Veterans' Day, 2013

 Tyler Donahue, an American Legion Boy Scout of Troop 239, landscaped this plot in front of the memorial of those who served.

 

Charles Wroblewski, at right, led the assembly in prayer, and other post officers continued with reflections on the meaning of Veterans' Day and the goals of peace and freedom.
 

November 7, at Seaford Historical Museum

SWEPT BY OCEAN BREEZES: 

A HISTORY OF CONEY ISLAND 

A presentation by author John Manbeck, made possible through a Grant from the New York Council for the Humanities, details the development of Coney Island from a useless peninsula south of Kings County into a major area attraction.  

Come to hear and see the story of how Coney Island came to be and why it became a summer utopia for the masses! 

Thurs. Nov. 7th, 2013  at  7:30 PM 

Seaford Historical Museum – 3890 Waverly Ave. 

Between Jackson & Southard Aves., Seaford 

Meeting is open to all and admission is FREE. 

Bring Family & Friends 

Refreshments will be served 

Harvest Fair

It’s Time Again !! 

Our 7th Annual Fall Family Harvest Fair 

                              Sunday Sept. 29th         11 AM – 4 PM 

Come to the Seaford Museum for a full day of family fun, food and shopping.  

  

Our Pumpkin Patch will have pumpkins, mums, hay bales & cornstalks. 

Sit & enjoy lunch from our food offerings of hot dogs, soda, popcorn, hot pretzels, candy apples and the famous Powell Family Clam Chowder. 

Finish your meal with some of the delicious baked goods that will be awaiting you. And you can always take some home to enjoy later. 

The terrific Kids’ Tent is always a big hit – featuring games, face painting and prizes. 

A large selection of vendors will be showing a multitude of fun & interesting items for your shopping pleasure. 

Lucky ticket owners will win raffle prizes. Entertainment throughout the day will add to the festive atmosphere. Everyone will enjoy visiting the Museum and experiencing Seaford’s past. 

The Fall Festival is fun for all ages and all proceeds benefit the Seaford Historical Society and its efforts to preserve our Museum and the many artifacts that help us all understand our town and the story of its history. 

Put the date of Sun. Sept. 29th on the calendar and join us, rain or shine, for a fun-filled family day right in Seaford. 

Vendors are wanted. For information contact seafordhistoric@optonline.net or call Carla at 516-826-7642   

Harvest Fair

Fun for the entire community!  Pumpkins.  Mums.  Hay bales. Soy candles.  Home-style bake sale.  Clam chowder.  Hot dogs. Popcorn.  Soda.
Entertainment throughout the day!
50/50 and raffle prizes.
Face painting.  Pumpkin decorating.  Balloon animals.  Games and prizes.

This event is a fundraiser to restore the Seaford Historical Museum.

9/11 memorial at Seaford Fire Department 2013

At 6:30 a.m. on September 11, 2013, the Seaford Fire Department dedicated this monument ourside the firehouse on Southard Avenue.  The monument includes a fountain, two pieces of twisted steel from the World Trade Center, a bench, and plantings.

Fire Commissioner George Von Glahn led the ceremony, introducing guests, and also explaining the history of the construction of the memorial and its design by Seaford residents.  Chaplain Msgr. Steve Camp gave the invocation, words of encouragement ("We are stronger than steel"), and the blessing. The police pipe band vigorously offered a series of patriotic and meaningful pieces, including the U.S. Army song, "Over There," "Anchors Away," the Marines' Hymn, Amazing Grace, America the Beautiful, and "You're a Grand Old Flag."

New pastors

Above, at Washington and Waverly Avenues.

At 2197 Jackson Avenue, Seaford, New York, north of the library.

Also, Fr. Ryszard (Richard) Ficek, from Lublin, has joined St. William parish as an associate pastor.  

Welcome to all!

Family Harvest Fair, September 29th

It’s Time Again !!

Our 7th Annual Fall Family Harvest Fair

Sunday Sept. 29th 11 AM – 4 PM

Come to the Seaford Museum for a full day of family fun, food and shopping.

Our Pumpkin Patch will have pumpkins, mums, hay bales & cornstalks.
Sit & enjoy lunch from our food offerings of hot dogs, soda, popcorn, hot pretzels, candy apples and the famous Powell Family Clam Chowder.
Finish your meal with some of the delicious baked goods that will be awaiting you. And you can always take some home to enjoy later.

The terrific Kids’ Tent is always a big hit – featuring games, face painting and prizes.

