Community News, January 30

If you have a story, milestone, event information or news tip to share, please email community@expressnewsgroup.com. So on to the news in the community:

Hampton Bays School District is flying the American flag this month in honor of U.S. Air Force veteran John Constantine Dekas, as part of its ongoing effort to recognize local veterans.

Mr. Dekas joined the U.S. Air Force in 1954. In 1955, he was assigned to classified missions that included Shiroi Air Force Base in Japan, working with the British in Kowloon (Hong Kong), China, and working at Da Nang Air Base in Vietnam (his first of two assignments to Vietnam). He was one of the first U.S. military personnel to enter Vietnam before the original U.S. involvement. After these assignments, he was posted on the island of Guam with a Mobile Communications Unit for a classified project, “Green Moon.” He also volunteered with the 54th Weather Squadron as a flight engineer and airborne radio operator on a B-50 aircraft, tracking typhoons between Guam, Okinawa and the Philippines. On one mission, they lost two of their four engines and made an emergency landing on Kwajalein Atoll, a U.S. Naval base. After repairing the engines, Naval personnel attached two jet-assisted takeoff bottles to lift the giant aircraft back into the sky for a safe return to Guam.

In 1957, he returned to Edwards Air Force Base in California as an air traffic controller assigned to the Air Force Flight Test Center. He had subsequent assignments in Maine, again in Guam, Da Nang, and Suffolk County Air Force Base (now Gabreski Airport) with the 52nd Fighter Wing. While running base housing, and in keeping with military tradition, he became the ultimate military scrounger, doing his best to accommodate Air Force personnel and their families’ needs. He even conjured up a swap with the U.S. Navy at Norfolk, Virginia, resulting in a court-martial that ultimately proved him innocent of any wrongdoing. The officers (a lieutenant colonel and a captain) who signed the court-martial were removed from the Air Force.

His service continued with classified assignments at NORAD and the Air Defense Command at Ent Air Force Base in Colorado, and the 6th Allied Tactical Air Force (NATO) in Turkey. While working with CIA operatives during that time, he was wounded in Cyprus by a Greek Cypriot. The Turkish military treated him and returned him to mainland Turkey.

Following training for industrial and management engineering at Lowry Air Force Base in Colorado, he was assigned to Plattsburgh Air Force Base in New York and to Westover Air Reserve Base in Massachusetts for engineering studies. He also conducted engineering studies, on loan from the Air Force, for the Coors Brewing Company in Colorado and the Alcoa Aluminum Company in New York.

He served more than 20 years of active duty he was honorably retired in 1974 with the rank of technical sergeant.

Returning to Long Island, he completed his education as a certified financial planner at Adelphi University. He is a past commander of the American Legion, an active member of the Suffolk County American Legion and a member of the board of governors of the Veterans Administration Volunteer Services.

He and his wife, Patricia Ann Micari-Dekas, have a daughter, Dione, and a son, John Jr., plus twin daughters, Brenda and Bridget, from a previous marriage, and 10 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

Bridgehampton

The Children’s Museum of the East End will offer the next in its sensory friendly mornings, in partnership with the Flying Point Foundation for Autism, on Saturday, February 1, from 8 to 10 a.m. The lights and sounds will be lowered at all exhibits and quiet spaces set up throughout the museum. Families with children of all ages are welcome but space is limited. Go to cmee.org for more information.

Coming up at CMEE is the Drag Queen Story Hour’s Hamptons debut. Started in 2015, DQSH champions literacy while encouraging kids to celebrate gender diversity and all kinds of differences, while building confidence in expressing themselves. There are 40 chapters of DQSH throughout the country. The East End version is set for Saturday, February 15, at 10 a.m.

“With its goals of inspiring a love of reading and teaching lessons about diversity and appreciating differences, Drag Queen Story Hour is a wonderful addition to CMEE’s programming,” said Steve Long, the museum’s president. “We’re delighted to partner with such an innovative educational initiative that aligns with our mission to provide playful experiences that spark imagination and foster learning.”

The event is free for members, and included with the cost of admission for non-members. Crafting supplies are limited and preregistration is strongly encouraged.

Poetica Ensemble will be playing its third concert of the Luminari Chamber Music Series at Queen of Most Holy Rosary Church in Bridgehampton on Sunday, February 9, at 4 p.m. This concert will feature acclaimed pianist Alex Pryrodny playing a rarely performed piece by Darius Milhaud, “Creation du monde” for piano and string quartet. The program will also include a “Passacaglia” for violin and viola by Handel-Halvorsen and string quartet pieces by Puccini and Mendelssohn.

