What a gorgeous time to be on Fire Island. As I enjoy my usual ice coffee and egg sandwich from the market, I can’t help but think how Andy and his team, Benny, Phil, Mikey, and more, make my Sunday mornings better. We all count down the minutes until we are back – running to grab a photo of the sunset at our usual sandy spot, cocktails in your beach chair, mornings on the benches in the Kismet Marina where you read the names of those no longer with us. These small treasures only last a few short months but we long for them the other six months we are on the mainland.
Many of you know that Kismet lost a young member of our community earlier this summer. In memory of Chris Lanzarotta, many friends and family gathered on Saturday, July 8 to remember his short but very full life filled with love. The event began at the Fire Island Lighthouse where friends told stories. Afterwards, those with surfboards grabbed a flower and paddled past the break line to form a circle. They linked hands and continued with stories of the friend that will forever be the missing link. The after party was hosted at
the Kismet Inn where one of Chris’s buddies band, Kabina, played. With over 100 people in matching custom dedication T-shirts, Lanz was smiling down on an absolutely perfect day full of sunshine.
I got the chance to speak with Marissa at the Market this week. She relayed a story that I felt needed to be shared. She began calling the Town of Islip on June 8 regarding the drain issue between the Kismet Inn and Market. It took her over eight phone calls to finally have them commit to coming to our town and fixing the issue. Over a month later, on July 13, the town came and emptied the drain that was causing a large amount of issues for residents.
Also, our homeowners received an email this week from Marsha Hunter, The Kismet Community Association president, regarding the missing playground equipment. She stated, “Our Kismet playground equipment was removed some weeks ago by the Town of Islip Department of Parks and Recreation. Islip provided no notice or schedule to the Community Association as to the time frame for removal and
installation of new equipment and no specifications have been provided. The Town has not addressed the
original complaint by the Community Association many months ago about serious debris underlying the playground sand. Please take a moment to call this number 631-224-5414 to lodge a complaint with the Town of Islip Department of Parks and Recreation about our missing playground equipment!” As a resident who just became an aunt and wants to push her little niece on our island playground,
this missing piece to our community is very sad. Our season is very short here and every call makes
a difference.
Tim Mooney really did get the band back together on Tuesday, July 11 at Kismet Inn. His college bluegrass band was a great addition to the schedule. I heard that the promotional poster at the Mooney’s house featured some great hairdos of this crew. Keep an eye and ear out because he will be playing a few
more times this summer.
The Licari family welcomed a new member to their family. Finnegan, a mutt-mix rescue, was found in a pipe in Texas and transported to his new home on Long Island. Finnegan looked very happy to be summering in Kismet as he ran around the beach on Saturday sniffing all the island has to offer.
SAVE THE DATE:
• Friday, July 21: Italian Night at Surf’s Out
• Saturday, July 22: Rich Mahogany/Fan Appreciation Night, 6 p.m. at Surf’s Out
• Saturday, July 22: Dirty Vice Band, 11 p.m. at Kismet Inn
• Wednesday, July 26: Paul Johnson Quartet, 7 p.m. at Kismet Inn
• Thursday, July 27: Tim Mooney & Friends Band, 7 p.m. at Kismet Inn
• Saturday, July 29: Stir Crazy Band, 6 p.m. at Surf’s Out
Our favorite Kismet Inn waitress, Tessa Jenks, is turning 30! Stop by the Inn on Monday, July 24 and buy her a drink to celebrate. Stop into the Kismet Fire House on Sunday evenings at 6 p.m. for free movie showings. On July 23 they will be showing “Arrival” and on July 30, “Allied” with Brad Pitt.
As always, please email me any island updates you may have to share. I love hearing from you and want to make sure everyone gets the recognition they deserve. Until next time.
