Honorees

CHARLES DICKENS FESTIVAL 26th Annual Dickens Festival Honorees

This year we are celebrating the creative efforts of the Greater Port Jefferson Arts Council and Port Jefferson’s own Dave Melious, head of the Parks Department for the Village.

The Arts Council has been a fixture in the Northern Brookhaven community since 1986. We introduced the Village Cinema program back then leading us to host the Student Academy Awards for several years at Theatre Three. In 1996, we featured the internationally acclaimed pianist, Arnaldo Cohen, from the home of Steve and Barbara Amoretty as part of our InHouse Concert Series. This concert was the first time a concert was broadcast over the internet from a private home featuring a major star as stated by the New York Times. This happened when the ISDN standard just began and was broadcast through the Entertainment Digital Network.

Currently the Arts Council produces the Sunset Concert Series, the WinterTide Concert Series, the revival of the Sunday Street Concert Series as well as one off presentations. We produce the Sea Shanty and Maritime Music Festival, the Fiddle & Folk Festival, produce the music for the Harvest Festival and, of course the Charles Dickens Festival. We also produce the Port Jefferson Documentary Series, voted the Best Film Festival on Long Island for the past six years.

The Arts Council took over the production of the Dickens Festival in 2005 growing it into the powerhouse event that it is today. The Festival has won the Best Annual Event/Festival on Long Island three of the past four years (the 2020 contest for the 2021 award was Covid cancelled) and is consistently hailed by Newsday in the number one spot. This year will feature 172 performances around the village streets, in the churches and the Village Center. We are introducing the Dickens Yuletide Tree Works on the second floor of the Village Center as a tribute to Santa’s Workshop past.

Of course, none of this Dickens stuff could happen without the expert leadership of the Parks Department by our other honoree, Dave Melious. Dave has been employed by the Village of Port Jefferson for the past 30 years and he leads a team of dedicated workers who perform miracles around the Village. For example, after decorating for the Paint Port Pink event, he starts on decorating for the Dickens Festival by putting up Christmas wreaths and garland all the lanterns around the Village. His team installs the plaques that people purchase for the lanterns in memory of loved ones (he purchased one for his father in 2002 which resides in front of the Masonic Lodge). All the Christmas trees around the Village are spruced up (pined up?) with lights and his team sets up the Festival of Trees on the second floor of the Village Center and decorates the Harbormaster building.

In the past, he led the decorating of the then Junior High School gymnasium for a Dickens performance by the Peter Duchin Orchestra, would supply mason jars filled with sand and a candle that would line the walkways of houses participating in the annual house tour and brought the magic of Pat Darling’s Santa’s workshop to life by enhancing the exterior of the Roe House (now a full time museum), to name just a few of the services he does for the Village. In short, if your arrive in the Village over Dickens weekend and think the festive atmosphere is magical, Dave and his team made it so.

Congratulations to the Greater Port Jefferson Arts Council and to Dave Melious, our 26th annual Charles Dickens Honorees.

Port Jefferson’s own David Melious, head of the Parks Department for the Village.

Dickens Festival Honorees Character Honorees

Frankie Martinez (Our Lord Mayor Brownlow) Katherine Netusil (Mrs Sowerberry)

A familiar face with the Dickens Festival since 2005 playing numerous roles., Frankie makes every effort to immerse himself into the festival and thoroughly succeeds.. Last year he was unable to partake after encountering a major health setback. But like the Phoenix, he has returned by focusing solely on surviving one baby step at a time, and his will to live outshined the odds. The Dr’s credit his healthy lifestyle of eating right and working out regularly, with helping Frankie overcome his personal battle. What Frankie loves most about the Port Jefferson Charles Dickens Festival is the reaction of the children attending. “The joy, amazement and their reactions are why we do this”. We are honored to have him as part of our Dickens Family. Thank you Frankie for all you do. A Dickens Festival participant since 2011, Katherine loves to act, and if allowed would do it every day. She had started with taking dancing lessons and when doing shows found she loved it. She joined the festival with a friend, and later her mother. She “Loves wearing all the lovely costumes, but my favorite part is entertaining people. It’s so much fun” She has taken on many roles over the years and isn’t afraid to jump in and assist wherever we may need her. She loves the camaraderie of our Dickens Family and can improv with the other actors without hesitation. Thank you Katherine for all you do.