Welcome all to the 2024 Kismet season! Homeowners are probably settled or settling in. Year-round residents and weekend warriors survived the winter with little snow to speak of but March came in full lion-like mode with “hurricane-high” winds that blew debris everywhere — including my shower door! Pounding rain inundated yards, seeping under and even into a few houses. Water and sand clogged outdoor water lines and screens. Days after the March 11 storm many sidewalk drains were cleared by Islip Town workers, using Sam’s borrowed pump under the auspices of Warren Lem, our new Street Improvement District commissioner. A News 12 special on the Fire Island School aired in March and PSEG staged inspection helicopter flights. Remember those roof-skimming ones last June? Was a good idea to reschedule!
Kismet slowly came back to life in April. A “fun-raiser” mixology contest brought a full house of year-rounders and visiting homeowners to the firehouse on April 20 to sample and vote on various “boozy batches” created by mostly amateur “mixologists.” Frank and Heather were the winners. A warm and seasonally rare sunny Saturday brought scads of residents and visitors to the Kismet Inn opening on the weekend of April 26. Outside the Kismet Fire Department (KFD) the Kismet Fire Department Auxiliary (KFDA) sold new gray hoodies. The KFD held their annual installation dinner Friday, May 3, at Captain Bill’s in Bay Shore. Some Kismetians celebrated Derby Day and Cinco De Mayo traditionally at the Kismet Inn while others met with friends at home parties on this chilly and gray day.
Danielle B. and Karen S. staffed a KFD “Hoodie Sales Table” downtown along with a bundled-up Lizzie B. and Riley C. The first KFDA goodie basket raffle of the season, filled with tequila and related items, was awarded to winners Frank and Sidney M. The KFDA’s annual plant and potting-soil sale — Kismet’s most popular event — was held last weekend at the firehouse. Residents picked up their pre-ordered sod bags on Saturday with the plant sale Sunday attracting a full house of eager fans. Due to circumstances beyond KFDA control, plants were not available for Mother’s Day.
Coming up:
- Author and Lonelyville Ellen Federico and illustrator Tracey Dockrey will be selling signed copies of their new children’s book “Butterfly Island and the Invincible Crew” at 11 a.m. at the firehouse May 25.
- The third annual “Kismet New Year’s Eve” event at Kismet Park (the tennis courts) will be held June 1 from 3 to 6 p.m.
- Kismet League for Animal Welfare (KLAW) will be raffling an almost-new (1 month use) GE 6000 BTU room Air Conditioner this season as well as the usual July 4 bicycle and scratch-off lottery trees.
- The Kismet Community Association spring meeting for homeowners will be held on Sunday, June 9.
After spending a decade as a “Share” and “Share House Manager” in Kismet, Bradlee White bought her house on Seabay Walk in 1996. As an animal lover, she became involved with the Deer Immnunocontraception Program as well as the Kismet League for Animal Welfare (KLAW).
