Happy Independence Day! Since Kismet will officially celebrate on Sunday, July 6, we have two, glorious days to hit the beach. For an added attraction, the annual Sand Sculpture Contest is scheduled for Saturday, July 5. There are great prizes in three categories: Adults, Children, and Adults with Children. Participants can sign up at a beach table off Pine Walk, east of the lifeguard stand. Castles and sculptures can be built anytime that day, anywhere along our beachfront, but must be finished by 3 p.m. for judging.
The early morning of Sunday, July 6, will see frantic parents and children assembling wagon floats on the sidewalks by their homes, while members of the Kismet Fire Department (KFD) will set up their grills for the upcoming barbecue and tables for t-shirt and raffle sales by the firehouse.
The Kismet League for Animal Welfare (KLAW) will be nearby with their annual bicycle raffle. The parade, featuring floats and bands from the mainland fire departments, will kick off on Sunday at 11 a.m., winding its way from Burma Road down West Lighthouse to Maple Walk, then down Maple Walk to Pine Walk, and finally down to the Bay where everyone will gather to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and sing the Star-Spangled Banner.
It has been a challenging spring, marked by clouds, fog, and chilly rain. While the official start of summer brought high temperatures and humidity, 16 Kismet residents met early on Saturday morning, June 21, to voluntarily clean up Burma Road – also known as Cedar Court on maps. This endeavor had been postponed the week before due to heavy rain. Weeks of rain left the road with patches of mud where puddles had dried. The volunteers tackled the job with shovels, brooms, and a leaf blower. It was hard work on a hot day, but the entire road was left clean and tidy. Maintenance is the responsibility of Islip Township, but, as the saying goes, if you want a good and timely job done, it’s often best to do it yourself.
A relatively recent tradition of exchanging unwanted items has emerged in Kismet. Beginning in April, residents post the availability of items they no longer need, allowing others to make use of them. Given the trouble and expense of moving stuff off the island, this has proved a practical solution.
Another Kismet “tradition” in full swing is the “borrowing” of unlocked bicycles, otherwise known as theft. The bikes seldom leave the island, but are commandeered to get somewhere at some distance that the borrower needs to go in a hurry. The most common destinations are Robert Moses State Park, Saltaire, or Atlantique. Lock it or lose it, as the saying goes.
