Neighbors

By Joey MacellaroDick Kossoff was the first of six storytellers to speak on the theme “Our Youth,” at Ziggy’s Lot, Seaview’s outdoor supper club on the bay at G Street, on July 21. He shared with listeners the story of his first break into journalism at the age of 12, recording and sharing news of Jackie Robinson’s first major league baseball game. Andrea Truppin spoke about the loss of her South African accent despite her mother’s attempt to save it, and John Jiler shared thoughts on a high school French teacher who played a pivotal role in his life. Diane Charlap next told the story of late neighbor Kelly Lachmann’s amusing trip to the Academy Awards, while Jonah Vogel lauded the gifts and accomplishments of his parents and grandparents. Finally, Debbie Belford de Furia told a lighthearted tale of her alltoo- brief theatrical career – and how it led to her becoming a cover girl in post-wall Eastern Germany. The evening event was sponsored by the Seaview Community Fund, which is also hosting fun-and-game nights at the Fire Island Synagogue, every Wednesday, at 7 p.m., through Aug. 21. The next event will be a discussion of James Thurber’s “The Catbird Seat.” “The game nights were all Eleanor Holtzman’s idea,” said Zabby Hovey of Seaview. “Last year the Community Fund got together and donated card tables.” She added that Seaview’s annual children’s Shakespeare production this year will be “Macbeth,” and will be held on Ziggy’s Lot on the evening of Aug. 30. “We’d love to have members of the surrounding communities visit us for special events,” said Tom Ruskin, president of the Seaview Association, noting that the first of the community’s two movie nights this season was held south of the ferry basin on July 21, in memory of resident Howie Solomon. A new scoreboard at the Seaview softball field was also dedicated in memory of Solomon, on May 25, through a donation from his family. I traveled from the east to the west to get an update from Carey Lyons, vice president of the Fire Island Summer Club, on the progress his community has made with improvements to their clubhouse and surrounding areas. After an extensive renovation of the clubhouse was completed over the 2018 winter break. Work began last fall on finishing touches: a new bar was built; lounge couches were purchased; the kitchen was replaced; a 75-inch television, several smaller TVs, and new gym equipment were added; a stereo music system was installed, which can play throughout the facility; 2-by-3-foot posters of local newspaper covers, including some from Fire Island News, were artistically placed on walls; all exterior decking was replaced; and a handicapped access ramp was constructed. Summer Club’s annual kickoff party was held on June 29, with more than 100 residents and guests in attendance. Projects planned for the fall include a rock wall along the bay to prevent erosion, the raising of sidewalks at the north end of Sloop Walk, two new tennis courts with improved access paths, and new landscaping in the area south of the clubhouse. Preliminary plans are currently in the works to build a pier for docking to the north of the clubhouse; only mooring has been available until now. “Now that all these improvements have been made, we want to invite our neighbors to join us for dinners and other events at the clubhouse in the future,” said Lyons, echoing Ruskin’s desire to bring our local communities together. He noted that there have been an unusual number of home sales in Summer Club lately, in the small community of 40 families, with eight homes changing hands in the last year alone. He feels the community’s ban on group home rentals and the restriction on renting for new homeowners contributes to the allure and quiet nature of Summer Club. In the coming week, folks from throughout Fire Island and beyond will be coming together for the first annual Ocean Beach Seafood and Music Fest, from Aug. 6-8, sponsored by the Ocean Beach Chamber of Commerce and Fire Island News. Many of the Chamber’s 62 member establishments will be participating, with restaurants throughout town offering live music from noon to 10 p.m. and seafood specials starting at $19.99. See www.visitoceanbeach.com for more information. Not to be outdone, the Ocean Beach Community Fund will be hosting its annual benefit gala at Windswept, on Saturday, Aug. 3, at 7:30 p.m., with the theme “Woodstock Revival.” Tickets may be purchased online at www.oceanbeachcommunityfund. org. Fire Island Ferries is now offering electronic ticketing. Passengers may download the “FI mTickets” app and purchase fares by credit card rather than using paper tickets. (Supported by Google Play or the ITunes App Store.) Please note, tocjeting at the resident rate is not currently supported by the app. For more information, please visit fiferries. com/mtickets There have been numerous dolphin sightings in the Atlantic off Ocean Beach and the surrounding communities in recent weeks. Sadly, a dolphin washed ashore dead in Seaview on July 20, and the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society had to attend to it. Congratulations are in order for Jon and Ashley Randazzo, who welcomed their firstborn, Luke Thomas, on July 8, weighing 7-1/2 pounds. Jon is vice president of the Ocean Beach Chamber of Commerce and owns several businesses in town, including The Landing, Castaway Bar & Grill, Scoops, the Baywalk Café, and Beacheria. A resolution was reached before the July 13 village board meeting that voided the pending eminent domain seizure of a piece of land belonging to Clegg’s Hotel, adjacent to Bayberry Walk near the ferry terminal. The agreement between the hotel and the village allows for a small portion of land to be forfeited to the village in return for a certificate of occupancy for the hotel, which had lacked one due to a portion of its structure sitting on village property. The transfer of the land along Bayberry to the village will allow for a better flow of traffic from incoming ferries. I don’t know about you, but I’m planning on visiting some neighbors on the beach this week. Thankfully, they’re only a bike ride away.