Smithtown's Rachel Gladstone "Run For Recycling" June 13

Rachel GladstoneThe 5K Race and a half mile fun run for Recycling is set for Sunken Meadow on Saturday, June 13. The fun run begins at 9:15 am and the 5K at 10 am. The race is the brainchild of Rachel Gladstone a junior at Smithtown HS West. In addition to being a student, Rachel is a runner, an environmentalist, a Girl Scout and a problem solver.

While running at track meets at Sunken Meadow Park, Rachel realized that the trash bins at the park were often overflowing with plastic water bottles and sports drink bottles. The bottles were being discarded with regular trash which she believed was both wasteful and unnecessary. Familiar with recycling, Rachel did some reasearch and learned that there were no bins for recycling the bottles at Sunken Meadow. She dug a little deeper and learned that the cost for recycling bins is around $200 each. 

Rachel took ownership of the issue. Not one to walk away from a challenge she realized that this would make a great project for her Girl Scout Gold Award and would benefit the park.

The Gold Award is the highest award in Girl Scouts and has rigourous requirements for planning and implementation of a project.  It is suggested that the candidate plan to spend at least 80 hours on their project. No problem for Rachel since she has been working months on the planning and organizing of her Race for Recycling event.  

One of the original concerns, how to get approvals for the bins and approval for the race, was addressed when Park Director Jeffrey Mason embraced the project. He assured her that the donated bins would be appropriately placed and the contents would be properly disposed of by the park staff. 

There was still a lot more for Rachel to do. Getting people to participate, getting sponsors and letting people know about her event were difficult challenges.  Rachel has been reaching out to runners at various track meets handing out flyers and asking people to join her. She has been going to local businesses to ask for their support and continues to do so.  

Rachel’s goal is to purchase as many bins as possible. Initially she was hoping to raise funds to purchase ten bins which she believes will make a tremendous difference in the park. Although she  is not certain that she will meet that goal, which she acknowledges is ambitious, she is well aware that she is bringing attention to an important environmental issue.

According to National Geographic, “for every six water bottles we use, only one makes it to the recycling bin. The rest are sent to landfills. Or, even worse, they end up as trash on the land and in rivers, lakes, and the ocean. Plastic bottles take many hundreds of years to disintegrate.” Recycling bins at Sunken Meadow, one of New York State’s most visited parks, will make it easy for people to recycle and hopefully bring more awareness. 

Doing something for her community is what Rachel Gladstone is most proud of, walking away from a challange is not an option for this smart young woman, “we all have to do what we can and not leave it for others to do.” is how Rachel Gladstone looks at the project and problems in general. 

Rachel Gladstone is a high school student, a problem solver, Girl Scout and a young woman Smithtown can be proud of!

Join Rachel this Saturday, June 13 at 10am at Sunken Meadow Park. Bring the kids and show them how they too can make a difference.

Download race application

Smithtown Cooks At Annual Long Island Hospitality Ball

Smithtown Represents at the 5^th Annual Long Island Hospitality Ball

By Nancy Vallarella of What’s Cookin’? – Smithtown

The 2015 Long Island Hospitality Ball held on the evening of June 1, 2015 at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury, was tremendously successful due to the generosity of many Long Island individuals and hospitality businesses. Early projections estimate nearly half of a million dollars were raised for the Carol Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund. The Fund has made possible research grants totaling over 4.5 million dollars to Stony Brook Medicine.

Alec and Billy Baldwin were on board to host and kicked off the evening.  Even with a last minute move indoors due to the evening’s inclement weather numerous entertainers, culinary and spirit businesses performed for and served an estimated 3,000 attendees. Many were challenged to see, taste and enjoy all that was available even over a five and a half hour period.

If you missed attending Monday night’s event, you could experience the tastes and sounds here in Smithtown.  Among the many featured restaurants at the 5^th annual LIHB were Andrea’s 25, Ciao Baby, H20, Insignia Prime Steak and Sushi, Ragazzi Italian Kitchen & Bar and the Watermill Caterers.