A large selection of vendors will be showing a multitude of fun & interesting items for your shopping pleasure.

Lucky ticket owners will win raffle prizes. Entertainment throughout the day will add to the festive atmosphere. Everyone will enjoy visiting the Museum and experiencing Seaford’s past.

The Fall Festival is fun for all ages and all proceeds benefit the Seaford Historical Society and its efforts to preserve our Museum and the many artifacts that help us all understand our town and the story of its history.

Put the date of Sun. Sept. 29th on the calendar and join us, rain or shine, for a fun-filled family day right in Seaford.



 Vendors are wanted. For information contact seafordhistoric@optonline.net or call Carla at 516-826-7642

Magic Night at the Seaford Historical Society

On Thurs. July 25th at 6:30 PM the Seaford Historical Society will host an evening of exciting, enthralling magic by Jim McClenahan.  The show is fun for all ages and admission is free. Event will be rain or shine. Weather permitting, the presentation will be on the lawn so bring lawn chairs or blankets. In the event of rain we will move inside the Museum. Refreshments will be available. Join us for a great family evening and remember -- admission is free. The Museum is located at 3890 Waverly Ave. between Jackson & Southard Aves.  

Two concerts at Seaman's Neck Park

Location: Seaman's Neck Park, south Seaford.

Rev. Winfred Vergara's blogs

There is a randomness to the "Next Blog" button atop this blog and other blogs formatted by Google's Blogspot or Blogger platform.  Clicking the "Next Blog" today introduced me to a Seaford pastor whose name has appeared on the sign at St. Michael and All Angels from 2009 to 2013, namely priest-in-charge Rev. Dr. Winfred Vergara.  He has left Seaford and now serves St. James Episcopal church in Elmhurst, Queens.  May faith blossom wherever he travels.
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I link his two blogs here:
St. Michael Seaford
Travelin' Asian
and this Seaford item from May 12, 2013.

Memorial Day, 2013

On the morning of Monday, May 27, 2013, Seaford honored those who died in combat with a parade on Washington Avenue leading to the monument in front of Seaford Middle School.

The above group from the American Legion followed the color guard.

Above, the Seaford HS Marching Band passes the Methodist church on Washington Avenue.

Seaford school budget passes

Today, the Seaford School District budget passed by a vote of 1,664 to 921.

Seaford and other jurisdictions

In a conversation yesterday, I was reminded that not every house with a Seaford postal address is within the Seaford School District.  Seaford above Jerusalem Avenue may be in an adjacent district, such as Wantagh, Levittown, or Plainedge.  Nor does every Seaford School District address lie within the postal area called Seaford.

LIRR Elevator and escalator status

A handy web page is linked here.  It lists the current status of the escalators and elevators on the railroad.  For example, at 8:45 this morning, 4.10.2013, I learned that the Seaford station elevator is currently not working, but the escalator is working.  At noon, I rode summoned the elevator to the platform level, and rode it down.  The link still reports it as not working.  Maybe there is an explanation for the Not Working indication on the link.
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I am told that the list also appears on an internet-connected board in Penn Station near the LIRR waiting room, but I have not yet found it.

LIRR Forum at the Wantagh Library 4.4.2013

LIRR FORUM at Wantagh Library, 4.4.2013

This report may contain errors. 

The meeting lasted from 7:38 p.m. to about 8:55 p.m.

ü Nassau county Legislator David Denenberg hosted Bob Brennan, Director, Government and Community Relations, LIRR, and Patrick Gerakaris, Branch Line Manager of some 38 south shore stations in Nassau County.  The email for the Branch Line Manager is pcgerak@lirr.org  As usual, both LIRR employees answered questions well.  Many thanks!

ü Legislator Denenberg pointed out the need for an appointment to the Long Island seat on the MTA Board.  Please note that this is a more important position that a seat on the Long Island Rail Road Commuter Council.  Mr. Denenberg's quest is seen in this Merrick Patch article dated 4.4.2013.

ü As people drifted in and out, the highest attendance was about 20, including officials, aides, and reporters.

ü Mr. Denenberg reviewed the issues of escalator and elevator repairs and parking lot problems, particularly in Merrick where an auto body shop repeatedly uses commuter spaces.  He objected to Metro North's intentions to route trains from Co-op City over the Hell Gate Bridge and into the four-track East River tunnel after some LIRR trains are diverted to the 63rd St. tunnel.

ü From 7:55 to 8:05 Freeport Mayor Robert Kennedy spoke of conditions at that station: elevator and escalator maintenance, safety, and cleanliness.  He said that the new energy-saving lights on the platform were too dim.  He said that video cameras should provide staffed surveillance at some desk.