Admission is free, however donations to “keep the music playing” are appreciated.

The Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreational Center’s Thinking Forward Lecture Series 2020 opens with “Equality Matters in the Hamptons” and a celebration of Black History Month on Saturday, February 1, at 5:30 p.m. at the center on the Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike.

Kofi Appenteng, president of the Africa-America Institute, will be the guest speaker and lead an important conversation about the need to include knowledge about the role of Africa in the world and the achievements of Afro-descendants in the core of our educational curriculum. The discussion will be moderated by Ken Miller.

Admission is free. Reserve a seat by emailing info@bhccrc.org or call 631-537-0616.

Sag Harbor

Christopher Pineda of Sag Harbor was named to the dean’s list at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania for the fall 2019 semester.

Hannah R. Jungck of Sag Harbor has been named to the dean’s list for the fall 2019 semester at Clemson University in South Carolina. She is an animal and veterinary science major.

Duncan Bennett and Phoebe Bennett, both of Sag Harbor, were named to the dean’s list at SUNY Oneonta.

Cassandra Spencer of Sag Harbor has been named to the University of Delaware dean’s list for the fall 2019 semester. She maintained at least a 3.5 average to earn the honor.

Sylvester Manor Educational Farm, in partnership with Eastville Community Historical Society, will present the sixth annual Black History Month Celebration. This year’s program will present how various pieces make up a historic story and the ways those stories are uncovered through social sciences, humanities, archaeology, oral history and documentation. Methods and practices for sharing and presenting those stories with the public will be explored. The speakers’ backgrounds in archaeology, anthropology, museum and historic interpretation will highlight various ways in which institutions and communities are uncovering the history of the enslaved where documentation and specific records are unable to provide the story.

These methods are aiding the work being done at Sylvester Manor, Eastville Community Historical Society and elsewhere on the East End of Long Island.

For program details, go to sylvestermanor.org/black-history-2020 or call 631-749-0626.

Celebrate Irish America at Cormaria Retreat House in Sag Harbor on Saturday, February 29, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. During the event, 19th century Irish American history will be commemorated with a full day of programs featuring renowned historian Christine Kinealy and dramatist Turlough McConnell. The fee is $50, which includes lunch. Reservations are required and may be made by calling 631-725-4206.

On February 1, Salvatore Casabianca will perform at the Wamponamon Masonic Music Series at 8 p.m. The Masonic Music Series is a singer songwriter series featuring the best of the East End’s musical performers in an intimate setting. Performances are in the Masonic Temple. Admission is $20 and supports gifts to local charities such as scholarships to Pierson graduates, food pantries, and other locals in need. The music series is produced by the Freemason Brothers of Wamponamon Lodge. The Masonic Temple is located at 200 Main Street, Sag Harbor, above The Sag Harbor Whaling Museum, with plenty of parking in the rear of the building.

Water Mill

The Water Mill Community Club hosted its annual Soup and Game Night on Saturday, January 25. Community members gathered to enjoy a wonderful dinner of appetizers, homemade soups, bread, Caesar salad and desserts followed by an evening of fun, playing board games with family and friends.

The homemade soups included jambalaya, clam chowder, kielbasa bean; red lentil, minestrone, vegan corn chowder, tomato tortellini, and white bean, sausage and kale. Baguettes were donated by Panera Bread and Hampton Coffee Company donated a tray of brownies and coffee for dessert.

Co-chairs Pat Sliwienski and Teal Squires Vella wish to extend a special thanks to committee members Tim and Cyndi Maran, Glenn and Kim Halsey, Kristina and Mosey Muller, and Amy Graham for all of their hard work and dedication to the Water Mill Community Club. Get ready to swing your partner at the monthly contra dance at the Water Mill Community Club on Saturday, February 1. An introductory lesson is offered at 7:45 p.m. Admission is $15 for adults, $7.50 for students, and children up to 16 are free with an adult.

For more information visit LITMA.org or call 631-283-0554.

SOUTHAMPTON

Worcester Polytechnic Institute has announced that Margaret Terry of Southampton, a member of the class of 2021 who is majoring in civil engineering, was named to the university’s dean’s list for academic excellence for the fall 2019 semester.

Miller Croke of Southampton was named to the dean’s list at the University of Iowa for the fall 2019 semester. He is a business major in the university’s Tippie College of Business.

