Saint James Gets Scary And A Little Profound For Halloween

By Stephanie Healion 

It’s that time of year again, costumes are being bought and created, candy is being hoarded for the masses of trick or treaters.  Halloween infiltrates everywhere, turning even the most normal of places into a spooky display.

At the Mills Pond House Gallery in St. James, the Midnight Oils show has been on display since October 8^th. The show, which closed on Sunday, was a mix of philosophical, humorous, and romantic views on death and other frightening subject matter, perfect for this time of year.  Among the multitude of skulls and skeletons were deeply thoughtful pieces.  Brian Bartley’s piece, titled “Universal Life”, was inspired by the discovery of the bodies on Ocean Parkway this past summer.  The painting depicts a beautiful girl seemingly decaying in a body of water and surrounded by fish, the with vibrant blues and greens.“Universal Life” by Brian Bartley

Bartely’s statement on his painting states that “Universal Life depicts the transition between life forms.  Upon our departure from this life as we know it, our physical being breaks down to support and carry on through other living things.”

Mark Belton’s painting, titled “Host”, depicts a stark black and white skull and white robed figure in the bottom right “Host” by Mark Beltoncorner.  Belton says that this work of oil and charcoal Is an “expression of the vacancies we are all destined to leave in our wake.  However, the work also alludes to unknown future dimensions which we will inhabit.”  Like other works in this show,  Belton is commenting on the uncertainty of death and the idea of what happens after death. 

Among the other paintings on display was a series by artist Tim Davies, all depicting popular figures associated with Halloween such as Alice Cooper, Jack the Ripper and movie villain Jason from Friday the 13^th.   The mediums of the work ranged from oil paintings to sculpture, and while many of the “Treason” by Christopher Lauto

 artists are from Long Island, there were others from as far as Georgia and California.

Deepwells Farm in St. James was also participating in the Halloween spirit. Under the watchful eye of the Saint James Chamber of Commerce Deepwells was transformed into a haunted house.  This historic house has been the location of yearly holiday boutiques, craft fairs, and the annual fall festival.  The entire house was open to all families.  People waited on line in the front yard, being let into the house family by family. It was dark from the moment you walked in, but accented with flashing red lights and strobe lights in certain rooms.  Every room hosted a multitude of scenes, complete with real people lurking to spook the guests.  In a downstairs room, a seemingly headless statue waited for the perfect moment for a guest to get close enough before coming to life to scare them.  At the top of the stairs, the head of a little boy rested on a end table, opening his eyes to look at people as they got closer.  Costume-clad children hung around the doorways and in corners to spook everyone who attempted to peer into their respective rooms, provoking screams from more than one guest.  One particular room was set up as a nursery, with a woman in a nightgown hunched in a rocking chair in the corner, seriously eerie. 

It seems that not everyone was prepared for the level of scariness the haunted house would hold in store.  One mother had three children in tow, claiming she couldn’t even get them past the front hall before they dragged her back outside.  Some children made it to the exit, but not without some tears.  Other children declined to go inside, but waited at the exit for their friends to tell them how it was.  Back inside, a man walked the hallways with a severed head in hand and the dining room hosted an undead tea party.  It was a fun and spooky way to spend the weekend before Halloween. 

Democratic Leader - Incumbent Council Candidates Fail Leadership Test

Dear Editor,

I don’t believe that the incumbents up for re-election for the Smithtown Town Council should be taking any victory laps for the job they are doing.  The people who are responsible for making Smithtown the great place that it is are the residents. It is the people who live in Smithtown who go to work, who pay their taxes and keep up their homes. The folks in Smithtown are active in their community and are concerned with the education of their children. The fact that Smithtown is a great place to live and raise a family is because the people here are hard working and engaged.  The tax-payers in Smithtown are the ones who fund the good services we receive and it is the residents who are responsible for the success and for the good character of the town.

But in those areas where the town government can exert influence and leadership our elected officials in Smithtown have not done the job that their reputations say they did. In instance after instance where the Town Board could’ve been in a leadership role and an advocate for its constituents they have delayed, referred problems to other governing bodies or have just thought small. Whether it is the Kings Park Psych Center, the flooding problem, pedestrian safety on Main Street, the response to Hurricane Irene or the growing heroin problem the town board has been behind the curve and often times happy to push the problem off to the county or the state. It is a town board that is reactive rather than proactive and this attitude does not bode well for how they will deal with creeping blight that we are all beginning to notice in Smithtown.

Re-electing the incumbents will not produce a better result and it is time for Smithtown to consider the future. Howard Knispel and Teresa Haft are not life-long public employees pulled from the same political clique as every elected official in town. They understand the challenges and opportunities in Smithtown and they have the energy and ability to work out the solutions.

Howard operates his law firm in Commack and was a member of the Smithtown Board of Ethics. Howard has the experience of running a business in Smithtown and has a particular insight into the Town Council. Teresa Haft is a volunteer with the Smithtown Fire Department and has been with the Red Cross Huntington/Smithtown Disaster Action Team for ten years. Teresa knows how to handle a crisis and understands the value of preparedness.

Remember to vote for Howard Knispel and Teresa Haft for Smithtown Town Council Tuesday November 8^th.

