Thank you!!! 🎅
Christmas at Meadow Croft is a labor of love and takes months of planning and organization. Special thanks go to our chairperson Leanne Berg who once again created a wonderful festive experience for our friends and neighbors. Thank you!
A note from Leanne: Once again, Christmas at Meadow Croft was a great success! Even the rain could not dampen the holiday spirit at this event. None of this could happen without so many people volunteering their time and efforts.
A note from Leanne: Once again, Christmas at Meadow Croft was a great success! Even the rain could not dampen the holiday spirit at this event. None of this could happen without so many people volunteering their time and efforts.
First I need to thank my fellow board members;
Mary Bailey, Laura Amato, Beth LaMarca, Craig Clare, Frank Giebfried, Jen Economos, Denise Coscia, Sandra Iden and Rebecca Church.
Thank you for all you do, mostly for this event. It is my honor and privilege to work with such an incredible team!
Secondly, thank you to all of the volunteers who put in their time, whether it's as a docent, decorator, musician, or even clean up, you'll never know how much your efforts are appreciated!
Lastly, thank you to all of our guests at this event. We truly hope that you enjoyed it and it brought you some holiday spirit!
Here's to a happy and healthy 2024!!
Thank you to the Suffolk County Parks Department for leveling the driveway and clearing the leaves from the property for this event. Your support is much appreciated!
Many volunteers give selflessly of their time and talents to clean & decorate Meadow Croft for this event. Many thanks go to Rose Colan, Anna Dugan, Adriane Balsam, Angela Stelling, Bayport Homemakers, Sayville Garden Club, Karl Auwaerter of Bayport Flower Houses, and Erich Haesche. Also to our favorite wood carver, Joe Novak.
Angela Stelling was our fundraising coordinator and she did a fabulous job this year! Thank you to those generous businesses who donated items for our raffles. Thank you to The Fish Store in Bayport for a $50.00 gift card. Thank you to Stella Trattoria & Bar who donated three, $50.00 gift cards. Thank you Paris Street Market for donating candy and a $25.00 gift card. Out of the Blue in Sayville donated three $10.00 gift cards. Some lucky children won a "kids basket" that was donated by Beth LaMarca. The Pizzeria generously donated a $50.00 gift certificate. Thank you to Jen Economos who donated an Art Basket for our raffle. Annette O'Brien from Coldwell Banker Real Estatedonated garland, and of course the generous Auwaerter Family from Bayport Flower Houses.
With so many visitors and only one driveway for both entrance and exit, we needed a dedicated parking crew to help everyone get in and out safely. Thanks to Troop 130 of Bayport who weathered the weekend outside as directed by Craig Clare: Thank you Matthew Bollerman, Tyler Doris, Lisa Doris, Kyran Duggan, Kevin Duggan, Landon Hedstrom, Luke Hedstrom, Lars Hedstrom, Michael Maiorano, Sal Makely, Tyler Reese, Theresa Robertson, Zachary Teufel, Tom Teufel, Bill Vogel, Billy Vogel, and Jeanine Vogel. In addition to Troop volunteers we were also helped by Charlie Iden.
Thank you all for your help and support getting our guests in and out of the property safely.
Volunteers are needed to act as docents or man each of the many rooms in the Roosevelt estate for this event. Special thanks go to: Jerry McCluskey, Mary Lou Cohalan, Beth LaMarca, Mary Bailey, Denise Corsica, Jen Economos, Anna Dugan, Laura Amato, Sandra Iden, Erich Haesche, Joe Novak, Linda Loker, Tom Condra, Lynn Clark, Roy Fedelem, Jedy Piletti, Kathy Heinlein and her mom, Doug Shaw and Aileen McCluskey.
A a BIG thanks to Steve Birkeland who takes all the photographs in the carriage house with St. Nicholas. Speaking of St. Nicholas, thank you to Tom Maher Jr. for dressing up and posing for all of those pictures. Also to Katie Maher, Alyssa Maher & John Maher and Gina Geraci for acting as Santa's helpers. And a BIG shout out to M & T Bankfor donating the hot cocoa and cookies to our guests in the carriage house. The trains were marvelous and we need to thank The Long Island Garden Train Society for setting them up and having them running for this event. Thank you to Fawn Silver from "Graze and Go" for putting together the beautiful charcuterie boards for our two nights of Aglow.
The Roosevelt estate really had the Christmas spirit floating through the air and that is in part due to the many musicians who donate their time and talents to play holiday music on the Roosevelt piano during the weekend. Many thanks goes to: John Hodge, Bill Bailey, Mary Latini and her students, Maurice Kemp, Lisa Patrinicki, Paul Wright, and Stephanie and her students. It was amazing!
Volunteers are needed to act as docents or man each of the many rooms in the Roosevelt estate for this event. Special thanks go to: Jerry McCluskey, Mary Lou Cohalan, Beth LaMarca, Mary Bailey, Denise Corsica, Jen Economos, Anna Dugan, Laura Amato, Sandra Iden, Erich Haesche, Joe Novak, Linda Loker, Tom Condra, Lynn Clark, Roy Fedelem, Jedy Piletti, Kathy Heinlein and her mom, Doug Shaw and Aileen McCluskey.