Donny Frankenbach of Southampton has been named to the dean’s list for the fall 2019 semester at Alfred State College.

Danielle Minogue of Southampton has been named to the University of Delaware dean’s list for the fall 2019 semester.

Rogers Memorial Library will offer a free self-defense workshop for women with Grand Master Gene Perceval on Thursday, January 30, at 4 p.m. This workshop will cover traditional martial arts techniques and will address the need for respect, harmony, inspiration, and living in calmness of mind.

The library will offer three weeks of canasta lessons taught by Jacqui Palatnik on Wednesdays, February 5, 12 and 19, at 11 a.m. in Cooper Hall.

Marilyn Carminio will visit the library on Wednesday, February 5, at noon for a talk titled “Rudolph Valentino: The Great Lover of the Silver Screen.”

The library will host a game night on Wednesday, February 5, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in Cooper Hall. Pizza and cider will be served.

The library’s technology librarian Steve Alcalde will present a talk titled “Smart Home” on Thursday, February 6, at 1 p.m. Learn about turning your home smart, available devices and apps, and more. To register for library programs, go to myrml.org or call 631-283-0774 extension 523.

Hampton Bays

Registration for kindergarten at Hampton Bays Elementary School opens next month and is by appointment only. Call Pilar Corredor at 723-2100 extension 5107.

The Hampton Bays Library will offer the opportunity to play Dungeons & Dragons with Erick on Saturday, February 1, from noon to 5 p.m. All materials provided and the sessions are beginner friendly.

East Quogue

Kindergarten registration and screening will take place at East Quogue Elementary School on March 3, 4 and 5. Any child residing in East Quogue who will be 5 years old on or before December 1, 2020 is eligible to register. Call Margaret Garvey at 631-653-5210, ext. 140 to schedule an appointment.

Quogue

The Quogue Wildlife Refuge will tell All About Groundhogs! on Sunday, February 2, at 10 a.m., during which participants can meet the refuge’s groundhog. This groundhog moved into one of the refuge enclosures from Volunteers for Wildlife in October 2019. A craft will be available for children to make at the end of the short presentation.

For a complete list of refuge programs, go to qwr.org.

“Admissions” presented by the Hampton Theatre Company at the Quogue Community Hall continues through February 2. Performances are on Thursdays and Fridays at 7, Saturdays at 8 and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. An additional matinee performance will be offered during the final weekend of the production, on Saturday, February 1, prior to the regular 8 p.m. performance that evening. Talkbacks with the cast will be offered following the 7 p.m. performances on Thursday, January 23, and Friday, January 24.

The Hampton Theatre Company is offering special dinner and theater packages in collaboration with the Westhampton, Southampton, Hampton Bays and Quogue libraries. A special lunch and theater package is also available for the Saturday matinee on February 1, with lunch before the show at the Quogue Club at the Hallock House. Discount tickets are available for veterans, Native Americans, under 35, students, and groups. For reservations and information on all packages and available discounts, visit hamptontheatre.org or email info@hamptontheatre.org.

At the Quogue Library, yoga with Amy Hess will begin on Thursday, February 13, from 9 to 10 a.m. There will be no yoga in January. The adult Sunday Book Club will meet on January 26 and March 15 at noon.

Other programs at the library include an abstract painting workshop for children, hosted by the Pollock-Krasner House, on February 6 at the firehouse; a workshop in signing poetry using American Sign Language on February 8 (for children ages 9 and up); a Groundhog Day celebration on February 2; and a screening of “Dunkirk” on February 9.

I Science will present “Chemistry Detective” on Saturday, February 15, at 4:30 p.m. at the Quogue Firehouse. It’s intended for children in third grade and up. In this event, students perform qualitative tests on common household powders, and on a “mystery” powder. They use analytical thinking and deductive reasoning to solve the identity of the unknown substance. Concrete ideas about atoms and molecules are formulated as students participate in this challenging program.

Register for programs at the Quogue Library or on its website.

WESTHAMPTON

Congratulations are in order for Jillian Galovic, a 2017 graduate of Westhampton Beach High School, for being named to the dean’s list at SUNY Cortland for the fall 2019 semester. She is a physical education major with a focus on adaptive physical education.

The Westhampton Free Library culminated its yearlong Hometown Heroes initiative on January 18 with a ceremony honoring the veterans of the Arthur Ellis Hamm American Legion Post 834.

