Fishing Awards for Youths at Caleb Smith State Park Preserve Tournament

By Nicholas Perrotti

Dylan Egan holds his 17-1/2 inch bass that he caught at the tournament. Fishing judge Ken Willens, right, dubbed it one of the largest he’s seen caught at the park. What some members of the Friends of Caleb Smith Preserve are calling “the largest fish caught in a long time at the park” won a prize for 7-year-old Dylan Egan of Smithtown. Dylan, in his first time fishing at the Friends’ annual junior anglers tournament held on Saturday, June 15, caught a 17-1/2 inch bass, winning him the third place award for  catching the largest “other” fish.

More than 30 children participated in the 11th annual tournament held at the Smithtown state park, and a total of 98 fish were caught at designated sites around Willow Pond. After being measured by judges, immediately after a fish was caught, it was released back into the pond. Children ages 5 to 8 fished from 9:30 to 11 a.m., and those ages 9 to 12 from 1 to 3 p.m.

Winners in the morning session, from left: Hannah Lentz, Dylan Egan, Ryan O’ConnorA first prize for catching the most fish, went to repeat performer Hannah Lentz, 6, of Lake Grove. With her lucky pink Barbie pole, Hannah caught 17 fish in the morning session. The announcement of her award brought cheers of “The pink Barbie pole wins again!” Last year, Hannah won first prize for catching 21 fish.

Second prize, the award for largest pan fish, went to Ryan O’Connor, 8, of Smithtown who caught a 9-1/2 inch sunfish.

In the afternoon session, 45 fish were caught, and Dylan’s large bass had long departed the scene for other waters. 

Sal Lupo, 12, of Deer Park won first prize for catching the most fish. Sal, an avidWinners in the afternoon session, from left: Matt Krozer and Sal Lupo. Not pictured, Timothy Glover. angler, caught nine fish. 

“I fish all the time with my grandparents and my dad,” he said. “Any place with a rod and water equals fishing!” Within his first hour fishing, Sal had caught a 10-1/2 inch bass.

Matt Krozer, 11, of Smithtown won second prize for catching the largest pan fish, a 9-1/2 inch sunfish.

Timothy Glover, 11, of Center Moriches, who caught a 10-1/2 inch bass, won the award for the largest “other” fish caught.

“The kids are having a great time,” said judge John Perrotti, as he helped the LoCascio sisters Olivia, 10 and Sophia, 12, of East Northport bait their hooks.  It was their first time fishing ever, they said. After a few casts Sophia caught an 8-inch sunfish and it made her day.

5th Annual Smithtown Bay Yacht Club's "Soldiers on the Sound"

By Taylor Fleming

On the sunny afternoon of Saturday June 15, 2013, hundreds gathered at the Smithtown Bay Yacht Club to celebrate, support and give thanks to veterans and current members of the military. Earlier that morning, 47 boats carrying over 100 members of the military made their way out to the bay for a fluke tournament. The event marked the Yacht Club’s fifth annual “Soldiers on the Sound”.

 The event began in 2009 after the current president of Soldiers on the Sound, Mark Garry, watched news footage of war on a television at the Yacht Club and became overwhelmed by the feeling that he had to do something to give those who were serving a break. 

“Fishing,” said Garry, “is a great release for people.” Thus, Soldiers on the Sound became a way to appreciate members of the military and give them a day of relaxation.

 Last Saturday’s event was the largest yet. Eighty percent of the over 100 soldiers and Marines who participated were members of the Air National Guard 106^th Rescue Wing of Westhampton Beach, NY. The members of the military made their way out to the water to boats and their captains and crew, all carefully organized and assigned by Garry and Chief Ed Reiter of the 106^th Rescue Wing, who serves as somewhat of a liaison between his wing and the Smithtown Bay Yacht Club.  

While the members of the military were out on the water, the Yacht Club was transformed to welcome them back when they returned. For the first time, the Smithtown Fire and St. James Fire Departments coordinated the placement of a large flag which hung from the ladders of both department’s trucks and overlooked the docks. Additionally, a group of female committee members now known as the “Pink Ladies” went to work setting up a raffle display, tables chairs and a food buffet for the returning boaters. 

“All the behind the scenes [of this event],” says Michelle Garry, Mark’s wife and “Pink Ladies” member, “is run by a strong group of dedicated women.” 

The winning fluke was caught by Rich Gerry, a currently serving member of the military whose boat was captained by Steven Sisino, Chief of the Smithtown Fire Department and Club member. After a day of what Sisino called “slow fishing,” Gerry caught the winning fluke weighing 6 pounds and 12 ounces. The crew was composed of Sisino, his nephew, Hunter, Gerry and John Prendergast, a currently serving member of the military. 

After the fish were weighed and many were filleted, the committee and crews sat down to lunch and music provided by the Chris Jennings Band. Before the raffle, Garry took to the mic to say a few words about present members of the military. 