Sincerely,

Ed Maher, Chair

Smithtown Democratic Committee

37 Avenue A

Kings Park, NY 11754

St. James Elementary School - "Say No To Drugs"

Congratulations to Saint James Elementary School students, teachers and Principal Mary Grace Lynch, for their creative approach to Halloween as a learning opportunity.  The student’s made Halloween scarecrows which line the front of the school building.  Each scarecrow is unique and contains a message from the students about saying no to drugs.  There are not too many things in life scarier than the damage drugs inflict on families and communities. This creative approach is a great way to instill a “say no to drugs” message and at the same time celebrate the ghost and ghouls of Halloween.

Nissequogue River State Park Foundation Scores Big At Tiffany Field

Mike Rosato - Nissequogue River State Park Foundation

Many long time residents of Kings Park remember Tiffany Field as the old baseball field at the former Kings Park Psychiatric Hospital. Today, it is the home of the Kings Park Soccer Club at the Nissequogue River State Park. Children from approximately 800 local families use Tiffany Field throughout the course of the year, providing them with important recreational opportunities. The soccer club has done a wonderful job maintaining and improving the fields for the last several decades. Over the last couple of years, however, the roadway and parking area surrounding the facility has deteriorated and fallen into a state of disrepair.

The Nissequogue River State Park Foundation, established in 2008 to help fund restoration and beautification projects throughout the park, has worked closely with the Kings Park Soccer Club since its inception. This past month, the foundation partnered with the soccer club to repave, widen and improve the drainage of the 1,700 foot roadway adjacent to Tiffany Field. The $38,000 project will help ensure the safety of our residents and will improve the overall appearance of the facility. This endeavor would not have been possible without the close working relationship of these two organizations and the support of New York State Parks. The North Shore Paving Corporation, a locally based company, won the bidding process and did an exceptional job from start to finish reconstructing the roadway.

On Saturday, October 29^th, the Nissequogue River State Park Foundation and the Kings Park Soccer Club celebrated the official re-opening of the new and improved roadway.  The park’s manager, Sean Cruickshank, and representatives from both the foundation and soccer club all took part in the ribbon cutting festivities. Donations from Sign-A-Rama and Power Crush helped put the finishing touches on this enjoyable celebration.

The partnership exhibited by the foundation, soccer club and State Parks sets an example of how to successfully and systematically cleanup and enhance the park. The Kings Park Soccer Club and many other local organizations have joined with the foundation in an effort to create a park that meets our residents’ recreational and cultural needs, while also helping to protect its unique environment. In today’s fiscally challenging times, these partnerships are essential to maintaining and improving our parkland and quality of life.

Smithtown Township Emergency Food Pantry Needs Your Help

“People are hungry year round. People are hungry in Smithtown and we need help. We depend completely on the people in this community. This community is fantastic.” Pat Westlake, executive coordinator of the Smithtown Township Food Pantry.

The Smithtown Township Emergency Food Pantry is located at 90 Edgewater Avenue off of Brooksite Drive in Smithtown.  The hours of operation are Monday – Friday between 9am and 12noon.  The Pantry is operated and staffed by seven local churches including the Byzantine Church of the Resurrection, First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown, Smithtown United Methodist Church, St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, St. James Episcopal Church, St. Thomas of Canterbury Episcopal Church, and St. James Lutheran Church.  Each church volunteers to staff the panty with three volunteers each day for one month every seven months.

The Executive Coordinator, Pat Westlake, is a retired teacher. She has been the coordinator for the past three years and has seen the number of hungry and often-homeless families increase. The pantry, whose patrons are mostly from Smithtown, provides food to anyone who is hungry. “There are people living in their cars, some in the woods, right here in Smithtown, who need food which we provide and often they need warm clothing which we cannot provide.  Our facility is not large enough to collect clothing. Occasionally, we have been able to help people with clothing needs but our focus is providing food to the hungry.” 

The bad economy and high unemployment has impacted all over Suffolk, and Smithtown is no exception. “In the past we allowed people to get food twice in six months.  These are difficult times.  With some people having really tough times, we now allow people to come in once a week.  Our numbers have almost doubled. We now provide food to 120 -130 families a month.”

The holiday season is rapidly approaching which is always a challenge. Four years ago the pantry provided Thanksgiving meals to 40 families.  That number increased to 65 in Pat’s first year as the executive coordinator, 85 meals the second year, and 100 meals were provided last year.  Last year the Monday before Thanksgiving the pantry was well short of the sixty turkeys they needed to feed the people who had signed up for Thanksgiving meals. Pat didn’t panic.  Her saying “He will provide” proved to be prophetic. A call went out to the community and people started to drop off turkeys. As fast as we got food in, people were coming in to take food home.  We ended up with enough turkeys to feed everyone who came in and there were 25 turkeys left over that we used for Christmas meals.”

This is the time of year that food pantries across the island are most needed.  It is also the time of year when the public begins to hold food drives.  It is these food drives that will stock the shelves and bins for the months ahead.  The food donated to the pantry last fall allowed the pantry to distribute food to the needy until May of this year.  In the spring, donations slow down and monetary donations are used to purchase food. 

The pantry has never had to turn anyone away empty handed.  The volunteers are creative and substitute foods when they are out of something.  What do they need the most? Juice and canned fruit. Click Here  for their wish list.

The Smithtown Township Emergency Food Pantry does not receive any grants, federal funding or town funding.  The pantry relies 100% on donations received from the Smithtown community. 

Does Pat Westlake believe that the needs of the hungry will be met? Pat had this to say. “The Smithtown community has always been generous and even with these challenging times I expect that “He” and the Smithtown Community will continue to meet the needs of the hungry”