack to ($300): This camstylish handbags era is built for made by famous rugged conditions – designers. I like it is waterproof to using the Sling Bag 43 feet, shockproof from a company from 6.5 feet, called LowePro. freeze-proof down The Sling Bag is a to 14 degrees, and backpack you can pressure resistant to slide to your front 220 pounds. All this without removing Canon Powershot G16 with a Leica 28-128mm when you want to lens, 1080p HD video access its contents. and full Wi-Fi capabilities gives you a lot I could have many more items on this list, but this should be a good starting point. A basic Google search of new photo equipment will reveal a more comprehensive list of worthy gifts. I wish you all a happy holiday season filled with lots of photo opportunities.

Kevin Armstrong can be reached at kevin@imagesbykevinarmstrong.com

Sling Bag from LowePro

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Holiday Happenings In Huntington photo taken with Santa at the Harbor Club at Prime on Sunday, Dec. 15. Seatings at 11:30 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. $40 adults/$10 children. Food stations include sliders, sushi, pasta and salad, with premium open bar and passed bites. 95 New York Ave., Huntington. 631-271-5600. harborclubatprime.com.

ENTERTAINMENT

The Arena Players Children's Theater presents “The Toys Take Over Christmas” at the Vanderbilt Museum.

The Art League of Long Island’s Holiday Fine Art & Craft Fair draws 75 vendors.

SHOP ‘TIL YOU DROP Fine Art & Craft Fair For the 50th year, the Art League of Long Island's Holiday Fine Art & Craft Fair is bringing 75 highly-skilled craftspeople and artists together under one roof for your holiday shopping pleasure. The fair is Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 7-8, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at 107 East Deer Park Road in Dix Hills. Live demonstrations and food and drink vendors included. 631-4625400. visit www.artleagueli.org.

Thrift Shop Christmas Boutique Visit the Commack Methodist Thrift Shoppe 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, for the annual toy sale; Saturdays, Dec. 14 and 21 for store specials; and Friday, Dec. 27 for the huge after-Christmas sale. 486 Townline Road, Commack. 631-499-7310.

Pop-Up Huntington Join Source the Station and the Huntington Station community as they celebrate local entrepreneurs and the holidays when the Popify shopping experience comes to Source the Station’s office at 1266 New York Ave., Huntington Station.

Enjoy free light refreshments, crafts for kids, and a shared retail component on Saturdays, Dec. 7 and 14, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; and Sundays, Dec. 8 and 15, 1-5 p.m.

Helping Hands Helping Hand Rescue Mission’s annual Christmas Boutique Sale is Thursday-Saturday, Dec. 5-7, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at 225 Broadway in Huntington Station. Items include toys, designer shoes, handbags, clothing, col-

lectibles and bedding. 631-351-6996.

HOLIDAY MEALS AND SANTA SIGHTINGS It’s Santa Paws Have a professionally-taken photo of your pet with the jolly old guy in red Saturday, Dec. 7, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at Fort Hill Nursery, 188 E. Main St., Huntington, to benefit the League for Animal Protection of Huntington, Inc. Charles Eames Photography has donated his time and talent. $10 donation gets you a 5x7 print of your furry friend with Santa Paws (or without if your pet prefers) in a festive setting. Email events@laphuntington.org or call 631-757-4517.

Toys Take Over Christmas The Arena Players Children's Theater presents “The Toys Take Over Christmas” at the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum's Carriage House Theater. Performances are Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. through Sunday, Dec. 29. In the story, a toymaker uses his magic to make dolls that are most realistic. But he refuses to sell any of them. One Christmas Eve, they all come to life and find their way into the hearts of children. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for children, and children under 3 are free. To reserve seats, call Arena Players at 516-293-0674. The Vanderbilt Museum Carriage House is located at 180 Little Neck Road in Centerport.

Holiday Performances In Dix Hills The Dix Hills Center for the Performing Arts presents an exciting Holiday Festival of Performances with a variety of entertainment events for audiences of all ages.

