by Lisa Daglian
Greetings friends and neighbors, and happy 2023 season. Great to see so many of you, can’t wait to see more. We’re in for another beautiful summer on our favorite sandbar, made better because the Fire Island News (FIN) is including Davis Park in its fine publication. We are grateful to Laura and Shoshanna at the paper for making this work, and to John and Max Lund for going to bat for us.
Cheers!
Congratulations to Stephen Pinto and Mike Hanley for tying the knot in Cabo. When is the beach party? Cheers to Jake Foley and Leighann Gallagher on their engagement. Thumbs up to Nolan Grunwald, DPFD’s newest Class A firefighter. Thank you for your service. Thanks also to the volunteers who cleaned up literally tons of flotsam and jetsam from the bay beach, to Dan Carucci for organizing, to Brownie for the dumpster and Doug Cibuls for driving. The CRAB beautification project, with support from Town Parks, the Ferry, Mike Dougherty, Neil Robinson, and Brownie looks awesome. Also in the awesome category is Ed Baum, recognized by his alma mater for his professional accomplishments, and (per brother Ara) invited to give opening remarks before a Dead & Co. show on campus – now that’s an honor!
Beers!
We love a soiree, and many of us were out for the unofficial start of summer: opening weekend at the Caz. Some of our Kentucky Derby shenanigans are on display on the FIN website – check out the bedazzled bonnets and bonny lasses from the Friends of Davis Park-sponsored Derby Hat Contest. Thanks to Brian and Liz Campbell, Lee Cillo and LT Micelli, Bill Schatz and Shauna Pogue-Lent, Kristin Downs, and Maureen Guardino for the community fun. We can expect a lot more from this great group, so stay tuned. Mike and Judy Jayne tell us that the Barries hosted a splendid gathering at their annual Derby do. One of these years we’ll make both, but we were too busy catching up with the Callahans, Stolls, Pinos, Baileys, Beanes, Jim and Jodi, Jan and Bill, Steigers, Elissa, our hosts Cory and Lori, and the amazing team that kept us watered till the horses came home.
Tears
We were so sorry to hear of the passing of Jim Pianta – he of the legendary fishing parties (and so much more). So too were we saddened by the loss of Fire Commissioner Bob White, with whom we spent many fun-filled evenings and birthday dinners. Daphne Blake, Bob Demange, Ray Smith, and Dianne Pedelaborde were also all longtime beach fixtures and will be missed by many.
To-Do:
Upcoming activities you won’t want to miss include the CRAB plant sale on May 27; the DPFD Open House on May 28; opening of the Post Office (with Girl Scout Cookies for sale, and Postmistress Linda Firpo); and DPA Spring Meeting on June 11. So much to do, but still time for fun!
This is our community column, so please send tips, tidbits and tattles to DPRidgeFI@gmail.com. Welcome home, and see you around the walks!