ü Several times during the presentation and discussions, the lack of an elevator at Wantagh was noted.  A year ago, it was reported that the five-year MTA budget plan had not yet been released by Albany.  At this year, we heard from Mr. Brennan a statement that the Wantagh elevator was now in the five-year budget.  However, as an observer of the way government budgets go, I would not be certain of the money actually flowing to construction of an elevator at Wantagh.  Too often, under fiscal pressure, items are deleted from a budget or postponed.  I heard nothing specific of any money for the necessary reconstruction of the platform slabs.  According to Mr. Gerakaris, the slabs at Seaford were replaced first because they were in worse shape than Wantagh.

ü When the meeting was opened to questions from the audience, much time was expended on Bellmore and the new Town of Hempstead Parking stickers. A parent of Bellmore riders complained that more permits seem to have been issued than the number of parking places reserved for Bellmore residents.  The same person demanded that spots nearer the station be reserved for people arriving there later in the morning.  The same person complained that Seaford and Wantagh Town of Hempstead residents could purchase the same stickers.

ü An owner of a Wantagh business complained that there was insufficient parking for employees of the stores there.  The non-permit parking has a time limit of only few hours.  This person noted that a summertime bus stop takes up parking spaces on Railroad Avenue adjacent to the Wantagh Triangle.  I note that the Bus Stop and a similar one on Park Avenue near Beech Street have not had bus service in more than thirty years.  They are a holdover from long-discontinued service, predating MSBA.

ü Many of the Bellmore and Wantagh parking complaints were not issues for the railroad, as the Town of Hempstead controls most of the lots.  I heard no complaints about Seaford.

ü Someone observed that parking districts existed for tax purposes.  However, I reviewed our Town of Hempstead detailed tax bill and could not find a parking district tax.

ü Legislator Denenberg left the meeting about 8:20.  Claudia Boretsky, noting no more questions, closed the meeting about 8:55.
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Chris Boyle's excellent, detailed report of this meeting may be read at Wantagh Patch, linked here.
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A web page listing the working status of all LIRR elevators and escalators is linked here.  I am rather certain that the same list is now displayed on a new "smart" panel in Penn Station between the LIRR waiting room and the ticket booths.  A few such internet-connected panels have been installed around the LIRR concourse level.  I think I have seen one displaying the status of subway routes and another for the LIRR branches.

Seaford Library budget passes

On April 3, 2013, the Seaford Library budget passed, with a vote of 94 to 21.  Peter Ruffner was reelected, unopposed, with 99 votes.
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Below, I list some results from previous years:
On April 4, 2012, the Seaford Library budget passed, with a vote of 85 to 40. Patricia Coughlin was reelected, unopposed, with 106 votes.
On April 6, 2011, the 2011-2012 budget for the Seaford Library passed, 110-36.  Stephen Gaughran was reelected as trustee, with 129 votes.
In April, 2010, the Seaford library budget passed, 103-29. Eileen Montalbano was reelected as trustee, with 119 votes.
In April, 2009, the Seaford Library budget passed, 98-30. John Rall was reelected as trustee with 115 votes.
In April, 2008, the Seaford Library budget passed, 110-52.  Peter Ruffner was reelected trustee for a five-year term.
The 2007-8 budget of the Seaford Public Library passed, with a vote of 78 "Yes" to 45 "No." Maybe the drenching rain kept the turnout low. Possessing a valid library card is different from registering to vote in a library district or school district, and I do not know the number of registered or eligible voters. About 10,400 Seafordites have Seaford Library cards in a district of approximately 16,000 residents. As library cards must be renewed every three years, the number of card holders may be a little inflated by people moving out of the district. The voting register for school district and library district (a combined list) totals about 10,000 to 12,000 names.

Baseball on Long Island in 1857-1876

On Thursday, March 7th, 2013, the Seaford Historical Society hosted an excellent presentation on Old Time Baseball on Long Island, featuring members of the vintage baseball team New York Mutuals.   The New York Mutuals played ball from 1857- 1876 on Long Island. Come learn how the rules differed and see firsthand the uniforms they wore back then.   The current players recreate the style of play from when the Mutuals were National League champions in 1870.  