On Dec. 7 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., and Dec. 8 at noon and 2 p.m., the center hosts the world premiere of “Moey’s Fairy Tale Adventure,” an original musical comedy fable, directed by Broadway veteran and Five Towns College Professor Marie Dan-

vers. The play is written by acclaimed children’s performer Melissa Levis, also known as Moey. This production is ideal for children 10 years old and younger. $10.

On Dec. 9 at 7:30 p.m. is The Mostly Barbershop A Capella Show, a lively show featuring dynamic pristine voices. $10.

On Dec. 10 at 7:30 p.m., the center presents An Evening of Jazz with the FTC Jazz Orchestra. Some of Five Towns College’s most talented student performers will present an evening of exhilarating jazz and swing music. $10.

On Dec. 11 at 7:30 p.m., enjoy the Holiday Concert with the Five Towns College Choir, Vocal Jazz Ensemble and Chamber Orchestra. $10.

On Dec. 12 at 7:30 p.m., the Guitar Extravaganza, celebrating the greatest jazz guitar teachers of the 20th Century, provided guitar enthusiasts with a special event hand-tailored just for their appreciation. Students, educators, professionals and members of the music industry will have an opportunity to socialize and network following the concert. $10.

On Dec. 15 at 2 p.m., Broadway Bound to Love features the great songs of Maury Yeston, Ervin Drake and many others. The talented students of Five Towns College will perform a musical review of some of the world’s most popular love songs from the Broadway stage. $10.

On Dec. 16 at 5 p.m., join jazz lovers for a free concert with the Five Towns College Jazz Ensembles, featuring many small group of enthusiastic Five Towns College jazz performers.

Italian Christmas In celebration of the 53rd anniversary of the Arturo Toscanini Sons of Italy Lodge, a Christmas celebration on Saturday, Dec. 7, “Tony Ferrari Chaperones Salute,” will feature music of the ’60s and beyond. $45 includes dinner, wine, beer, desserts and dancing. Call Josephine at 631-667-4835 for reservations.

Christmas With The Roosevelts On Saturday, Dec. 7, from 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Sagamore Hill National Historic Site will host Christmas with the Roosevelts at Sagamore Hill in Oyster Bay. Activities will include holiday music on the dulcimer (Continued on page B17)

Breakfast With Santa Magic Circle Nursery School, associated with the Union United Methodist Church of East Northport, hosts its 34th annual Pancake Breakfast with Santa on Saturday, Dec. 7, 8:30-11:30 a.m. at the church, 1018 Pulaski Road, East Northport. Bring the family and remember your camera. $6 adults/$3 children. 631-754-5565.

Camp Alvernia Pancake Breakfast Camp Alvernia hosts a Pancake Breakfast to celebrate the close of its Holiday Help Program on Sunday, Dec. 15, 9 a.m.noon. Enjoy delicious breakfast items and holiday fun in exchange for donations and gift cards. 105 Prospect Road, Centerport.

631-261-5160 Lunch With Santa Have an exquisite lunch and get your

“Moey’s Fairy Tale Adventure” makes its world premiere in Dix Hills this weekend.

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HOLIDAY SUPPLEMENT • DECEMBER 5, 2013 • B17

Holiday Happenings In Huntington

Storyteller Johnny Cuomo will entertain the kids in a holiday show at the Walt Whitman Birthplace on Dec. 8.

The Skidmore House is decorated for the holidays. Stop by as part of the Northport Historical Society’s house tour on Dec. 8.

ing. 95 New York Ave., Huntington. 631271-5600. HarborClubatPrime.com.

“A Christmas Carol” The Minstrel Players of Northport perform “A Christmas Carol” on Friday, Dec. 13 and Saturday, Dec. 14 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 15 at 3 p.m. at Houghton Hall theatre at Trinity Episcopal Church located at 130 Main St. in Northport. $20 adults/$15 seniors/children. Group rates available. For more information, call 631-732-2926 or visit www.minstrelplayers.org.

