We received the following note from Joan Kaelin, President of the
Bellport-Brookhaven Historical Society about their recent
Thanksgiving food drive to benefit the Lighthouse Mission.
"The BBHS would like to thank our friends and neighbors who came
out on this beautiful day to donate food to the Lighthouse Mission.
When I arrived at the Mission with the donated food, they sent a
crew over to unpack, and they said in unison, "Wow, that's a lot of
food." They were very appreciative and told me to send everyone
their heartfelt thank you."
On Sunday, Oct 30, 2022, 80 or so area residents came out to March and then "early vote" in Bellport. Women's Rights are Human Rights, #vote choice, and the importance of voting, were the themes. It was a fun but very serious event. We’d like to give many thanks to the Suffolk County Police Department for guiding Marchers across the intersections on their way to early voting.
Photos provided by Darcy Stevens.
We’d like to thank Pamela Lerner of Pamela Lerner Home & Design, for submitting some of the photos you see here from this year’s Halloween Parade. Pamela did a great job!
The Bellport-Brookhaven Historical Society held a pumpkin carving and decorating workshop taught by CEED instructors last Saturday, October 29th. Kids and adults of all ages participated! The carved pumpkins were on display later that evening in front of the BBHS. Thank you to the BBHS for providing photos of the event!
We'd like to thank Paul Warner for sending us this photo of some festive paddleboarders on the Bay last weekend!
Leonard
Wood, of Orange City, Fl passed away on August 20, 2022 at 100 years
of age. With his family, he lived in Bellport from 1964-1988. “Len”
belonged to the Bellport Country Club where he was a very
accomplished golfer, accumulating many friends as well as winning
many tournaments. He was also a skilled carpenter renovating his
home at 83 So Howells Pt Road-where a small address marker still
remains. Many friends were acquired during those years. He is
survived by his wife, Jane (99 years old ), son-Bradford of Kailua,
Hawaii; Cynthia Irish of Loudon, Tennessee and Alison Wood of
Tenants Harbor, Maine.
The 14th Annual Bellport Village Program Fund Sandcastle Contest was
held on Saturday, September 3rd and was a huge success! 31 creative
castles were built!
The winners of the contest were as
follows:
Youth, Ages 0-8 Category:
1st Place: Castle #1, Monument of Ho Hum, built by Cody Li
2nd Place: Castle #4, Ho Hum Ferry by Jack Bethe, Luke and Jack Boyer-Olson, Ever Costello, Oliver Goldstone, Preston and Gordon Baer, Maddox and Edie Schwartz
3rd Place: Castle #14, Elephant Castle, built by Nicholas and
Lillian Tew
Teen, Ages 9–16 Category:
1st Place: Castle #31, Chateau de Monkey built by Miles and Pace Silber and Jude Manger
2nd Place: Castle #30, Seaweed Sensation built by Elle Carson and Lilly Guja
3rd Place: Castle #34, Daddy Long
Island built by Wini and Barrett Lane, Zain and Bodin Nawaz
Over 17 / Adult Category:
1st Place: Castle #53, Cosmo Costanza built by Albert, Peter, Bobbie, Maddie, Sara, Creekie, and Byworth MacDonald
2nd Place: Castle #49, Lizzo the Lizard built by Nina and David Garcia
3rd Place: Castle #42, Horseshoe Crab Castle built by Hugh Brown and Dan O’Connor
The distinguished panel of judges.
Congratulations to all the participants and winners of this year’s contest!
Photos courtesy of the Bellport Village Program Fund.
We'd like to thank Paul Warner for sending us these great photos taken last weekend at the Labor Day Regatta.
If you’ve been wondering what all the heavy construction was all
about where South Country Road meets Montauk Hwy in East Patchogue,
on August 12th, Brookhaven Town completed the fish passage at Swan
Lake in East Patchogue. This now allows migrating fish to travel
between the lake above and the river below. On hand were local
officials who included Supervisor Ed Romaine and Councilman Neil
Foley. This final step in the project included new landscaping with
native plants.
Located on the north side of Montauk Highway,
across from the Town’s Swan River Preserve, the newly installed,
nature-based fish passage connects the lake with the Swan River.
This spring, river herring used the fish passage during their
spawning run. It was the first time in over 200 years that they
could migrate north into all reaches of the river.
