Smithtown Recreation Department is ready to P-A-R-T-Y.

Pool Party/BBQ has been rescheduled for Thursday, Aug. 6

Smithtown’s 350th Anniversary celebration continues with a pool party and barbeque at the Landing Ave pool Thursday, July 30.  Smithtown’s Recreation Department has been preparing for months for this celebration and barring inclement weather the pool gate will open at 5pm.

When the gate opens 400 residents with reservations will participate in the fun. Recreation Department Superintendent Thomas McCaffery came up with the idea for the pool party. “The response was great. We originally planned for 350 participants but the number of people responding to our announcement forced us to increase the number to 400, the maximum number of people allowed at the site. We still have a waiting list with almost one-hundred names on it.” Said Mr. McCaffery.

The plan is for residents, some who weren’t aware there was a Town pool in Smitthown, to see the facility and to have fun.  There are three pools at the site and they will all be open for the celebration.  According to Mr. McCaffery there will be a bbq sponsored by Sea Crystal Pools and ice cream donated by Lessings.  There will be a DJ, games for the kids and more. 

L-R Doreen Perrino, Joan Courtney, Laurie Fitrakis and Tom McCafferyTom McCaffery’s team has worked closely with the 350 Foundation in planning for the party to make this a fun and memorable event. Because there are things you just can’t control a rain date has been scheduled for August 6. 

Celebrations for Smithtown’s 350th Anniversary have been ongoing since March. The pool party closes out July but not the celebratory events which continue through the end of 2015. On September19th  there will be a fireworks display at Sunken Meadow and on September 26th there will be a parade through Smithtown. 

Theater Review - "The Cottage"

THEATER REVIEW - The Cottage

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

The trouble with British farce is that the jokes are usually one-liners … and they’re delivered too rapidly (frequently as asides) for slow-witted people like me to appreciate. It’s not my hearing (I’ve had that checked), nor my eyesight (I was wearing my bifocals when ‘The Cottage’s’ sight gags were delivered at the Engeman last weekend), nor my sense of smell (I could virtually detect the odor associated with the play’s funniest episode). So it has to be a lack of sophistication that prohibits my enjoying these over-the-top romantic comedies as completely as I’m told I should.

Okay … why be in denial? … let’s simply admit it: Such outrageous comedies were written for audiences more urbane than I. But if that’s the case, I certainly was not alone at Northport’s snazzy Engeman Theater on Sunday. Even a superb set by the incredible Jon Collins … wonderful period costumes by Tristan Raines … and sound that expertly (if briefly) incorporated music from the Roaring Twenties … could not trump the need for my neighbors and me occasionally to turn to a companion and whisper, “I don’t get it.”

I won’t even speculate as to why the couple in front of me saw fit to spend much of the play absorbed in a game of solitaire on their smart phones. The unfortunate truth is that at one point, I became more interested in their progress than I was in the intentionally silly business being conducted on stage. That’s not a knock … it’s farce, folks.

But two of the actors in this predictable Sandy Rustin play (nicely directed by BT McNicholl) are veterans of Shakespearian drama on Broadway and beyond … and the discipline pays off. Rachel Pickup, the willowy clothes horse who occupies center stage as ‘Sylvia’ much of the time—and with supreme confidence—has appeared in ‘Merchant of Venice,’ ‘King Lear,’ ‘Julius Caesar,’ and a number of The Bard’s comedies. She’s the real deal, this charmer with the fashion model good looks. I’d love to have seen her interpretation of ‘Portia’ at London’s Globe Theatre.

Matched-up with Rachel is the show’s leading man Henry Clarke as ‘Beau’ (‘leading cad,’ one can imagine Noel Coward saying) whose considerable talents have also been honed on Shakespeare. He’s done ‘Henry IV,’ ‘Macbeth,’ ‘Henry V,’ and ‘Richard III’ … WOW! I tried to guess which roles he might have occupied in those plays, and concluded he could have performed well in any of them.

The other two women and two men in ‘The Cottage’ were not completely overshadowed in this ‘everyone’s-related-by-marriage’ openly ribald sex farce. Indeed, the genre demands that each player fulfill his/her role appropriately if the complexity is going to be brought to a successful, uh, climax! The audience’s appreciation of the contributions of James Laverdiere, Christiane Noll, Brian Sgambati, and Lilly Tobin was obvious in a clever curtain call that was the most creative part of the play. Even women’s understudy Maria Couch took a bow at the final curtain. Good move!