During the event, library and local officials presented Post 834 with proclamations and expressed gratitude for their service to the community and country. They also presented a book featuring the biographies of the 12 American Legion veterans who were honored throughout 2019. Those veterans included Emil Mollik, William Matthews, Michael Berdinka, Frederick Bauer, John Berdinka, Fred Overton, Tom Hadlock, Lisha Jones Terry, Don Noble, Matthew Atkins, Thomas Mendenhall and Michael Pope.

The Winter Lecture Series sponsored by the Westhampton Beach Historical Society and the Westhampton Free Library continues on Sunday, February 9 at 1:30 p.m. at the library with James “Zak” Szakmary, Colonial Long Island Historian and Suffolk County Historical Society Trustee, who will present “The WPA: Art, Artists and Others of Long Island.” His topic will be about the artists and the art created in many public buildings during the Great Depression. Coffee, tea and desserts will be served following the lecture. Register by calling 631-288-3335, ext. 4 or at westhamptonlibrary.net.

The third and last lecture will take place at the library on March 8. Lectures are open to the public at no charge. Learn more about the Westhampton Beach Historical Society at whbhistorical.org.

The Westhampton Free Library is collecting nonperishable food items through February 3 in support of the Souper Bowl of Caring initiative. All donated items will go to the local food pantry. Suggested donations include canned vegetables, stuffing, baby food, pet food, toothpaste, shampoo and conditioner.

The next Lunch and Learn topic is the National Park Service and it will be presented on Friday, January 31.

The library invites tweens to recycle pages of an old book by making intricate 3D snowflakes on Thursday, January 30, at 4 p.m. Younger children can make art featuring penguins at 6:30 p.m.

Children (ages 3-5) will listen to penguin-themed stories and create a penguin craft on Wednesday, February 12, at 1:30 p.m.

As part of its Lunch and Learn series, the library will host a discussion on broken heart syndrome on Friday, February 14, at noon. The discussion will be led by Dr. John P. Reilly of Stony Brook Cardiology and Specialty Care in Southampton. He will speak about how hearts and minds are linked, what causes broken heart syndrome and how stress hormones affect the cardiovascular system.

For more information and to register for programs, call 631-288-3335 or visit westhamptonlibrary.net.

Remsenburg

A fundraiser for Grace Guerra, a 12-year-old Remsenburg resident with brain and spinal cancer, is planned for Sunday, February 9, from 2 to 5 p.m. at Hotel Indigo in Riverhead. “Crystals for a Cause” tickets are $40 if purchased in advance or $50 at the door. Those under age 18 can purchase tickets for $20. Take make a donation, go to venmo@gracieguerra.

Take Note

We have been told that Hannah Faye Huizing has stepped down from the position of administrative director of the Choral Society of the Hamptons. The board of directors and the chorus have expressed their gratitude for her service over two years.

A search for a new administrator is currently under way. Those who are interested, may contact lylla@lyllacarter.com or Danny at dkmckeever@hotmail.com for further information.

The Clubhouse in Wainscott will be the venue for a fundraiser co-hosted by The Country School and Wildlife Rescue of East Hampton to raise money for the wildlife rescue effort in Australia. Cocktails for Koalas will take place on Friday, February 7, from 6 to 8 p.m.

The wildfires in Australia have taken the lives of an estimated one billion animals. Donations will go directly to WIRES, Australia’s largest Wildlife Rescue Organization, in support of wildlife in distress that require rescuing, medical treatment, food, rehabilitation, and shelter.

Complimentary childcare will be provided during the event at the Country School near the Clubhouse. To RSVP for child care or ticket information, email cocktailsforkoalas@gmail.com or call 631-537-2255.

The Horticultural Alliance of the Hamptons will host a roundtable discussion on dividing plants on Saturday, February 1, at 10 a.m.

It will take place in the HAH John LoGerfo Library at the Bridgehampton Community House (entrance on the School Street side). Coming on February 8 from the HAH is a workshop with Chris Paparo titled From Plankton to Whales — Why Our Waters Are Worth Saving. That talk begins at 10 a.m.

A lecture titled Gardenlust: A Botanical Tour of the World’s Best New Gardens is set for Sunday, February 9, at 2 p.m.

Go to hahgarden.org for details about all programs.

