Community Columns

Oysterponds news: Flag donations are sought

Welcome to Ryan Joseph Philipps, born Sept. 6 at Lawrence and Memorial Hospital in New London, Conn., weighing 8 pounds, 9 ounces and measuring 19.5 inches. His proud parents are Meghan (Caffery) and Brent Philipps. The tickled grandparents are Orienteers Kathy and Pat Caffery and Bob and Jayne Philipps of Michigan. Big brothers Brendan, Dylan and Sean are thrilled to have Ryan on board. This growing military family is back in Groton, Conn., where Brent is on shore duty after a few years of globe-hopping. Congratulations all around.

In case you haven’t noticed the banner, Oysterponds School is launching a year of celebrations to commemorate 50 years serving our community. It will be fun to see what’s in store for us.

Last column, I talked about disposing of old flags. Oysterponds Community Activities is always seeking donations of new flags for all the memorials they maintain. Stop in the Country Store and ask Dinah Seiver where you can drop them.

The annual meeting of OCA (aka Poquatuck Hall) will be held at the hall Saturday, Oct. 29, at 10 a.m. Mark your calendar and come hear about the year of renovations and the plans for 2017.

This Sunday, Oct. 2, at 1 p.m. a Blessing of the Animals service will take place on the front lawn of Orient Congregational Church. All animals are invited to attend and should bring their humans with them.

If you miss the Orient service, Father Richard Hoerning will be blessing pets at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 4 — the actual feast day of St. Francis of Assisi — outside the St. Agnes rectory garages. Please make sure dogs and cats are leashed or contained. All are welcome.

Speaking of animals, watch out for deer. I stopped near the Point to let a deer cross the road and it turned out he was just one in a group of 14! Mating season is approaching, during which they throw themselves in front of cars to test the efficacy of our auto insurance. Be vigilant.

While visiting my ‘stuff’ at the Cutchogue storage bins last week I spotted a Christopher Siciliano Moving truck from East Williston. I asked the driver how far it was to East Williston and he said it took him two-plus hours to get to Cutchogue. I said I was feeling guilty about missing a recent birthday party there. He asked, “Mrs. Fleck’s?” I was shocked but he said everybody knows Mrs. Fleck. Must be small town to add to my small world.

OCC will hold a barn sale Saturday, Oct. 8, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in a barn on Terry Lane in Orient. There will be some great furniture bargains and other interesting stuff. For more details, call Joe Papa at 631-323-2537.

OCC’s monthly Fellowship Supper is Wednesday, Oct. 5, at 6:30 p.m. Bring a dish to share. It’s open to the whole community.

Congratulations to Eddie King, who was recently named Orient Fire Department’s firefighter of the year, and Michael Bredemeyer, who received his five-year pin and the top responder award. WTG, fellas.

A ‘public service announcement’ comes from Rene Carey, who reported being stung by a bee by the IGA last week. Her foot swelled in a nanosecond and an ELIH employee nearby suggested putting apple cider vinegar on it, which worked amazingly. The other warning is to avoid the area around the IGA’s bottle return machines, where bees seem to be holding a convention.

Pete Cavallo, chef extraordinaire at Orient Yacht Club and a beloved community member, will be having open heart surgery Sept. 30 at Mount Sinai hospital. Pound on God’s door to guide the surgeon’s hands and protect this wonderful 88-year-old.

Mark your calendar for an Orient Express concert to benefit Poquatuck Hall on Saturday, Oct. 15, at 7 p.m. Admission is $10. All the details will follow in my next column.

Oysterponds extends sympathy to Sarah Olmstead on the loss of her sister this week. May she rest in peace.
Shanah Tovah to our Oysterponds Jewish family. Rosh Hashanah is Sunday through Tuesday and Yom Kippur is Oct. 12. Blessings to all of you.

Contact Oysterponds columnist Carol Gillooly at [email protected] or 631-323-3899.