That 70’s Band will be performing as part of the Nesconset Chamber of Commerce 2015 Summer Concert Series on July 7th. Schedule of Bands Playing At Nesconset Summer Concert Series. Please remembert to bring a non-perishable food item to be donated to the Long Island Cares Harry Chapin Food Bank.

If you are interested in participating in an event, the Carol Baldwin Annual Golf Outing will be held at the Nissequogue Country Club on July 13^th. For more information call 631-444-4302.

Smithtown Dems Feeling Good About Larry Vetter's Candidacy For Town Council

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and Larry VetterSmithtown Democrats have been working full time to create a message that best represents their belief in fiscal conservatism and responsible government. With those beliefs in mind they nominated businessman Larry Vetter to be their candidate in the 2015 Town Council Race.  

Mr. Vetter is a 36-year resident of Smithtown, he is the married to Loraine, a registered nurse, and is the father of four children.  Larry is the owner of Vetter Environmental Services, Inc, (VE Science), which provides residential and commercial environmental solutions. 

Larry Vetter has a history of participation in the community, serving as a volunteer for the Boy Scouts, the St. James Little League, and as a  Eucharistic minister at Holy Cross Church. His hobbies include gardening, motorcycle riding, cooking and restoring old cars.

Upon receiving the nomination Mr. Vetter stated “I’m proud to represent the New Democratic Party of Smithtown. I look forward to carrying our message of government accountability, financial responsibility and enhanced quality of life to the voters of Smithtown this fall.” Mr. Vetter describes his politics as fiscally conservative and socially tolerant.  

Smithtown Democratic Committee Chairman Ed Maher is both thrilled and optimistic about Larry Vetter’s candidacy saying, “The current Town Board cossets entirely of career politicians and retired public employees…Like most Smithtown residents, Larry Vetter earns his living in the private sector. The members of the town board should reflect the demographics of the town. He will provide new leadership with a fresh perspective.” 

Theater Review - "The Producers"

THEATER REVIEW - The Producers - Produced by: The John W. Engeman Theater - Reviewed by: Jeb Ladouceur 

Stuart Zagnit, ‘Encore’ winner Gina Milo, and Joel Newsome – photo by Michael DeCristofaroAn inside joke is a gag whose humor is understandable primarily for members of an in group, that is, people who are part of a particular social set, profession, or other community of shared interest. In a sense, it’s an obscure witticism that is humorous mostly to those in the know about the circumstances behind it.

With that in mind, The Producers has to be considered one of the most daring, yet successful risks ever undertaken on the Broadway stage. The show succeeds (indeed excels!) because the magical Mel Brooks has made a slew of inside jokes very funny to any number of observers who never have, and never will, share the interests of those groups he addresses with his quips.

And there was another element of risk in the first staging of The Producers, it seems to me. Though well-received Broadway shows frequently are converted to motion pictures with a modicum of success, the reverse is seldom the case. The Great White Way is littered with torn-up scripts and discarded playbills that were inspired by triumphant movies…and consigned to the trash heap after opening night. Those involved in adapting The Producers for the stage had to be aware of the potential hazards involved in attempting to fill Hollywood’s big, glitzy shoes.

However, the genius of Mel Brooks was rewarded, as we all now know, when The Producers made history by winning a dozen Tony Awards, even surpassing the nearly four-decades-long record held then by Hello Dolly. That Carol Channing hit garnered eleven Tony nominations, winning ten. Furthermore The Producers demonstrated its staying power by running for more than (count ‘em) 2500 performances!

But how did Brooks manage to amuse so many different factions with material designed, it seems, to tickle the funny bones specifically of Gays, or Show Biz habitués, or even Nazi insiders? The answer, of course…he utilized the outrageous and the irreverent a la Imus, Stern, Limbaugh, Alan King et al. By so doing, Brooks appealed to our universal tendency to laugh at off-limits situations when they’re presented in the intimacy and privacy of the theater…scenarios that might not regale us in any other setting. Perhaps there should be a “No Prudes Allowed” sign over the Engeman door for the next six weeks.

Anyway…fasten your seat belts, folks…you’re off on a non-stop…rip-roaring ride at The Engeman Theater from now thru July 12. One caveat: find something else to entertain the 12-and-under crowd for the three hours you’ll be laughing yourself silly.