Credit artistic director Richard Dolce for presenting his theater-savvy audience in Northport with a well-cast, rollicking package of fun. The romantic comedy runs thru Labor Day weekend.

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Award-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, THE SEQUEL, will explore the odd relationship between Harper Lee and Truman Capote.

Fresh Market Brings Their “A” Game to Smithtown

What’s Cookin’? –Smithtown by Nancy Vallarella

Fresh Market Grand Opening - July 22This past Wednesday morning Fresh Market opened its doors at 138 East Main Street. As early as eight a.m., the store was filled with enthusiastic shoppers, Smithtown officials, local store and corporate management.  The crowd gathered for a ceremonial “Cracking of the Parmesan”-a refreshing twist on the traditional ribbon cutting ceremony.

Fresh Market is clearly about fresh products with an emphasis on customer service and an elevated shopping experience. Extra wide aisles are easy to navigate in Fresh Market’s open market design with old world charm. Beware, before you pack up the kiddies to cruise those extra-wide aisles, there is a remarkable amount of sweets available in the east front corner of the store. It is like visiting a mini version of Dylan’s Candy Bar.  Visiting this area last with children in tow and having a reward policy in place is recommended. For the child in all of us, there is a nostalgic island of retro candy.

The other 95% of Fresh Market is filled with premium produce, meats, seafood, cheeses, coffee, dairy and an array of prepared grab-and-go food choices.  You can also find products from around the globe, but you will not find everything that may be on your grocery list. Fresh Market is not a one-stop-shopping experience as common household supplies are not stocked. The Fresh Market concept is modeled after the “European open market” where fresh, and fragment products are experienced.  No TP or laundry detergent here. 

Most notable is the Fresh Market staff.  They have a refreshing combination of knowledge, friendliness and a polished, approachable appearance.  Fresh Market employees give a happy to be working there vibe.

There is an emphasis on community. This location has already partnered with the Smithtown Emergency Food Pantry and has reached out to the Smithtown Children’s Foundation. 

It appears that Fresh Market has raised the bar in the local food/grocery competition for our dollars. Time will tell which stores will rise to the top. In the meantime, Smithtown residents are clearly the winners in this very competitive market.

Pay a visit to Fresh Market this week as the store is geared up to show off their goodies. Food tastings and cooking demos are scheduled through the rest of the week from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.

CRUSH THIS

102 W. Main Street, Smithtown, is once again a source of contention for Smithtown’s Town Board members.  The owner of the property, VEA 181st Realty Corp, has razed the buildings on the property and was required, as part of their demolition plan, to remove the concrete from the premises. VEA is requesting a waiver from this requirement and seeking permission to grind-up concrete on the property. After the material is ground it will be converted into a 5-ft berm and stored on the property for later use. This proposal has drawn the ire of Town Supervisor Patrick Vecchio. 

At the July 14 Town Board work session Supervisor Vecchio blasted the waiver request. “Why would the Town accommodate him (Salvatore DiCarlo, Owner of VEA 181st Realty Corp) to allow him to grind up material on the property,” said Supervisor Vecchio. Mr. DiCarlo submitted his original site plan to the Town in 2007. In 2009 without a demolition site plan, buildings on the property were demolished even after the Town issued a stop-work-order. In 2014 the Town Board approved the demolition site plan for Mr. DiCarlo in which he was required and agreed to remove the concrete from the property. 

Since the demolition no site plans have been submitted to the Planning Department although Planning Director David Flynn acknowledged that many renditions have been examined and planners have spent many hours going over the renditions. No fees have been received for examining the renditions. Mr. Vecchio accused DiCarlo of playing the Town. Councilman Creighton disagreed with Vecchio’s assessment. “I believe this applicant has been trying to build for years and we have been, in many cases, an obstacle to his building. In some cases, without much justification.” said Councilman Creighton. 

“I, for one, will vote no on the waiver…It’s about time he puts the pedal to the metal,” said Supervisor Vecchio.  