A a BIG thanks to Steve Birkeland who takes all the photographs in the carriage house with St. Nicholas. Speaking of St. Nicholas, thank you to Tom Maher Jr. for dressing up and posing for all of those pictures. Also to Katie Maher, Alyssa Maher & John Maher and Gina Geraci for acting as Santa's helpers. And a BIG shout out to M & T Bankfor donating the hot cocoa and cookies to our guests in the carriage house. The trains were marvelous and we need to thank The Long Island Garden Train Society for setting them up and having them running for this event. Thank you to Fawn Silver from "Graze and Go" for putting together the beautiful charcuterie boards for our two nights of Aglow.
The Roosevelt estate really had the Christmas spirit floating through the air and that is in part due to the many musicians who donate their time and talents to play holiday music on the Roosevelt piano during the weekend. Many thanks goes to: John Hodge, Bill Bailey, Mary Latini and her students, Maurice Kemp, Lisa Patrinicki, Paul Wright, and Stephanie and her students. It was amazing!
Thank you to those who donated so many items to our raffle baskets and the many "elves" who helped in wrapping and organizing all of the items.
MUCH APPRECIATED!
Monthly Membership Meeting
Award-winning photographer and author John Lazzaro will present a slideshow on the history of Kings Park Psychiatric Center. Combining rare, archival images as well as his own photography, Lazzaro will discuss his work and the approach to his creative process behind his 2019 book, The Walls Still Talk: A Photographic Journey Through Kings Park Psychiatric Center.
The author made dozens of trips to Nissequogue River State Park to photograph the remaining buildings of the Kings Park Psychiatric Center which has been sitting idle and abandoned since 1996. Vast, melancholy, and aesthetically overwhelming, Kings Park Psychiatric Center was once the pride of the local community of Kings Park, NY and treated 10,000 patients at its peak operation in the 1950's. This project stemmed from the author's interest in and his emotional obligation to document this historic relic of Long Island. In turn, these images show the result of decades of neglect and decay after de-institutionalization.
Date: February 18, 2024
Time: 2:00
Place: Bayport - Blue Point Library
Time: 2:00
Place: Bayport - Blue Point Library
No fee or registration required. Open to all!
Nominations for BBPHA
The nominating committee is looking for members for the 2024 year. Any current paid BBPHA member may serve on the board. It requires only one meeting per month. If you are interested in serving or volunteering in some capacity, please contact us at bbphistorical@gmail.com
We are also looking for members to serve on various committees throughout the year. You can work from home! If you have a particular skill or interest (house tour, special events, light clerical and organization) please contact us at BBPhistorical@gmail.com.
We are also looking for members to serve on various committees throughout the year. You can work from home! If you have a particular skill or interest (house tour, special events, light clerical and organization) please contact us at BBPhistorical@gmail.com.
Tony's Barber Shop: 50 Years in Blue Point
These articles first appeared in the Bayport Blue Point Gazette and were written by Gene Horton. They are reprinted here with permission.
Holiday 2011
Tony's Barber Shop, located at 259 Blue Point Ave., is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary. Tony Arpino opened the shop on November 13, 1961. It's one of the oldest, same-owner, continuously-running businesses in Blue Point in the same location. In 1961, the price of a haircut at Tony's was $1.25. Tony has probably logged in over one million haircuts over the past 50 years.
And Tony remembers many of his former customers and has so many fond memories of each of them: John Foley the politician; Joe McCarthy the writer; George Speed the greenhouse owner; Joe Yablonski the butcher; the Nickelsens; Bob Brown the grocer; Joe Tmay owner of the local liquor store; Clare Rose the Budweiser distributor; the Bannerman family; Tom Oakers currently director of Brookhaven Hospital; and Gene Packey just to name a few. Tony got to know just about all the priests from Our Lady of Snow Church in Blue Point; he especially remembers Fr. Nuss and Tony counts Fr. John Kafalas of St. John's Greek Orthodox Church in Blue Point among his friends.
"Customers become friends," Tony recently commented. "They become like family." People come from all over Suffolk County to get their haircut at Tony's Barber Shop. Tony's customers include doctors, lawyers, politicians, some of whom started going to Tony's when they were boys. Even when old-time customers get ill, house-bound or in a nursing home, Tony will go out of his way to visit them and cut their hair. He's gotten so many nice letters of thanks over the years for all he's done for so many people.
Tony has been married to Anne for fifty-two years. They have two grown sons and five grandchildren. "It's been a good experience," Tony commented. "I learn a lot from my customers. I'm blessed." Luckily for us, Tony has no plans to retire. He enjoys his work and his customers. Tony is also a veteran of the US military. He eventually returned stateside, met and fell in love with Anne and the rest is history.
Congratulations Tony and many more years!