Celebrate “Christmas with the Roosevelts” at Sagamore Hill on Dec. 7.

(Continued from page B16)

and flute performed by Larry Moser and Mary Nagin of Huntington; Christmas carols sung by the strolling female quartet Close Enough; and a special appearance by “Theodore Roosevelt,” as portrayed by James Foote, who will share his reminiscences of how the Roosevelts celebrated Christmas at Sagamore Hill and in the White House. www.nps.gov/sahi.

Northport’s “Homes for the Holidays” The Northport Historical Society’s traditional holiday house tour, “Homes for the Holidays,” is Saturday, Dec. 8, from noon-4 p.m. Five charmingly decorated Northport homes will be open to guests of the society. This year the oldest house in Northport, the newly renovated, 250-yearold Skidmore House at 529 Main Street, is part of the tour. Tickets are $25 for members and $30 for non-members. Reservations are limited and advance registration is required. Call 631-757-9859 or stop in at 215 Main St. Historic Holiday House Tour The Huntington Historical Society’s annual Historic Holiday House Tour will feature five private historic homes in the Town of Huntington that the public will see for the first time, with holiday decorations that add to the enjoyment of the season. This year’s event is Sunday, Dec. 8,

noon-4 p.m. starting at the Conklin House Museum, 2 High St., Huntington. Call 631-427-7045 ext. 401 or visit www.HuntingtonHistoricalSociety.org.

“Esmerelda—A Christmas Parable” Find yourself in the journey of young Esmerelda. A Christmas Day disobedience banishes her from her father’s home, setting her on a journey to find the king who can break the curse—the curse which is both burdening her and separating her from her father. She wanders farther and farther from home, encountering colorful characters who pull her away from her quest. A year passes, and once again it is Christmastime. Will she at last open her heart to the King? Three performances, Sundays, Dec. 8 and 15, 4 p.m.; and Sat-

You can rely on the Minstrel Players of Northport to put on “A Christmas Carol” every year. urday, Dec. 14, 2 p.m. Free admission. Island Christian Church, 400 Elwood Road, East Northport. www.ichristianc.org. 631822-3000.

Swing Into The Holidays C&D Productions presents a night of dinner, dancing and fun at the Huntington (Continued on page B18)

Winter Solstice At The Planetarium The Long Island Composers Alliance (LICA) will present Iktus Percussion in Winter Solstice Celebration on Sunday, Dec. 8, 6:30 p.m. in the William and Mollie Rogers Theater at the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum's Charles and Helen Reichert Planetarium. This high-spirited concert will be accompanied by intriguing imagery – celestial, mythical, mystical – projected onto the 60-foot Planetarium dome. $15 adults/$12 seniors and students/$10 children 12 and under. 631-854-5579.

A Yuletide Family Day Santa and musician and storyteller Johnny Cuomo visit the Walt Whitman Birthplace, 246 Old Walt Whitman Road, Huntington Station, on Sunday, Dec. 8, 1 p.m. $8/child, adults are free. Event includes cookie-decorating, face-painting and ornament-making. Call 631-427-5240, ext. 113.

Mix And Mingle The Harbor Club at Prime hosts a small office holiday party on Friday, Dec. 13, 7:30 p.m.-midnight. $75 includes passed hors d’oeuvres, chef action and display stations, premium open bar, DJ and danc-

Holiday decorations add to the festivities during the Huntington Historical Society’s Historic Holiday House Tour on Dec. 8.

B18 • HOLIDAY SUPPLEMENT • DECEMBER 5, 2013

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Holiday Happenings In Huntington (Continued from page B17)

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Moose Lodge, 631 Pulaski Road, Greenlawn, on Sunday, Dec. 15, 6 p.m. $20 per person includes dance lessons with professional dance instructors, cash bar, buffet dinner and dessert bar. Contact cndproductionsinc@gmail.com.