102 W. Main Street (the former Nassau-Suffolk Lumber) is located across from Town Hall and multiple small businesses. It is in close proximity to residential areas and the New York Avenue School which hosts Smithtown SD’s administration, a day-care facility, and many of the Smithtown Kickers soccer games and practices.  

Home overlooking a pile of building debrisSome residents in the area are not happy and plan to attend meetings to let the Town Board members know how unhappy they are. Jen Bender has lived in her home on New York Ave. for thirteen years. In a conversation with Smithtown Matters she expressed her dissatisfaction with the waiver request. “I am very concerned, I have one son with asthma. The proposal makes me sick. My kids play in the back yard constantly. We lived through the demolition and now they want to grind the concrete. What about the health and well being of my family and the other kids in this area?” Ms. Bender is determined to make sure her voice is heard at a future Town Board meeting. 

Smithtown Matters reached out to former resident of Smithtown, Jason Toto. Mr. Toto is a trained geologist and educator with Sachem Central School District. Mr. Toto had this to say about the proposal, “As a trained geologist & educator of earth science for the last 12 years I would have great concern about the open air particulates that would be released due to the proposed plan of action to grind-up the concrete from the old Nassau Suffolk Lumberyard.  You must first and foremost understand the pulverized material that will be created can easily measure less than 0.0001cm in diameter.  Such sized particulates would create a significant respiratory concern for the local merchants, community members, children in their homes and for those using the adjacent sports fields.  Such particulates have been found when inhaled to cause throat and lung irritation, which could long term raise significant health concerns. Proper remediation of this site should include a closed system in which the rock could be crushed and the microscopic airborne particulates contained and filtered from freely entering the atmosphere. It would be preferable to remove the material in large sections and bring them to an off-site facially for processing.  Aside from a visual inspection of this material, it would behoove the citizens of Smithtown to have a sample of this material sent off to an accredited laboratory to ascertain exactly what the true chemical and physical composition of the material in question is prior to allowing more of this multi-decade old material to enter the environment. It can adversely affect the public’s health as well as yield potential environmental concerns as the material is whisked into the surrounding ecosystems, drainage system and the ventilation systems of surrounding homes and businesses as free radicals which are know to adversely affect health.  Furthermore, the use of water to keep the dust particles from becoming airborne is not without merit; however, it too yields a secondary problem as the copious amounts of water with dissolved and non-soluble rock product could enter the surrounding environment.” 

Planning Director Flynn took the position that the grinding of concrete on the property would reduce truck traffic.  “It is our opinion that if this mound was only five-feet high and vegetated it would be a good design.” Said Flynn. 

Flynn also said that Mr.DiCarlo would be going “above and beyond” normal Town Code ordinaces for grinding operations. The work would take place during the hours of 9am and 4pm on weekdays. Supervisor Vecchio brought up the issue of noise and questioned whether rock crushing was permitted in the area.

The waiver request was tabled until August.

Commack Cougars Move A Mountain Of Rock For 9-11 Memorial Garden

Gridiron Crew Moves a Mountain (of rock)

(photo courtesy of Brenda Lentsch)

The Commack Cougar High School Football Teams used their muscle to remove a truckload of rocks from around the District’s 9-11 Memorial. Gardens will surround the three newly planted “Survivor Trees” added to the memorial. A callery pear tree became known as the “Survivor Tree” after enduring the September 11, 2001 terror attacks at the World Trade Center. In October 2001, the tree was discovered at Ground Zero severely damaged, with snapped roots and burned and broken branches. It was removed and rehabilitated. The tree was returned to the Memorial in 2010. The Survivor Tree embodies our nation’s spirit of hope and healing, strength and resilience in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.

On September 11, at 6:30 p.m., the District will hold its 14th Annual Candlelight Night of Remembrance Ceremony on the Heroes Memorial Track at Commack High School. The “Flags of Freedom” will line the roadway (Scholar Lane) and the ceremony is dedicated to patriotism, remembrance, tolerance and resiliency. The Survivor Trees will be dedicated at the ceremony.

Even a decade plus after September 11, 2001, the Commack community fills the bleachers to commemorate those who perished, and those still suffering from the horrific events of that day. All are welcome to attend the ceremony.