Barbara Gaby Placilla
The red, white and blue were flying high as summer unfurled this Memorial Day weekend in Ocean Bay Park. At times, it felt like the partying would never end and the crowds would never leave. We survived, as we always do, albeit some of us by repeating the mantra – one big weekend down and two to go!
Fran and Wally Lobo kicked off the season with a fantastic party at their home on Seneca Street to start the weekend. There was an eclectic mix of people, great food, lots of bubbles and the opportunity to recognize Wally, a World War II Marine Corps veteran for his service to our country
On Sunday, Ocean Bay Park Movie Night On the Beach returned thanks to our trio of movie mavens:Rob Kuhar who brought the movie set up, Paul Brincat who provided the technical support and Eric Snyder who gave a very thorough overview of the background and progression of the “Jurassic Park” movies. He was as entertaining and informative as any of the PBS Channel 13 hosts. Last year’s presentation was “Jaws” and the first film of this summer was Steven Spielberg’s “Jurassic Park.” Just like in the good old days the movie was preceded by a Looney Tunes cartoon. There were about 30 or so of us gathered on the Ontario Street beach wrapped in blankets against the cold under an almost full moon. Due to the cold (and possibly those vicious velociraptors) by the time the movie was over, there were only 10 of us who had braved it out to the end. The next Movie Night on the Beach will tentatively coincide with the July 4 weekend.
Last year, Irene Fazio and Liz Guber proposed a community bay beach beautification project in the form of a memorial/commemorative walk brick path to replace the old wooden walkway. At the OBP Association winter meeting in Manhattan, Liz Guber gave a PowerPoint presentation explaining the project and how positive gain will go toward future community infrastructure improvement projects. The brick path has been completed and it looks fantastic. To date over 60 memorial bricks have been purchased and have covered 100% of the cost. Thank you to all who purchased bricks and especially Arnold and Alice Kotzen, whose donation kick-started the program; the FIA; and the local businesses. Special thanks to Vannoni Construction who provided their services. A formal dedication date is to be announced.
I am pleased to report that the Ocean Bay Park FD has two new members, Steven Jaffe and Johnny Miller, who passed the intensive 16-week Suffolk County FRES Firefighter I course just in time for the busy summer season. Now is the time to make sure you change the batteries in your smoke detectors and check the date on your fire extinguisher. If you don’t have them, please get them. They save lives.
