Ocean Bay Park

By Barbara PlacillaIf you followed the rules of summer you may have done some or all of these things – you went for a bike ride, you read a good book, you picnicked on the beach or on the deck, you made new friends, you cooked and ate a lot of good food, you drank a lot of good and/or bad wine, you walked on the beach, you watched the sunset, and you swam in the ocean. At the end of the day you had sand on your feet, salt water in your hair, and sunscreen on your body. You were in Ocean Bay Park where summer always ends with memories.Wow, it’s September and where did the summer of 2017 go? How did the days pass by so quickly? I knew it was coming to an end when I caught a whiff of the sweet autumn clematis the other day. If you are not a gardener, it’s that small, white, star-shaped flower with the distinctive fragrance on trailing vines. It signals the last days of summer and the approach of fall.The month of August was literally one event after another. Every week there was a party, an activity or a fundraising event to attend. The Ocean Beach Fire Department held their annual Warrior Appreciation Day on Friday, Aug. 18. True to form, members of the OBP Fire Department Auxiliary, led by Maryann Reuther, volunteered and pitched in to help with the set up and then served dinner to the veterans and their guests. For more than 50 years, the Auxiliary has been serving the OBP Fire Department and our community and they deserve our thanks and gratitude.Ocean Bay Park is not an incorporated village therefore we must rely on the Town of Brookhaven to provide the essential services that every community needs. The Ocean Bay Park Association is a volunteer organization that was formed in 1956 and welcomes both homeowners and renters alike. Once a year we hold an event to raise the funds that are used to maintain and improve the quality of life in our town. The OBP Community Fair, previously called The Gourmet Fair, was held on Saturday, Aug. 19, at Schooner Inn. On behalf of my co-chair, the incredible Cami Meyer, I am including our thank you note. Although I have participated in fundraising in OBP for many years, I am humbled by how generous people in this community are. You all gave up your time to help and this is for you:Dear Ocean Bay Park:We rocked our first annual OBP Community Fair!Thanks to the generous support of goods and services as well as your time and effort, the Ocean Bay Park Community Fair was a great success. For some community members, volunteering is a way of giving, but for all of you who worked so hard to make the fair a success, it is a way of living! We are sincerely grateful and extend a big “THANK YOU” to all who contributed. Many folks came out, stepped up, and helped raise the funds needed to maintain the quality of life in our beloved community. As a wise woman once said, “No one can do it alone; it takes a village.”This year we took a chance and made some changes! We are keeping pace with the way in which Ocean Bay Park is evolving and growing. Thank you for taking that chance with us. With your continued support and dedication to OBP, next year’s Fair will be even bigger and better.A list of volunteers and vendors as well as the fair proceeds will be put on the website and given at the upcoming Association meeting.P.S.: Thank you Paul Mohring for your generous donations and especially for the use of  Schooner Inn.Up and down the beach, the chairs were lined up facing the sun as we waited in anticipation for the Great Solar Eclipse on Monday, Aug. 21, 2017. The scene was reminiscent of those 1950s film clips you see of people in movie theaters wearing their 3D glasses! Thanks to Lisa McNamee, who had the foresight to order the protective eyewear, we were able to catch a glimpse of this once in a lifetime (at least in mine) event on Fire Island. We had not been able to find the glasses on the mainland, so I took the “traditionalist” route – I went to the NASA website for directions and constructed four cereal box viewers for my husband, Steve, my sister, Alison, and her husband, Rob. It was a great day to be on the beach and one to remember.August milestones to note:Happy Birthday to  Eileen Murray, Janice McBride, Rob Winters, Nick GabyHappy Anniversary to Robbie Harris and Tom Byrnes, 32 years; and Joyce and George Greenberger, 51 yearsGood luck at Iona College to Melody Rose CataneseOur neighboring town, Seaview, does not have a columnist so I am always happy to add news and updates when I get them. Since September is prime wedding season on FI, I am pleased to report that Grace Madeline Neilson and Rio Jimmy Norris will be married Sept. 9, 2017, in Seaview. Henry Schenker, brother-in-law to the groom, will lead the ceremony on the beach. A mutual friend introduced them in June 2013, precisely when they were meant to meet.Thanks Seaview Community Fund and Connolly for continuing the movies on the bay. The flyer read: “Movies in the Moonlight, August 27. Just bring a chair, some popcorn, snacks, beverages, a blanket (and bug spray).” The movie shown was “Casablanca,” one of the all rime greats. It was a wonderful way to end a truly memorable month. And it made it so easy to end this last column of the season by saying thanks to everyone who took the time to read my ramblings. Enjoy these last days of summer and as Rick (Humphrey Bogart) said to Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) “Here’s looking at you kid,” until next year!