What’s Happening: November 2, 2017
MURDER IN MATERA
Writer Helene Stapinski grew up hearing lurid stories of her great-great-grandmother Vita who had committed murder in southern Italy and fled to America with her three children.
More than a century later, and over the course of 10 years, Ms. Stapinski traveled to Basilicata, a mountainous region in Italy’s “instep” to discover what really happened.
On November 3 at 7 p.m., Shelter Island Library presents a Friday Night Dialogues talk by Ms. Stapinski, author of “Murder in Matera: A True Story of Passion, Family and Forgiveness in Southern Italy,” which offers a fascinating account of events and is part memoir, part murder mystery and part family saga.
SPOOKY TOOTH
Dr. Kestler’s dentist office on Shelter Island is sponsoring its first Halloween Candy Buy Back on November 2. Bring in your unopened candy and receive a goodie bag full of Halloween favors, a toothbrush, coupons and more. All candy will be donated to U.S. servicemen and women. Dr. Kestler’s office is at 51A North Ferry Road in the Center and donations will be accepted from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, November 2.
ELECTION EVE HAM DINNER
On Monday, November 6, the annual Election Eve Ham Dinner will take place at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church with seatings at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. in the Parish Hall.
Reservations can be made by calling St. Mary’s at (631) 749-0770 or Janet Jernick at (631) 749-0143. Tickets are $25 for adults, $10 for children.
Raffle tickets will be sold for a drawing taking place at the St. Nicholas Day Fair on December 2.
ELECTION DAY LUNCHEON
The 92nd annual Election Day Luncheon will be held at Shelter Island Presbyterian Church from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 7. Sponsored by the United Presbyterian Women, available for purchase will be clam chowder, hot dogs and home-baked goodies. Hand-crafted gift and boutique items will be sold.
CARDBOARD CAMPOUT
Members of the Shelter Island National Honor Society and eligible students in grades 9 to 12 will be hosting their annual Cardboard Campout on Monday, November 6 from 6 p.m. until 6 a.m. the following morning.
Students raising $100 will earn the privilege of sleeping in a cardboard box on the school lawn. All donations support Habitat for Humanity and students will take part in a build day with the organization later this year.
Community members can sponsor a student by bringing a check payable to Habitat for Humanity to the school’s main lobby, or send it c/o SIHS, PO Box 2015, Shelter Island, NY 11964.
The NHS is also sponsoring a T-shirt/hoodie sale to benefit the American Cancer Society. To purchase, visit customink.com, click the fundraising link and search for the campaign “Shelter Island Strong.”
A TRIP TO THE AQUARIUM
Shelter Island Recreational Department is sponsoring a Veterans Day bus trip to Long Island Aquarium in Riverhead on Friday, November 10. The trip is for students in grades K through 8 and leaves from the Shelter Island Youth Center at 8:30 a.m., returning at 4:30 p.m. Bring a baggged lunch. The cost of the trip is $30 ($33 non-residents). Register by November 8 at (631) 749-0309.
The Perlman Music Program will present two concerts and a family event on November 11 and 12 at the Clark Arts Center.
The first event on Saturday, November 11 at 5 p.m. is a Stires-Stark Alumni Recital with Max Tan, violinist. The recital with pianist Cameron Richardson-Eames includes sonatas by Janacek and Mozart, and Chausson’s Poeme. Tickets are $25 for adults (free for ages 18 and under) at perlmanmusicprogram.org/events. Meet the artists at a festive reception after the concert.
Sunday, November 12 is a day for “Family, Music and Fun” at the Clark Arts Center. Beginning at 11:30 a.m. there will be a taste of classical music, snacks and activities hosted by PMP alumni Max Tan and Bethany Hargreaves. It’s free and open to all.
Finally, at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 12, the Clark Arts Center hosts a Works in Progress Concert by PMP students and alumni who will present classical masterworks. The concert is free and open to all.
KIBBUTZ LIVING
The Shelter Island Women’s Club will hold its next meeting at noon, Tuesday, November 14 in the Presbyterian Church’s Fellowship Hall. The guest will be Ron Adler who will speak on Maccabiah Games and life in a kibbutz. All are welcome and a monetary donation or non-perishable food for the Food Pantry would be appreciated.
DASTARDLY DEEDS
True crimes and why people commit them have fascinated people for centuries. In her book “Historic Crimes of Long Island: Misdeeds from the 1600s to the 1950s,” award-winning author and historian Kerriann Flanagan Brosky uncovers some of the most ghastly historical crimes committed on Long Island — from the tar, feathering and murder of Charles Kelsey in 1872, to the East Hampton witch trial of 1657, to the kidnapping of Alice Parson in 1937.
Ms. Brosky comes to the Shelter Island Historical Society’s Havens Barn on Sunday, November 12 from 3 to 5 p.m. to talk about her book. Join her as she discusses some of Long Island’s most horrific crimes. Book sale and signing to follow. For more information, visit shelterislandhistorical.org or call (631) 749-0025.
CELL PHONES FOR SOLDIERS
Got an old cell phone? Why not turn it into a gift for an active duty soldier in honor of Veterans Day?
Cell phones can be dropped off at the FIT Center on Friday, November 10 during regular hours: 6 a.m. to noon and 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. They’ll be donated to “Cell Phones for Soldiers,” a recyling program that takes the proceeds from sales of the phones and applies them to pre-paid calling cards for American troops.
Call the Recreation Department at (631) 749-0309 for more information.
Across the moat
LIKING THE LICHENS
The South Fork Natural History Museum will host lichen expert Dr. James D. Lendemer, assistant curator, Institute of Systematic Botany at the New York Botanical Garden.
Dr. Lendemer will offer a short introduction to the world of lichens followed by a walk to explore the lichen population in the Long Pond Greenbelt.
The program meets at the South Fork Natural History Museum, 377 Bridgehampton/Sag Harbor Turnpike, at 10 a.m. on Saturday, November 4. For information, call (631) 537-9735 or visit sofo.org.
DEATH OF A SALESMAN
For its annual “Literature Live!” production, Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor is presenting Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman.” Directed by Joe Minutillo, public performances are Thursdays through Saturdays, November 9 to 18, and Thanksgiving weekend, November 24 and 25 at 7 p.m. Matinees are Saturdays, November 11, 18 and 25 at 2 p.m. Buy tickets at baystreet.org or (631) 725-9500.
THE POETRY OF EMPATHY
The Empathy Theme Poetry Contest, organized by Shelter Island’s Virginia Walker to raise money for the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research and Cure, will host a celebratory poetry reading on Saturday, November 18 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Onyx Theater in the CM Performing Arts Center, 931 Montauk Highway, Oakdale, New York.
Contest winners were Stacey Lawrence of South Orange, New Jersey; Joanne Pilgrim of East Hampton; and Cecilia Crittenden O.P. (friends of this deceased Dominican Sister of Hope sent in her poem). The winners, friends and some contestants will read their poems at the event, which raised $805 for the charity.
The reading is open to the public, with registration required. Those who would like to read their own poems on empathy may take part, but must register indicating that they want to read. Call or e-mail Virginia Walker at (631) 749-2394 or [email protected].
Winning poems are on lustgarten.org and neuronwalker.com.