“These soldiers…go there. They don’t question it…There’s nothing that can touch our military,” said Garry. He also recognized four Vietnam veterans who attended the event and thanked major contributors including committee members, Mike Smedley from Team Old School, Ben Searcrest from Accurate and Dennis Hogan from Simrad, who donated a multi-function touchscreen display to the raffle worth nearly $3,000. 

Following Garry, Colonel Jeff Arndt, Vice Wing Commander, said a few words about the event.

“This is exactly what we needed, a day out with you guys and we are absolutely grateful for that,” said Arndt who was followed by Commodore of the Smithtown Bay Yacht Club, Eric Milburn and numerous politicians. 

Saturday marked the fifth and biggest Soldiers on the Sound event, but Skip Hein, founding member of the committee believes the event will and should continue to grow. “[Soldiers on the Sound] couldn’t grow big enough,” said Hein. “It would be nice to take every vet out.” 

Smithtown Is Beautiful Photography Contest

Kelly LynchThe Smithtown Youth Bureau, hosted their first annual photography contest, Smithtown is Beautiful, at the Commack branch of the Smithtown Library on Wednesday May 1st.  Students’ work from surrounding school districts includingJohn Bakunas Commack, Hauppauge, Smithtown HS East and Smithtown HS West, were represented. Eight of the twenty works were submitted by students from Smithtown HS West, both photography students and Media Art Society members. Smithtown HS West artists included: Michael Gannotta, Alyssa Saunders, Ana Penavic, Kelly Lynch, Hannah Irwin, Ryan Madigan, Veronica Weinstein, John Bakunas & Lara Sarette.  Two students from HS West placed in the contest.  First place was awarded to 10th grader Kelly Lynch, and third place was awarded to 9th grader John Bakunas.

Father's Day And A Vision For Smithtown

By Maureen Rossi

Today children all over the country celebrate and honor the lives of their Dads with gifts, cards and laughter. It’s a day where memories are created.  However, three Smithtown families will not be creating new memories but grasping to old ones, their day is about loss and it is punctuated by sadness.

The Sipes Family, the Byrnes Family and the family of Charlie Doonan share a common bond and all three families were present Friday at the 12^th Annual Smart Growth Awards. The ceremony celebrated people, projects and policies that advance Smart Growth on Long Island. 

Hosted by Vision Long Island, the Smithtown families were among over seven hundred guests that packed the Grand Ballroom of the Huntington Hilton that included over fifty elected officials from Nassau and Suffolk together with both County Executives.

Vision Long Island is a Northport non-profit that works to create economically sustainable and environmentally responsible growth.  Their focus includes re-development and open space preservation.  In addition they support and advocate for mixed-use communities that are transportation friendly and pedestrian friendly.

Lavena Sipes of the Courtney Sipes Foundation and Mark Mancini, President of the Smithtown Chamber ofLavena Sipes, Mark Mancini, Smithtown Chamber of Commerce (photo LI Vision) Commerce were two of the honorees at this year’s ceremony and were recognized for their work to make downtown Smithtown more pedestrian friendly.  

Vision Long Island Executive Director Eric Alexander acknowledged that our region has some of the most dangerous roads in the state; one of those roads is Route 25.  Sipes took the podium and told the crowd of the day that forever altered her life.  She and her daughter were crossing Main Street in Smithtown in the fall of 2009 when an S.U.V. came out of nowhere and threw 11 year old Courtney over 50 feet.

“We lost her that night,” she lamented.

An eerie silence swept the room as Sipes and Mancini told the multiple tragedies that have befallen several families on the state road.  Mancini said six people lost their lives on a small section of 25 within a seven-year period.

“We started a Facebook page, started a petition and began a discussion,” said Mancini.

The two galvanized the community and had many discussions with various entities including local and state public officials.  The two-lane road has since been reduced to one lane for eastbound traffic and a median has been created.  In addition left turning lanes were installed and a new speed limit was implemented.

“We did improve pedestrian safety, we realized exactly what we had to do,” said Sipes.

She and Mancini said over two hundred residents came out for the critical discussion about the safety of their downtown and they listened to what people had to say. 

The Courtney Sipes Foundation was founded by Courtney’s family and is committed to provide scholarships and opportunities to children with an interest in music or art and to advocate for pedestrian safety. Sipes and Mancini said they are pleased with the progress thus far but that more needs to be done.

“Ultimately, the D.O.T. took what we presented and they improved safety,” said Mancini. He thanked Vision Long Island for their tireless help and Councilmen Creighton and Wehrheim who were also in attendance.   In addition, Sipes took a moment to recognize the Byrnes family who was on hand to support their movement.