Ridotto Concert Ridotto, Concerts “with a Touch of Theatre,” presents “The Gaze of Gods” on Sunday, Dec. 15, 4 p.m. when My Lord Chamberlain’s Consort returns to perform “A Renaissance Holiday.” The Consort is joined by renowned counter tenor Phillip Cheah. The show is at the Huntington Jewish Center, 510 Park Ave., Huntington. $5 (child), $18 (members), $20 (seniors), $25 (adults). Reservations recommended: 631-385-0373 or Ridotto@optonline.net.

Go Caroling Join St. Peter’s Lutheran Church for a night of caroling on Wedneday, Dec. 18, 7 p.m. 11 Ogden Court, Huntington Station.

631-423-1013.

Seiskaya Ballet's Nutcracker The Seiskaya Ballet’s “Nutcracker” is again scheduled for six performances, Dec. 20-23, at Stony Brook University’s Staller Center for the Arts. The company’s 2013 Nutcracker season should again garner praise. Tickets are on sale now at the Staller Center Box Office at

Guest artist former New York City Ballet principal dancer Stephen Hanna will partner Seiskaya Ballet principal dancer Danielle Lovetro in the elegant Sugar Plum Pas de Deux.

631-632-ARTS and at www.nutcrackerballet.com. $40 adults/$34 children and seniors/$30 for groups of 20 or more.

Frank Ohman’s Nutcracker Commack-based New York Dance Theater, under the direction of Frank Ohman, presents its 32nd season of “The Nutcracker” at Hofstra University in Hempstead on (Continued on page B19)

32 fxtáÉÇ nd

Hofstra University Friday, December 20

2 pm & 7 pm

Saturday, December 21 12 noon & 5 pm

Sunday, December 22

12 noon & 5 pm

Tickets: www.OhmanBallet.org Information: 631.462.0964 Regular $40 Senior/Children $33 All tickets for 2pm Friday show $20

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Holiday Happenings

Bill Murray stars in “Scrooged,” showing Dec. 21 at the Cinema Arts Centre.

“Clara” and her naughty brother “Fitz” in the opening scene of Frank Ohman’s “The Nutcracker.”

(Continued from page B18)

Friday, Dec. 20 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 21 and Sunday, Dec. 22 at noon and 5 p.m. $40 general/$33 seniors and children 12 and under ($20 for all tickets to the 2 p.m. Friday show). www.ohmanballet.org. 631-462-0964.

“Scrooged” & “Bad Santa” Double Feature “Scrooged,” starring Bill Murray, is a 1988 American comedy film directed by Richard Donner, a modernization of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” It will screen with “Bad Santa,” a 2003 American Christmas comedy directed by Terry Zwigoff, starring Billy Bob Thornton and Bernie Mac, in the Summer in December holiday double feature event presented by Summer Camp Cinema on Sat-

urday, Dec. 21 at 10:30 p.m. at Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Ave., Huntington.

6 3 1 - 4 2 3 - 7 6 1 1 . www.CinemaArtsCentre.org. $13 general admission/$9 members.

A Cold Spring Harbor Holiday Celebrate the season with the Cold Spring Harbor Main Street Association.

Tree Sale, Lighting: Saturday, Dec. 7, find a tree at the fire department’s Christmas tree sale, and watch the tree lighting and meet Santa at 6 p.m. in Harbor Park.

Carriage Rides: Sundays, Dec. 8, Dec. 15, Dec. 22, 1-4 p.m.

Strolling Carolers: Saturdays, Dec. 7, Dec. 14, Dec. 21, 1-4 p.m.

Free Concert: Enjoy a free concert by the MetroGnomes Suzuki Violin Group at Old Methodist Church (SPLIA), 131 Main St. on Saturday, Dec. 14.

Meet Santa: Sunday, Dec. 15, 1:303:30 p.m. at the Firehouse Museum, 84 Main St.

HOLIDAY SUPPLEMENT • DECEMBER 5, 2013 • B19

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B20 • HOLIDAY SUPPLMENT • DECEMBER 5, 2013

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