The Swan
River Preserve was constructed by the Town on a 3.8-acre site that
was formerly occupied by a long vacant car dealership and opened in
2014. In 2020, the Town demolished a vacant structure on a .28-acre
County-owned parcel directly to the east of the Swan River Preserve.
It is adjacent to four acres of undeveloped Town-owned land to the
south. Both properties are slated to be joined with the Swan River
Preserve as part of the Town’s plan to protect the environmentally
sensitive wetlands along the East Main Street Corridor.
The South Country Education Foundation held their 24th Annual
Cocktail Party & Auction in Bellport on July 9th! Chantal and
Richard Berman once again hosted the event at their beautiful
waterfront home in Bellport Village.
The SCEF Board had the
following to say about the event:
We had a fabulous time, familiar faces, new faces, old friends
the 24th Annual Benefit & Cocktail Party was a huge success.
SCEF board of directors wants to thank all of our sponsors,
benefactors, patrons and guests for making the evening a great
success.
Thank you to Chantal & Dr. Richard Berman for once
again opening their beautiful home to nearly 400 guests.
Thank you to all of our generous donors for making our silent and
live auction so exciting, and a big shout out to the Bellport
Businesses for their very generous gift certificates for our annual
'BELLPORT BOUNTY" raising almost $5,000 in raffle tickets.
Thank you to our wonderful food donors, there was little left, a
very good sign that all was delicious, and so cheerfully served by
our young and charming helpers.
Why do we do this? The
foundation supports music and art throughout the district, through
our Becker/Gambles Music Committee and our Students 4 Art Committee.
SCEF grants support science, environmental studies, innovative
technology, reading and STEM programs. Efforts like these are only
ACHIEVED WITH YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT. Many of our grants are
highlighted in local newspapers as well as the SCCSD website. Your
donations to the SCEF touches our students and our community, and we
thank you for your continued support.
SEE YOU ALL NEXT YEAR
AT OUR "SILVER JUBILEE" CELABRATING 25 YEARS
Photos courtesy of the South Country Education Foundation.
Natalie Gentzel and Calvin Pedatella, seniors from Bellport High
School, were recently honored at the 22nd Annual Butch Dellecave
Awards held at Villa Lombardi’s in Holbrook.
Named in memory
of the legendary educator, official, and coach Gaetano “Butch”
Dellecave, the award is the product of a highly successful 22-year
partnership between local school districts in Suffolk County and the
award organizers: the Economic Opportunity Council of Suffolk, the
Butch Dellecave Foundation, and Newsday.
Athletic Directors
from all sixty-six Suffolk County school districts were asked to
nominate one male and one female from their high school senior
class. Nominees must be students who are not only at the top of
their game, but also score high in classroom performance and in
their commitment to local community service.
On Sunday, June 10th, the Bellport Village Program Fund (BVPF), held the first, of hopefully many, Annual Bellport Bay 5K races. There was a great turnout of runners of all ages and a good time was had by all. We’d like to thank the BVPF for supplying us with these great photos.
The 19th Annual Beach Ball was held this year on Saturday, June 18th to benefit the Boys & Girls Club of the Bellport Area. The gathering was held at the Brookhaven home of Honorary Chairs, Nicky and James Rothschild. “It is the priority of the Boys & Girls Club to make sure that children in the community and the surrounding area are not left without opportunity and hope to achieve their dreams. One out of four children will leave school with no place to go. That is why the Boys & Girls Club is committed to provide youth with a safe and enriched environment to go to after school with positive mentors, healthy lifestyle activities, college/job readiness and leadership programs that give them the tools to aspire to greatness.” We’d like to thank David Benthal for sharing his great photographs of this year’s event.
On Sunday, June 26, 2022, the Bellport Fire Department held their 3rd Annual Classic Car Show on Main Street in Bellport Village. There was live music, a 50/50 raffle, and Free admission for the public. As you can see, a good time was had by all! We’d like to especially thank Pamela Lerner for her great photos of the show.
On Saturday, June 11th, The Bellport Garden Club held "June in Bloom;" a walking tour of six delightful gardens. The gardens were all within walking distance of each other in historic Bellport Village. As an added feature, PALS Plein Air Artists, as well as those from South Bay Art Association, could be found painting in the gardens.
Photos courtesy of Jennifer Vorbach.
