Around Town: April 16

The month of April is National Donate Life Month. There is currently 8100 New Yorkers waiting for an organ transplant including 312 for a heart and 7170 for a life saving kidney. One organ donor can save up to eight lives and help up to 75 others through eye and tissue donation. Encourage your family to have that conversation and know the wishes of family members. You can register as an organ donor at donatelife.ny.gov to become an organ and tissue donor today. Ed Schaefer is a heart transplant recipient and is knowledgeable on organ donations and transplants. He is a LiveOnNY Donor Awareness Volunteer and travels to many programs educating on this subject which makes awareness known. He is a Riverhead High School graduate, a retired Postmaster and married to Deborah Schaefer but most of all an active educator. Thanks Ed!

Check out WRIV 1390 radio on Sunday mornings enjoying Polka Time with Lisa Dabrowski from 10 am to 12 noon. “Check out WRIV.COM “your hometown station” and enjoy some good Polish music. 

The Long Island Antique Power Association, 5951 Sound Avenue in Riverhead will be holding their first annual event of the year on Sunday, April 16 from 9 am to 4 pm. Check out the junior garden, tractor pullers strutting their stuff, large tractor pulls, see the large and small hit, and miss engines, blacksmith and sawmill demonstrations. There is a large playground for the children, a bouncy house, and a good family time. Admission is $10 for adults, children under 12 are free, as well as, Veterans are free to thank you for your service. Visit the welcome center for merchandise, enjoy the food concession and check out the vendors! For more information call 631-404-2709. 

There is a free concert by the Friends of the Riverhead Free Library at the library on Sunday, April 16 when pianist Maxim Anikushim will perform a memorial concert to honor lifelong library supporter Lois Pike Eyre from 2 pm to 3 pm. No registration is necessary. An afternoon of delight!

The Friends of the Riverhead Free Library announces the Yellow Barn will reopen on Wednesday, April 19 from 9 am to 2 pm. They will be opened on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays during the season. A great time to check out the books and have a nice supply of reading to enjoy in the days ahead as the weather becomes breezy and warmer. Donations are graciously accepted beginning on Monday, April 17. 

On Saturday, April 29 from 2 pm to 4 pm there is community open mic for spoken word and poetry. Join in “Poetry Street: The Room Without a Roof Where Every Voice is Heard.” Take the mic to share your poem, or a poem you love while listeners are encouraged, are welcome too and you get to support your local poets. 

The Riverhead Mobile School Pantry is partnering with the Riverhead School District and Long Island Cares to bring emergency food, fresh produce and frozen meat every month and this month to Roanoke Ave Elementary School on Monday, April 17 from 5 pm to 5:45 pm; Phillips Ave Elementary School from 6 pm to 6:45 pm and Aquebogue Elementary School from 7 pm to 7:45 pm. 

The Riverhead Litter Committee needs volunteers on Saturday, April 22 from 9 am to 11 am for registration and to clean up Riverhead. It is a great way to help beautify our community and acknowledging Earth Day too. Supplies can be picked up at Riverhead Town Hall and then to choose a location you would like to clean up between the hours from 9 am to 11 am. You can register yourself or a team atdeborahwetzel@gmail.com. Community service credits are available to those who need them. Let us make Riverhead clean and beautiful for all to enjoy in the days and months ahead!

The Suffolk County Historical Museum, 300 West Main Street in Riverhead will hold an opening reception on Saturday, April 22 at 1 pm depicting “Road to Orient: Featuring the Photography of Neil Scholl and Peter Dicke.” Admission for members is free and nonmembers $5.00 which includes light refreshments. Enjoy the scenery and views of the North Fork as though you were enjoying a Sunday drive in this captivating photography exhibit that surely does capture all the natural beauty of the North Fork photographed through the seasons. This exhibit is held in the Gish Gallery from April 22 through July 29. 

The Butterfly Effect Project and the East End Disability Associates Spring Ball at the First Baptist Church, 1018 Northville Turnpike, Riverhead will hold their first ever collaborative Spring Ball on Saturday, April 29 from 1 pm to 4 pm, There will be music, dancing, food, treats, activities and so much more. The Butterflies had a unique opportunity of undergoing two training sessions run by the East End Disabilities Associates this past fall to learn how to work with different abled individuals. Now they will enjoy putting together all they learned while having fun and building relationships. You can support this fantastic event by donating decorations, food, drinks and more. Please call the office at 631-591-0759 or email tijuana@bepgirls.org to learn more.

For the first time ever, Butterfly Blitz-Butterfly Effect Projects Majorette Dance Squad, has been invited to a national dance competition-2023 Kandy Krush Krazy on Saturday, May 6 in Newark, Delaware. The dancers naturally are over the moon and so excited to participate and us all proud but they need our help to get there. The group needs to raise $2,500 to cover the costs of the entry fee, transportation, hotel rooms and food. If you can help the Butterfly Blitz, make this dream a reality? Every dollar helps and you can venmo@bepgirls or Cash App $bepgirls with the note Blitz. What an exciting experience for the girls.

The Riverhead Fire Department will hold its annual Memorial Service and Inspection on Sunday, May 7 at 10 am at the firehouse on Roanoke Avenue. The public is welcome to attend. This service is an annual event to pay tribute to the fallen firefighters of the previous year and Ladies Auxiliary members too. 

Happy belated birthday wishes to Deidre Westeroff on April 14. Have a great year!

Happy birthday wishes to Kenny Nash, Monique Gablenz, Tyler Abatelli and Joslyn Lawrence on April 17; Maxwell Kutscher, Connor Zanieski, Amari Henderson and Emma Guecha who turns 8 years old on April 18; Tippy Macksel on April 19; Katie Podlas, Alexis Polak and Bill Friszolowski on April 20; Brandon Krajewski, Dottie Bogdan, Angela and Liana Waskewicz and Joshua Carey on April 21; Matthew Heppner, Kaleigh Lawrence and Paul Le Cann on April 22; Dean Argenti and Mike White on April 23; Janelle Carey on April 24; Amanda Reichel, Peter Bilski and John Dunleavy on April 26; Kyleen Lademann on April 27; Haleigh Miller on April 28; Warren Collins and AnneMarie Fisher on May 1; Peter Friszolowski and Catherine Stark on May 2; Joe Arnau, Tina Atkinson and Diane Gianni on May 3; Kevin Curtis, Brian Block and Felicia Miles on May 4; Walter Paulick, Regina Kenter and Howie Gassert on May 6. Be sure to celebrate. 

Get well wishes to Joe Berezny, Lucas Mascia, Michael Taylor, Ellen Kramer, Becky Collins, Joyce Montag, Butch Densieski, and Deidre Westeroff.

Got news to share? Send it to Kathy by email to jberezny@optonline.net, write to her at 124 Kings Drive, Riverhead NY 11901 or call her at 631-727-6148. “Around Town” will appear on RiverheadLOCAL on the first and third Sunday of the month.