Your madcap driver on this careening theatrical roller coaster is Stuart Zagnit who plays the screwball ‘Max Bialystock’ (created on Broadway by Nathan Lane) and Joel Newsome is our zany tour guide ‘Leo Bloom’ (originated at the St. James Theater by Matthew Broderick). Both of the well-traveled leads at The Engeman take up where their megastar predecessors left off…with perfectly timed, comedic characterizations that are top-notch. And Gina Milo is a red-hot riot as the delectable ‘Ulla- - voluptuous ‘secretary-slash-receptionist’ (yeahsure!) for the whacky producer team.

Igor Goldin, who directed the Engeman’s Encore Award-winning Music Man in 2013, is at the helm for The Producers, and the cast couldn’t be in better hands. Goldin has his mile-a-minute machine perfectly tuned—it purrs like a kitten when appropriate, and roars like a lion when suitable.

Antoinette Dipietropolo’s choreography is predictably well-ordered and delightfully inventive, and the Musical Director, James Olmstead, with whom Dipietropolo frequently teams up, never fails to add his wealth of professionalism to any Richard Dolce produced show.

But this classic production is not dependent on elaborate Set, Lighting, Sound, Costumes, and the like, though they’re all superb in the ultra-lavish show. What really makes The Producers a slam-bang, cheeky, waggishly shocking hit is the assortment of inside jokes that Mel Brooks (the self-proclaimed ‘equal opportunity offender’) throws around like so many hand grenades…while taking absolutely no prisoners.

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Jeb LadouceurAward-winning writer, Jeb Ladouceur is the author of ten novels, and his theater and book reviews appear in several major L.I. publications. Ladouceur’s newest thriller THE QUANTUM SYNDROME is patterned on the Atlanta child murders of the 80s. His eleventh book, SEQUEL, will explore the odd relationship between Harper Lee and Truman Capote.

Suffolk County Class of 2015 Valedictorians

Suffolk County’s Class of 2015 Valedictorians Honored (click on photo to enlarge)

Suffolk County’s valedictorians posed for a group photo during the Suffolk County School Superintendents Association Luncheon.School superintendents, administrators and parents acknowledged and honored the highest achieving students of Suffolk County’s Class of 2015 during the Suffolk County School Superintendents Association’s 21^st annual Valedictorian Luncheon, held at the Hyatt Regency Wind Watch Hotel in Hauppauge. 

The celebratory event was punctuated with music provided by the Islip High School Jazz Ensemble, who performed under the direction of Steve Campanella. 

Congratulating the students on their hard work and academic achievements were Dr. Roberta A. Gerold, SCSSA president and Middle Country School District superintendent of schools; Susan A. Schnebel, SCSSA president-elect and Islip School District superintendent of schools; Dr. Charles T. Russo, SCSSA vice president and East Moriches School District superintendent of schools; and Lars Clemensen, SCSSA secretary and Hampton Bays School District superintendent of schools. 

Keynote speaker Roger Tilles, a member of the New York State Board of Regents, encouraged the valedictorians to always put things in perspective, develop a backbone, become proactive and involved, use imagination and creativity to propel forward, and find a job that matters. 

“Love what you do and feel that it matters,” Tilles said. “There is no greater fun than that.”    

Each valedictorian was called to the stage to receive a certificate and gift of recognition. During their acknowledgment, the universities they plan on attending were announced, along with their intended majors. The impressive and prestigious list of schools included Carnegie Mellon University, Columbia University, Duke University, Fordham University, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Villanova University and Yale University. The SCSSA and its corporate partners also awarded 10 scholarships to graduates planning to pursue a career in education or social services. 

This was the only event in which the Class of 2015 valedictorians were honored together, and it was a truly memorable occasion for all in attendance.  

Commack HS - Valedictorian: Scott Massa

Hauppauge HS - Valedictorian: Emily Linko, 

Kings Park HS - Valedictorian: Zachary Marcone 

Smithtown HS East : Brian Righter

Smithtown HS West -  Rebecca Chang

Photo provided by the Suffolk County School Superintendents Association