Each year, Memorial Day is celebrated as a remembrance of those who died in the military in the service of our country. Bellport Village celebrates the day by the holding a parade that travels through the Village and ends at memorial services held at Woodland Cemetery on Station Road at the north edge of the Village. This year we had a beautiful day for the parade. The sun was shining, temperatures were in the 70’s and a light breeze was blowing. We’d like to thank all of those who participated and those who gave so much.
The Bellport Garden Club was busy in late May filling
the window boxes on Bellport Village’s Main Street with fresh
flowers and plant material. This is a spring task that has been done
by the Garden Club for decades. In late fall, they decorate the
window boxes with fresh greens for the holiday season.
The
Garden Club would welcome any donations to their Beautification Fund
to help defray the expenses of purchasing the plant material and
hiring someone to water the plants on a regular basis to keep them
looking fresh. You may send donations to the Bellport Garden Club at
PO Box 203, Bellport, NY 11713.
Photos courtesy of Connie Albin
On May 18, Supervisor Ed Romaine (right) and Councilman Neil Foley (left) stopped by the Town’s Henrietta Acampora Recreation Center in Blue Point to celebrate Nancy Basile’s 102nd birthday. The East Patchogue resident was born in Brooklyn on April 25, 1920. She married Michael Basile in 1948 and worked as a dressmaker. Nancy is the mother of two daughters, Grace and Rosanne; 3 grandsons and 9 great grandchildren. She lives at Avery Village in East Patchogue and is a member of the community’s senior citizen club. At her birthday celebration, Nancy was presented with a proclamation from Supervisor Romaine and Councilman Foley and Town Council naming May 18, 2022 as “Nancy Basile Day” in the Town of Brookhaven.
Thanks to the Bellport Village Program Fund, 280 tons of new sand has been purchased and installed at Mothers’ Beach! In addition, the BVPF has purchased a new, state of the art, beach rake with potential to be a huge game changer in removing debris and seaweed from Mothers’ and the Marina beaches. This project has been completed with the help of Village employees and it will be Village employees keeping the beaches at the Marina and Mothers’ clean.
The
Boys & Girls Club of the Bellport Area has announced the appointment
of their new Executive Director, Ms. Kim Livingston, LMSW. Ms.
Livingston will be starting her new position on June 1, 2022.
Ms. Livingston earned her Bachelor's degree in Human Relations
from St. Joseph’s College and a Masters degree in Social Work from
Stony Brook University. She has spent her career working with
children and families, developing and supervising housing programs
for homeless and disabled youth across Long Island, most recently as
Assistant Vice President of Residential Services for the Family and
Children’s Association in Garden City. She is a graduate of Bellport
High School and she lives in Brookhaven Hamlet. She is also the
mother of a current student in the Bellport Middle School. We’re
sure Ms. Livingston will be a wonderful addition to the Boys & Girls
Club program.
Frank
C. Trotta, Publisher of Fire News, announced the promotion of Tim
Edwards as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Fire News. Tim has been
with Fire News since 2000 serving as Vice President/Executive
Editor. In his new capacity Mr. Edwards will oversee the daily
operation of Fire News, which includes 12 editions of the
publication serving 15 states, in addition to its website and social
media platforms.
Mr. Trotta stated “Tim has overseen and
contributed immensely to the growth of Fire News and our expansion
to serve the Fire and EMS community. This promotion is well-deserved
and we are happy to support and assist Tim as he takes on these new
responsibilities."
The BVPF, Bellport Village Program Fund, has come through with two new pieces of playground equipment for Mothers Beach. They hired the same company that provided the new playground equipment you’ve probably seen down at the Village Marina and it’s awesome! The BVPF raises money for these kinds of projects all on their own, at no expense to Village taxpayers and to the benefit of the residents, and specifically the children, of Bellport Village. If you can, the next time you see the BVPF “passing the hat” to raise some money for a new project, dig a little deeper to help out. It’s for a good cause.
We are very lucky to have some very special people living in
Bellport. One of those people, Joseph Hendrie, just celebrated his
97th birthday.
Joe, and his late wife Elaine, are two of the
nicest people you’ll ever meet. We’ve known them for over 30 years
and speaking to Joe, you’d never guess how special he really is.
Joe was born on March 18, 1925. He served as Chairman of the
Department of Applied Science at Brookhaven National Laboratory and
then in 1977, President Jimmy Carter named Joe as the new Chairman
of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the NRC. Joe was elected
a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 1976 for his
contributions to both physics and engineering of research reactors
and to the safety of large power reactors. Later he served as
President of the American Nuclear Society. Like we said, a very
special person.
