St. James Native Cara Hallahan Stepping Her Way To World Irish Step Dancing Competition

Stepping Up and Stepping Out

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by Maureen Rossi

Cara Hallahan is a St. James native who will be stepping up to Canada – well she’ll actually be flying, but she will be stepping out onto the stage to compete in the World Irish Step dancing competition in Montreal, Canada this spring.

“I recently competed at the regionals and came in 14^th qualifying me for the world,” said the vibrant twenty-two year old.

A recent graduate of Geneseo, Cara is presently employed as a substitute teacher at Terryville Elementary School in Port Jefferson Station. She is very happy there saying she adores the school and kids and would love to get a permanent position at the school.   

One of three children, she is the only one interested in Irish dance.  “My sister took it for one year but it didn’t capture her interest, she’s an artist and very musical,” says Cara.  The young dancer said the entire family is enormously proud of her work.  “My mom was sobbing tears of joy in the audience when I qualified for the World Competition,” she shared. 

The dancer says being in the competition is a life-long dream come true.  Dancing from the age of six, she says it is a dream come true for the whole family.    “Everyone was thrilled to pieces, they watched me work for it, training four days a week two hours a day and then practicing on my own,” she explained.

Irish Step-Dancing has long roots. It gained enormous popularity here in the states when the Riverdance team galvanized Americans from all backgrounds. There were sold out shows around the country and the world.

Irish step-dance is a style of dance with its roots in traditional Irish dance. It can be performed solo or by troupes. Two types of shoes are worn: hard shoes, which make sounds similar to tap shoes, and soft shoes, which are similar to ballet slippers. Dancers stiffen their upper bodies while performing quick, intricate footwork. Costumes are considered important for stage presence in competitive Irish step-dance. There are several levels of competition available for both individuals and groups.

An Irish step-dancing competition is called a Feis (but pronounced FESH).  There are old tales that date  Irish step-dancing  back to Pre-christian Ireland. 

Dancers are known for their intricate hair styles; however, because of the enormous time and cost of getting a girl’s hair done in customary fashion, most purchase the traditional style wigs.  The costumes are equally festive and costly. 

Irish-step dancing began to become popular in the states as Irish immigrants arrived. It is said the first classes were taught  in Philadelphia.  

Hallahan is over the moon excited about the World Competition, but is very committed to her rigorous training until April.   “ It’s all ability, doesn’t matter where you are from, just bring your best competition,” she added.   She said there are competitors from Africa, England, Scotland, Canada and of course Ireland.   “I’m going to do my best, be my best; really I’m just so honored to be in the Worlds,” she laughed.

Hallahan says this event is like the Olympics for her. Her whole family will be attending including her boyfriend and two best friends from college.   

All of Smithtown wishes Cara good luck or as they say in Ireland, Go n-éirí an t-ádh leat!

Kings Park Brownie Troop #2720 At St. Catherine's With Smiles And Homemade Blankets

Kings Park Brownie Troops Become Philanthropists

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Far Left, Director of Community Relations Heather Reynolds and Brownie Troop Leader Lisa Wolf. Far Right, Erin Bourguignon, RN and Brownie Troop Leader Jennifer Kehoe.Kings Park Brownie Troop #2720 showed up at St. Catherine of Siena Nursing and Rehabilitation Care Center with bright smiles, festive attire and two bags filled with handmade blankets ready to donate to residents. The Parkview Elementary School students made 17 gorgeous fleece blankets and they were all so thrilled to donate them to others. 

“Throughout the year, we have been teaching our girls about devoting time to philanthropy through service and learning,” said Brownie Troup Leader Jennifer Kehoe. “Making the blankets was a service project to help them better understand what philanthropy is all about.” Erin Bourguignon, RN, was onsite to meet the young philanthropists and commented, “The festive and warm blankets will be greatly welcomed by the residents this holiday season.”

After the brownie troops delivered their blankets they were off to sing Christmas carols for the residents at the nursing home. 

For more information about St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center, please call (631) 870-3444 or visit stcatherines.chsli.org.

2nd Annual Long Island 'ENCORE' Theater Award Winners 2014

LONG ISLAND ‘ENCORE’ THEATER AWARD WINNERS – 2014 - Selected by Reviewer, Jeb Ladouceur

Best Play or Musical - ‘The Music Man’ - John W. Engeman Theater, Northport

Music Man CastMeredith Wilson would have been pleased by this smooth, yet rollicking treatment of his iconic musical. The lyrical show, highlighting simple living in Midwestern Iowa, is still a breath of fresh air after fifty-plus years.

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Best Director (play or musical) – Jeffrey Sanzel (‘A Christmas Carol’) – Theatre Three, Port Jefferson

Jeffrey Sanzel in ‘A Christmas Carol’The Sage of Long Island Theater brings enormous insight and sensitivity to this Dickens classic. Director Sanzel, a 2014 repeat winner, proves that his expertise extends beyond acting and playwriting; all three functions bear his indelible imprint here.

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Best Actress (play or musical) – Marci Bing (‘Master Class’) – Theatre Three, Port Jefferson

Marci BingIf Maria Callas met Bing on the street, the diva would likely assume she’d happened upon her other self. One would love to be a fly on the wall if these two prima donnas ever got into a heated discussion.