Byrnes FamilyMichelle Byrnes, a stunning beauty in her 30’s, sat quietly with her late husband’s parents, his brother John, his godson and her own mother.   Quiet tears rolled down the faces of the entire Byrnes family as Sipes and Mancini spoke.  Seamus Byrnes, her high school sweet heart, was one of the six fatalities Mancini spoke of.  The former Afghanistan veteran and KP native survived a suicide bombing in war ravaged battlefields overseas, however, he lost his life when he stepped off the curb on Rte. 25 in February of 2011.

Byrnes, only 33 at the time, left behind a son and a daughter who are now thirteen and six.  His children have little to celebrate on this Father’s day. 

Kings Park resident Michelle Stein and her husband Peter came to the Awards ceremony at the request of Sipes.   Michelle’s dad Charlie Doonan was a Flushing resident and retired Deputy Inspector for the N.Y.P.D.  Doonan ventured to Smithtown to see a production at the Smithtown Performing Art Center on January 2, 2010.

Charlie Doonan“He and his girlfriend were both hit by a vehicle, his girlfriend sustained a dislocated shoulder but my father had severe head injuries and lingered in a coma for seven long months,” said Stein.

It was Lavena Sipes who invited Stein to the Vision Long Island Awards ceremony; she had befriended her on Kings Park day in 2010 when they shared their tragedies with one another.

“Losing your father at my age is a natural part of life but my heart goes to the Byrnes and Sipes family,” said Stein.

Stein will spend Father’s celebrating her husband Peter’s devotion to his family.   However, this is the third Father’s day without her father Charlie Doonan.  She says she still can’t believe that he survived decades in some of the toughest neighborhoods in New York City as a cop only to succumb on Main Street in her very own community. 

“So far I have just lent emotional support to Lavena Sipes but I am ready to put feet on the ground, more needs to be done,” she said.

Courtney’s dad Tracy Sipes was gallantly at his wife’s side for the Smart Growth Awards as he has been since the day his precious daughter left this world.  Today he celebrates Father’s Day with his son 17-year old son Cameron who is about to graduate high school and head off to college in Texas.   Much like the award presented to his wife, the day will bring both joy and immeasurable sadness.

Making A Difference - Hauppauge HS's Carter Thornton

By Cristen Feeney

Carter Thornton (far right) Making A Difference at Smithtown Animal ShelterA pet can brighten up anyone’s life, but adopting a pet from a shelter can be one of the most fulfilling experiences for both owner and pet. Hauppauge High School junior, Carter Thornton, decided to develop a project to help animals at the Smithtown Animal Shelter. His goal is to raise awareness, get volunteers, raise funds and encourage the adoption of pets at the shelter.  A big project for a single student to take on, so Thornton recruited some help from his classmates Brittany Furnari and Kylie Antignano. Together they are planning activities and making sure the project goes smoothly. These students will be working at the Smithtown Animal Shelter through the end of the year. Although all their success and good deeds will be the product of their hard work, the nudge to do the project  was a result of their participation in the International Baccalaureate (I.B.) program at their high school. One of the requirements of the I.B. program is “Community, Action and Service” , independent from the school, students must get involved in their community. Thornton said he has always loved animals and plans on going into veterinary science; so for him, this project was a “no-brainer.”

On Saturday, June 8, the three students had their first event at the shelter. “For starters, I began to come up with some ideas to attract more people outside of my friends and family with a 50/50 raffle, face painting for the kids and a bake sale. [They could] also come and adopt the animals… After [I thought of some ideas], I reached out to some papers to get the word out…. I also put up flyers around the school and would tell anyone I knew about [the event]. As the actual event took place… about 20 people showed up throughout the day [and] we managed to accumulate $133 dollars in donations” said Thornton. Director of the shelter, George Beatty, thought that the project was a success and is grateful to have passionate students helping out the shelter. According to Beatty, there were even two animals adopted on the day of the event. Thornton is planning to arrange another event toward the end of the summer for those who didn’t get to participate this time around, although the date is still unknown.

If you’d like to get involved with the Smithtown Animal Shelter, they will be at Kings Park Day on June 15th, or at the Stony Brook “Groomery” at 1320 Stony Brook Road on June 22nd with pets that you can adopt. Even if you can’t afford to donate, or can’t adopt at this point, Beatty encourages people to “come on in and walk the dogs. [There is a] nature trail in the back and a sun room…for the cats.” Anything that you are able or willing to do to help is welcomed and encouraged.

The Smithtown Animal Shelter encourages all to get involved, whether it be through adoption, a visit to the pets or a donation of any size. The shelter gives a home to lost, abandoned and stray animals that would otherwise be living on the street, but the shelter needs your help to keep them off the street. Thornton encourages everyone to go to the Shelter and help out saying, “overall, I would hope for a better turn out [at the event] next time, but we still gave the shelter money it didn’t have [before the event] and that’s what really matters to me at the end of the day.” Adopting a pet from a shelter means giving a helpless animal a good home and a family that loves them.

For more information on adopting a pet or making a donation of any size, you can visit  HYPERLINK “http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/NY53.html” http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/NY53.html.