If you see Joe cruising around the dock, give
him a wave and wish him many more birthdays to come.
On Wednesday, March 30, 2022, a group of Bellport, Brookhaven Hamlet
and East Patchogue residents gathered on the “Village Green” in
Bellport to express their support for the Ukrainian people. Late
last week, President Zelensky made an at-large plea for as many
people as possible to take a picture of themselves with something
Ukrainian--the yellow and blue colors of Ukraine or any other item
that they might have. Colleen Herd, shown below, took up the
challenge of producing as many Ukrainian flags as possible for this
show of solidarity with the Ukrainian people.
One of the
organizers of the gathering put it this way... “Likely you are as
shocked and sickened by the brutal carnage reported in the news as I
am. The Ukrainians have shown great courage and skill in holding off
the Russians. Voicing our support will provide much needed
encouragement to the people of Ukraine who are fighting for
themselves but also for freedom loving people everywhere.”
Slava Ukraini, "Glory to Ukraine!"
It has been almost 9 1/2 years since superstorm Sandy created the breach on Fire Island. Charlie Flagg sent us his latest report about the new inlet, which features a look at how the breach has changed over this time and where it is now. Click here for more information.
I
was recently contacted by Jane Love, President of the FirePlace
Literary Club, asking me to speak to the members of the club about
Bellport.com and how we came to be 19 years ago. I was flattered by
Jane’s request and said I’d be glad to; as the road to Bellport.com
is a long and strange one that began in 1995. I thought the members
of the club would find it interesting.
I also wanted to include The FirePlace Literary Club in our “Local Organizations” section so I asked Jane to write a little something for us explaining what The FirePlace Literary Club is all about and I also asked Laurie Fosmire to take a few photos for us to use here. Here’s what Jane Love (pictured left) had to say about the club...
“Fireplace Literary Club goes back to May 18, 1912, when a small group of women met at Mrs. Thomas Morrrow’s home on Beaver Dam Road to discuss the idea of some kind of club for the women in Brookhaven Village. On June 5, 1912, 22 charter members voted to name the club the FirePlace Library Club—drawing on the original name of the area. Their purpose was to have a library. In 1913 the club drew up a constitution under a new name The Fire Place Literary Club—and it has been active since then. FIREPLACE IS NOT A BOOK CLUB! Our meetings are as varied as the people who attend. This year, we have Scot Allan from the Gateway, Terry Tuthill, Editor of the Advance, A Treasure Hunt at the Bellport Brookhaven Historical Society, Greg Thorvaldsen, a woodworker who makes beautiful projects from local fallen trees, Ira Hayes on opera and Steve Kuhn, the Life of a Clammer on the Great South Bay. Meetings are from March to June, then September to December. Everyone is welcome. Information: 631-286-1136”
We'd like to thank Jan Shannon for sharing her amazing photo with us. Jan took this photo at Smith Point, while looking West to Ho Hum Beach and the Pavilion.
On March 6th, former Fire Commissioner, Rich Terwilliger, was honored for his many years of dedicated service to the Suffolk County Fire District Officers Association and the Bellport Fire Department. The 2021 “Presidents Award” was presented to Rich at the Suffolk County Fire District Officers’ Association Annual Dinner. In addition to being a 50 year member of the Bellport Fire Department, Rich has also served as a Commissioner of the Fire District for 23 years. Presenting the Award is Joe Bedalia (L), President of the Association, and (R), Assemblyman Joe DeStefano. Congratulations, Rich!
It may still be winter, but that doesn’t mean that the BBHS, the
Bellport-Brookhaven Historical Society, has slowed down with their
wonderful series of special, evening presentations.
On
Saturday, March 5th, Victoria Newhouse gave a presentation with
excerpts from her new book, Parks of The 21st Century,
Reinventing Landscapes, Reclaimed Territories. The two hour
program was held at the BBHS facility on Bell Street in Bellport
Village and included a reception and book signing. We’d like to
thank Alun Davies for being our photographer on the spot.
On February 28th, Councilman Michael Loguercio attended the Rotary Club of Bellport’s monthly meeting and presented Club President, Lorraine Mazza Kuehn, with the Rotary’s highest award: the Paul Harris Fellowship award. The award acknowledges individuals who contribute, or who have contributions made in their name, of $1,000 to the Rotary Foundation. Rotary established the award in 1957 to encourage, and show appreciation for, substantial contributions to what was then the Foundation’s only program, Rotary Foundation Fellowships for Advanced Study, the precursor to Ambassadorial Scholarships.