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Best Supporting Actress (play or musical) – Gina Milo (‘Plaza Suite’) – John W. Engeman Theater, Gina MiloNorthport

Milo expertly steals this show from a superb cast, standing out amid the comic goings on. Because of Plaza Suite’s structure, Gina had little face-to-face competition during her scenes, but she could have withstood that.

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Best Actor (play or musical) – Michael Quattrone – (‘The Elephant Man’) – BroadHollow Theater Company, Michael QuattroneLindenhurst

In one of long Island’s most challenging theatrical assignments in decades, Quattrone proved himself a truly gifted artist. He gave life to the complex title role with little makeup—an indication of his exceeding skill.

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Best Supporting Actor (play or musical) – Tony Mansker (‘Mary Poppins’) – Gateway Performing Arts Tony ManskerCenter, Patchogue

Mansker is exactly what this lavish production requires—a narrator who’s not overshadowed by the show’s legendary special effects. If anything, Mansker’s homespun presence reinforced the whimsy.

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Best Scenic Design (play or musical) – Jon Collins (‘Plaza Suite’) – John W. Engeman Theater, Northport

Plaza Suite SetCollins’s smart set is thoroughly in keeping with the hefty price tag The Plaza famously commands for its ritzy digs. One can imagine the players gingerly wiping their feet before stepping into the posh scene. Collins won in 2013, too

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Best Costume Design (play or musical) – Rachel Berchtold (‘Mary Poppins’) – Gateway Performing Mary Poppins CostumesArtsCenter, Patchogue

Berchtold won’t mind sharing her well-earned accolades with the show’s lighting designers, who set her colorful costumes ablaze. The dazzling rainbow of women’s gowns evoked a gasp on opening night.

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Best Child Actor (boy or girl – play or musical) – Andrew Timmins (‘The Boy From Oz’) – Theatre Three, Port Jefferson

Andrew TimminsAfter this auspicious debut, Andrew’s acting, singing, and dancing talents are sure to be in demand among local repertory companies. Directors know the importance of ‘Young Peter Allen’ in this play—they’ll be calling.

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Best Newcomer (male or female – play or musical) – Loren Dunn (‘Deathtrap’) – John W. Engeman Loren Dunn (standing)Theater, Northport

Though new to the Long Island stage, Dunn is a well-traveled actor—and it showed in his local unveiling. The young man never seems to be performing—just living through an ongoing set of compelling circumstances.

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Award-winning writer, Jeb Ladouceur is the author of nine novels, and his theater and book reviews appear in several major L.I. publications. In his newest thriller, HARVEST, an American military doctor is seized by a sinister gang of organ traffickers in The Balkans, and ordered to perform illegal surgeries. 

Culinary Master Series "A Sicilian Christmas" With Chef Paolo Fontana

(L-R) Christine Mazelis, Karen Morreale, MaryBeth Chasteen, Barbara Franco, Chef Paolo Fontana, Pat Biancaniello, Kathy Albrecht, Nancy Vallerella.What did you do Tuesday night? For several Smithtown women, the answer is attend the Culinary Master Series “A Sicilian Christmas” at the SCGP Café at Stony Brook University.

You don’t have to live in Italy, be Italian or go to an Italian restaurant to enjoy the Italian tradition of eating seven fish dishes on Christmas Eve. It turns out that it doesn’t have to be Christmas Eve to enjoy feasting on seven fish and you can combine them into a single dish. That was a message from Chef Paolo Fontana in his presentation  “A Sicilian Christmas” Tuesday, December 2. The presentation was the second in the Culinary Master Series at the SCGP Café (Simons Center for Geometry and Physics) at Stony Brook University. 

With approximately thirty people in the audience, Chef Paolo Fontana demonstrated his technique for preparing his Christmas Eve seafood dish that included shrimp, muscles, scallops, clams, calamari and octopus. He also prepared and shared his recipe for a frittata and panettone.  Cooking was followed by eating. NO One left hungry!

Chef Fontana with octopusChef Fontana emphasized using the freshest ingredients. He encouraged cooks to experiment with ingredients.He shared stories of lessons learned from his Sicilian mother and father. Fontana’s love of cooking was apparent as was his love of his Sicilian heritage. Interspersed with cooking instructions were stories of eating sea urchin, cooking octopus and lessons learned from watching his mom.

You don’t have to be Sicilian to enjoy Chef Fontana’s style of cooking, but if you are, Fontana’s commentary may just bring back some fond memories.

The Culinary Master Series will continue in February  the topic is Aphrodisiacs 

Chef Paolo Fontana  - SCGP Café -100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook University Campus, Stony Brook,, NY 11794

Thanksgiving Day Fire At San Remo Deli In Kings Park

photo courtesy of S.Trehy

Everyday is an appropriate day to give thanks to volunteer firefighters. Thanksgiving Day is no exception. While most people were enjoying Thanksgiving Day dinner and family gatherings, firefighters from the Kings Park FD and several other local fire departments were responding to a fire at the San Remo Deli in Kings Park.

(The information about this fire comes from Jeff DiLavore FD Rant News click here for article)

The Kings Park FD received a call around 6pm reporting a fire at the small strip shopping center on the corner of 25A and Ivy Road in Kings Park. The shopping center houses a pizza shop, cleaners, deli and a vacant store.  The fire was brought under control approximately two hours later. Two firefighters from Kings Park were treated for minor injuries.

The cause of the fire is being investigated by the Smithtown Fire Marshal, Suffolk County Fire Marshal and the Suffolk County Police Arson Squad.