The Town of Southampton Parks and Recreation Department is now offering a Pre-K Fun Zone on Tuesdays, starting February 4 and continuing through March 31. Resident children and their caregivers may come to Red Creek Park’s activity center for crafts, exercise, games, sports and other activities from 4:15 to 5:15. The cost is $40 for the series. Call 631-728-8585 to register.

A free Chinese New Year Qigong session will be offered on Sunday February 9, at noon at the Unitarian Universalist Meetinghouse on the Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike. For more information, call Tina at 631-723-1923.

The public libraries of Suffolk County announced that it achieved a record-breaking 2 million digital book checkouts on Livebrary in 2019, a milestone for the library consortium.

“Libraries have always been about connecting readers with books, in whatever format, and the Livebrary.com platform gives readers in Suffolk County access to a world of information, learning, and entertainment from wherever they may be” said Kevin Verbesey, Director of the Suffolk Cooperative Library System.

The Public Libraries of Suffolk County have been providing readers 24/7 access to eBooks and audiobooks for several years through Livebrary.

The top 5 eBook titles borrowed through Livebrary.com’s digital collection in 2019 are:

1. “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens

2. “Nine Perfect Strangers,” by Liane Moriarty

3. “Educated” by Tara Westover

4. “Becoming” by Michelle Obama

5. “The Silent Patient” by Alex Michaelides

ARF will offer indoor dog training classes set to start February 7. Classes are held indoors in a heated greenhouse at Wainscott Farms. Instructor Matthew Posnick will teach “puppy kindergarten,” dog obedience, dog agility, AKC tricks, therapy prep and scent and tracking. Sessions run for five weeks. For a full list of class offerings or to register visit arfhamptons.org or call 631-537-0400 extension 202.

The New York Council of Nonprofits is offering a training workshop with Andrew Marietta on Saturday, January 25, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The two-part presentation will talk about board roles and responsibilities, and strategic planning.

The Ellen Hermanson Foundation will hold its annual community fundraiser, Tickled Pink, on Saturday, February 8. at LTV Media Center, from 6:30 p.m. – 10 p.m. The evening will kick off the foundation’s 25th anniversary year and feature comedian Jessica Kirson.

Cheryl Babinski, Christopher Robbins and Robbins-Wolfe Eventeurs, and Charlotte Sasso and Stuarts Seafood Market will be recognized with Community Achievement Awards.

Tickets are $100 and benefactor tickets are $250. Go to ellenhermanson.org for details.

The Battle of the Fantasy Girl Bands, hosted by the Neopolitical Cowgirls, will take place at the Stephen Talkhouse on Saturday, February 1, at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Nancy Atlas and Inda Eaton, will be the masters of ceremony. Tickets are $25, advance only.

Then, there’s ZIMA!, the Cowgirls’ annual outdoor theatrical scavenger hunt returns to Montauk Village on Sunday, February 9, from 1 to 2:30. A magical embrace of the East End’s winter beauty where audiences go on a journey in search of hidden characters and vignettes through town to discover answers to a mythological riddle. In partnership with The Montauk Playhouse and sponsored in part by the Montauk Chamber of Commerce. Tickets can be purchased at a discount in advance at www.npcowgirls.org or on February 9 at the start of the event at the Montauk Village Green gazebo.

A lecture offered by the Montauk Observatory titled “Twinkle, Twinkle Exploding Star, How We Wonder What You Are!” is set for Friday, February 7, at 6 p.m. at the Southampton Arts Center. Professor Alan Calder will give an overview of a supernova and present recent research results. After the talk, if time and weather permit, Montauk Observatory astronomers will set up a telescope to view Betelgeuse in Orion and other celestial objects.

Teen Corner

The Southampton Youth Bureau will host its next Open Mic Night at Hampton Coffee Company in Southampton on Friday, February 28. Those in grades five to 12 are invited to perform. To reserve a performance time slot, please email pstrecker@southamptontownny.gov or call 631-702-2425.

The Town of Southampton Youth Bureau will be holding open auditions for its annual Hamptons Got Talent competition on Fridays, January 31 and February 7, at the Hampton Bays Community Center. Auditions for master of ceremonies will also be held on both dates as well.

Finalists selected will perform in the seventh annual Hamptons Got Talent Competition on Saturday, April 4, at Hampton Bays High School.

For more information, call 631-702-2425 or visitsouthamptontownny.gov/youthbureau for information about Youth Bureau programs.

Take A Hike

Sunday, February 9: Full & Snow Moon Hike. Meet behind the South Fork Natural History Museum at 6:30 p.m.