Red House, Tackapausha, Massapequa

In late January, 2013, I came across this new sign on the Massapequa side of Tackapausha Pond.  At the Central Avenue library, a small book of postcard views of Massapequa has a photo of the red house, which I have linked here, from the Long Island Memories digital collection.
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George Kirchmann of the Massapequa Historical Society graciously explained:

The Massapequa Historical Society erected the Red House marker last November. It was the first of the large estates (traveling eastward) that lined Merrick Road from Seaford to Amityville in the 1800 - 1960s period. James Meinell bought 600 acres in the Seaford - Massapequa area in the 1850s and completed the house in 1856. He was born in Ireland in 1789, came to the US in 1810 and made his fortune buying and selling New York City real estate. He opened the New Theater on Lower Broadway around 1855 and it became well known for the quality of its plays. The main troupe that performed there was Laura Keene's, whose troupe performed Our American Cousin at Ford's Theater the night Lincoln was shot. Meinell died in 1865 and his mansion became a hotel, then a boarding house, and a private house again until it was torn down in 1964.

Snow and Ice, Jan. 23-26

Sometime in the 1970's, I joined many people skating on Tackapausha Pond.  I cannot recall skaters here in recent years, but on January 26, 2013, the ice was strong enough to hold an inch of snow.  Somebody had shoveled a far corner of the ice clear, and a few people were walking about.

Since the late 1600's, Seaford Creek has separated the Town of Hempstead (left and straight ahead) from the Town of Oyster Bay (on the right).  Tackapausha Pond flows into Seaford Creek, which here has gathered some ice in the past night or two.  The left fork is a short canal.  The photo was taken from Jetmore Place, Massapequa, looking north.

The Parkside Cafe on Adler Court, facing Seaford Creek, will reopen.  
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More photos from late January, 2013, are linked here. Captions will appear when you click on the photos. (Google+ albums are a bit tricky to view.)
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Seaford Public School Enrollment

The first column below is the enrollment in January, 2007.
The second column is the enrollment of 12/21/2012.

Grade
K.	Unknown	179
Gr. 1	180	165
Gr. 2	190	170
Gr. 3	197	195
Gr. 4	205	182
Gr. 5	204	199
Gr. 6	226	163
Gr. 7	207	188
Gr. 8	227	204
Gr. 9	173	179
Gr. 10	220	202
Gr. 11	223	208
Gr. 12	173	199

The Seaford School District extends about three miles from Seaford Harbor north to Jerusalem Avenue.  North of Jerusalem Avenue there is more than a mile of the Seaford postal zone that is not in the school district.

East-west along Merrick Road, the school district runs about 1.2 miles from near Cedar Creek to Seaford Creek at Tackapausha. East-west at the railroad, the extent is about 0.6 miles.
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The other day (11.18.2016) I met a graduate of the Seaford High School class of 1965.  He said his graduating class numbered 320.  In vast parts of Nassau County that had farms or vacant land in the early 1940's, there was a housing boom through the 1950's that caused a peak in high school enrollment in the 1960's.  By the 1970's, districts were dismissing staff and closing schools.

Maximum water height during Sandy

Newsday of 1.8.2013 published a summary article titled "A Tally of Storm's Wrath," reporting numbers that the newspaper had received from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.  The only number that specifically mentioned Seaford was the Maximum Water Height in Seaford of 8.36 feet.  According to the text of the article, the figure was derived from tide gauges in the bays and observations along the coast.  A friend told me that FEMA representatives were measuring high water marks on buildings a day or two after the storm.
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Newsday offered FEMA's inundation map at http://newsday.com/sandy but I could not access it. Hopefully, the map will become available on FEMA's website, which at the moment offers the 2009 flood prediction map.

School Board Meeting of 1.3.2013

The Seaford School District Board of Education held its first meeting of 2013 at the Seaford Manor Elementary School on January 3, 2013.  For most of the public meeting, the topic was school safety in light of the tragic events at Newtown, Connecticut.  The school board president described at length what was done for the final week of school in December and what additional precautions have been taken.  "Tweak" described the on-going change of procedures based on experience and advice.  
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Seaford trustees, staff, and residents deserve praise for their work and helpfulness in the days and weeks following the hurricane, some coping with their own damaged properties, many caught up with the need to communicate by visits rather than electronically.
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Seaford trustees, staff, and residents deserve praise for their concerned and level-headed planning of and reactions to safety issues raised by the deaths at Newtown.
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The second large topic was the need to get FEMA funding for construction of the emergency access/"egress" road at the Harbor School. Patch has an excellent narrative of the attempts to build this alternate route.
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For an earlier use of the word Egress instead of Exit, the reader may wish to read this story of P. T. Barnum.