DAVIS PARKBy Cathy ShislerDavis Park has been buzzing this month in the news, first the 28-foot whale that washed up on the beach in Ocean Ridge, then the man o’ war that stung a small child. First thousands of dead bunker a few weeks in a row along the Peconic shores, dead turtles and now this; what is going on Mother Nature? I was happy to see a Save the Whale group in the annual Fourth of July Parade. Way to Go! They won a prize.Mother Nature brought a Portuguese man o’ war that stung two children on Fire Island, one in Davis Park. Several members of the Davis Park Fire Department saw the first batch of people running up to them with man o’ war stings, among them a 5-year old. He went to grab the man o’ war and it stung his whole hand. He is doing well now, thank God. Please be aware out there on the beach! It hasn’t stopped anyone from coming though; Fourth of July was packed this year. Ferries were running three at a time each trip.The annual Fourth of July Parade went off with a bang — no pun intended! Thanks to Joe Miccio, who has been organizing the parade for 15 years. The originator of the parade was Lou Penichio, Joe thinks mid 80s. The parade is on July 4, no matter what day of the week. Thanks to the DPA and the volunteers for the BBQ; the fire department once again for opening their doors; and fire department volunteers Bob Catalano; Garrett Anger and his son, Rett; and Ed Reilly, who were all at the grill. Father Frank led the parade as grand marshal and started the BBQ with delightful words.Judges Betsy Gay Hart, Carol Gruber, JoAnne Spencer, Carole Kulman and Bobbie Ward awarded the parade float winners. Among the first-time parade participants, besides myself as cultural icon Rosie the Riveter representing American women in the workforce by pushing my pink cleaning cart (cleaning up Fire Island One House at a Time), was the youngest at a couple months old, Parker, with his wagon friends, Maeve from Denver and Jack from Middle Island, who came on their grandpa’s boat that day; Santa (Harry of Davis Park; I guess it was Christmas in July); fishermen Ben and Blake Underwood of Ocean Ridge, and their cousin, Philip Russo; and a marching band. What will be your idea for next year?Betsy was also selling Fourth T-shirts that were inspired by Joe’s snow fence flags; she sold all 125 shirts as a fundraiser for DPA, in front of the fire department when the ferries came over. Great job, Betsy!Debbie Hood celebrated her 60th birthday at 22 Spindrift in Ocean Ridge, with her Swamback family. Among them were her sister, Susan; brother, Donald and his wife, Bridget; nieces, Jenna and Katelyn, with her boyfriend, Jeremy; nephew, Christopher, with his girlfriend, Jenn; and Debbie’s hubby, Jeff! Debbie says, “Being 60 ain’t old … if you’re a tree!!The Conklin’s of Davis Park celebrated their son Ryan’s graduation from Patchogue-Medford High School. They were also so happy to have all their children together at the same time. Ryan will be attending Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut. Good luck, Ryan. Also in Davis Park the Egan’s will be celebrating Spencer’s second birthday, on July 31. Spencer, who Brian and Jeannine rescued from LI Bulldog Rescue, is living as a baby prince of Bulldog Hill. He will be celebrating low key at the beach.Great news: the church and the Casino now have air conditioning, so if you were using the excuse it was too hot to go there, now you don’t have one. So go to church, and then have dinner.The Crab Benefit was a great success, as more than 115 community members raised more than $5,000 total for the Community Recreation Beautification Committee. Everyone enjoyed the music and food, as well as an auction and door prizes.I want to wish Max Lund a happy retirement; she worked at Suffolk National Bank for just over 40 years.Our Post Mistress Linda had her grand opening at the post office at the end of June, where she served shredded coconut, gluten free biscotti, and other treats. Good friends helped celebrate day one at the post office. Lots of incoming mail so please go by and see if you have any! All incoming mail should be addressed: 1 Main Walk, Davis Park, Patchogue, NY 11772. Hours are Monday-Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Closed holidays. Please go in and checkout Linda’s new postcards; I actually saw one of myself doing yoga on the beach. Not sure who wants to send that to anyone.Upcoming events include:Aug. 1: Annual Memorial Service Walk at the fire departmentAug 6 and 20: Free blood pressure screenings at Bedside Manor, at 5 p.m. Everyone’s should be low when they are at the beach, but get it checked anyway.Aug. 8: The Walt Desel Memorial Swim, at 2 p.m. (rain date Aug. 9), sponsored by The Whalebone Walk Swim Club. Start at the Casino and swim to Whalebone, or reverse — Whalebone to Casino. All participants will receive a handcrafted souvenir.Get your swimsuit on and watch out for whales and man o’ war. Keep reading; next article HINT: “Love.”Do you have news tips for Cathy? Email her at davispark@fireisland-news.com.
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