On Friday, February 25, 2022, Nick Gagliardi and his wife Josephine,
the owners of Cafe Castello in Bellport Village, were awarded the
New York State Senate 2021 Empire Award by State Senator Alexis Weik,
for the many contributions they’ve made to our community over the
past ten years. Whether it was a local organization, our local
schools, or especially young children, who needed some help and
support, Nick and Josephine were always there for them. As the award
says, “In recognition of outstanding contributions and dedication to
the growth, prosperity and betterment of their community and New
York State.”
Nick and Josephine deserve every bit of this
recognition and it’s a pleasure to have them as members of our
community.
New York State Senate 2021 Empire Award
honoring
Cafe Castello
In recognition of outstanding contributions and dedication to the
growth,
prosperity and betterment of their community and New York
State
presented by
Senator Alexis Weik
3rd Senate District
Thank you, Kathy Ljungqvist for sending us the above photo taken from your den after yesterday's blizzard! It's our Featured Photo of the week!
Kathy wasn't the only one who sent us photos of the snow. Here are some others that we received:
Photo by: Chip Perry
Photo by: Pamela Lerner
Photo by: Kathi Barkigia and Steve Musolino
Photo by: Myrle Wall
Photo by: Susanne Morena
Do you have snow photos that you want to share with us! Email them to: photos@bellport.com and we just may feature them!
It's finally been cold enough for the Peat Hole to freeze over! We'd like to thank Tim Edwards for sending us his photo of a recent hockey game there.
Over the Holidays, Pamela Lerner, Home & Design, held a contest for
a $100 Gift Certificate for its customers. The contest ran from
December 1st to December 26th and all you had to do was come into
Pamela’s shop, on Main Street in Bellport Village, and buy
something. Each time you did, your name was entered in the contest
and the random drawing for the $100 Gift Certificate was held on
December 27th.
The winner of the drawing was Bellport
Village Trustee, Maureen Veitch. Maureen has been a customer of
Pamela’s for 18 years, ever since Pamela opened her shop. Maureen
said she tries to do all of her Holiday shopping in the Village and
in particular, at Pamela Lerner Home & Design because it has such a
wonderful assortment of great gifts to choose from. Maureen said she
plans on donating the $100 Gift Certificate to the Village’s
Seniors’ Program.
Congratulations Maureen!
We received the following from Julia Villacara...
“Hello
Erin and Larry,
Thought I’d share the following story with
you and the beautiful inspiration your work at Bellport.com has
produced.
Thank you for all that you do.
Julia”
Bellport native and prolific artist Maria Castellano-Usery on
the creative process behind her 8x10 acrylic on canvas painting
titled “Swan:"
“I was having a conversation with a friend
here in Maine about the symbolic properties of swans:
transformation, awakenings, beauty, grace, elegance, and strength. I
thought, ‘What better way for me to begin cultivating those traits
than to do a painting of a swan?‘ I reached out to childhood friend
Julia Villacara because not only is she a dear friend, but I love
her photographs. I know she has many gorgeous shots of the natural
world in Brookhaven and Bellport. I don’t see too many swans here in
Maine, but I have fond memories of the many beautiful swans right on
South Country Road. I knew it needed to be a single swan, and I
wanted the photo to be appealing and to have a certain amount of
detail so I could capture it.
Julia did not have a single
swan but a few weeks later showed me Susanne Bellocchio’s photo of
the week on Bellport.com. I knew it was the right one. It’s a
beautiful photo and the clarity is fantastic. Julia reached out to
Sue, her long-time family friend, for permission for me to use her
photograph as a jumping-off point, and Sue was gracious enough to
give me her blessing. I’m very grateful to Sue and Bellport.com for
publishing this gorgeous photo that translated so well to my
canvas.”
From Bellport.com to easel: For more original works by Maria and to
stay up to date with her monthly charity paint-a-thon events, please
follow her on Instagram
@brushstrokesbymaria and visit her website
www.brushstrokesbymaria.com
Downtown Bellport Village sure did look festive this holiday season!
We'd like to thank Paul Warner for sending us his
photos of the shops dressed up this year.
