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Town Focus: The Moriches

Anthony Parlato sat in a reclining chair at the Moriches Community Center on Thursday night looking at his cellphone. 
 He had texted almost all of the roughly 25 members of the center’s Peer Leadership group to remind them about the first meeting of the new year, and as the clock hit 7 p.m., he wondered who was going to make it. 
 “The beginning of the year is tough,” he said. “Everyone is still trying to work out their schedule and their school commitments.” 
 But a small portion of the dedicated group started to file in, explaining on behalf of their missing peers that there were sports games and late practices and outside obligations that night. 
 Sarah Volkmann, 15, a sophomore at Center Moriches High School, came in right from soccer practice, sat down on the floor and started her homework as Parlato, the group’s adviser and co-executive director of the community center, began tackling the agenda. 
 Despite their busy schedules, Parlato said, the kids in “peer” are an amazing bunch dedicated to making an impact in their community. The group helps the community center brainstorm and see its outreach projects to fruition. During meetings, the peer members also focus on themselves, discussing issues that arise in school and in the community and how they can solve them. 
 “School just started, there can’t be any issues yet, right?” Parlato asked. “Have there been any fights?” 
 “Not yet,” said Kelsey DeBatto, 14, a freshman at Center Moriches. “High school has been a lot calmer than I thought. I think this has been the easiest school transition.” 
 With the need for problem-solving at a minimum, the group focused their first meeting on their upcoming fundraising projects: bake sales, car washes, the annual Halloween “Pet Social,” and their newly conceived idea to create a one-night-only haunted house in the community center. 
 But planning aside, the group is a real asset to local teens, said Patti Albert, 46, of Center Moriches, who has sat in on more than 10 years of peer leadership meetings as both of her sons have gone through the group. 
 “I come almost every week,” she said. “I like to know what’s going on, too.” 
 She said she’s often been amazed at how much the teens open up to Parlato and the personal issues they are willing to discuss during the group. 
 “This gives the kids a place to go,” she said, “but also an opportunity to talk about different issues or concerns they might not want to talk about at home. They all help each other and come up with different perspectives on how to handle it.” 
 Ihsan Wahedi, 15, of Center Moriches, has been a part of the peer group for the past three years. He said he starting coming for something to do outside of school. 
 “We all kind of came here because it’s a chance to hang out and talk in a safe environment and a friendly zone,” he said. 
 Before closing the meeting with a traditional game of charades, Parlato reminded the group of some rules: talks are confidential, no gossiping. 
 “We’re not here to gossip,” DeBatto reassured him. “We just want to help.”

Peer group dedicated to making impact in Moriches

HLPEER21

Our week in Moriches is just about over, but there’s still plenty more for you (and me) to see today. 
 Last night, I sat in on the first peer leadership session of the year, where students discuss their community service plans for the next few months, issues they’re having in school or within the community and ways to solve them. 
 Last night’s meeting -- being the first of the new year -- was pretty light on the problem-solving, but it was obvious that this group of students is passionate about service and being involved in its community. 
 We’re meeting with even more community members today, including Gerry Sapanaro, past president of the Chamber of Commerce of the Moriches; and Miriam Gillies, who I’ve been told is the “unofficial mayor” of Center Moriches. 
 We didn’t get to the Moriches history story yesterday, but look out for that today. And a Moriches <a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/ketcham-inn-s-role-in-moriches-history-1.4024014">history video is already up.</a> 
 The Moriches community had a huge response to our call for suggestions via <a href="http://www.twitter.com/eringeismar">Twitter</a> and <a href="mailto:erin.geismar@newsday.com">email</a> this week, and I wish we could have gotten to everyone. It’s clear that, as almost everyone I’ve interviewed has said, this is a close-knit community where the residents are active members who know and respect each other. 
 Above: West Mill Pond and East Mill Pond are separated by Montauk Highway and can be seen at the entrance to the hamlet of Moriches. (Sept. 19, 2012) 
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Town Focus: Day 5 in the Moriches

hlMORICHES

Erin Geismar spoke with Kathleen Johnson, co-executive director of the Moriches Community Center and member of Moriches in the kNOw, an anti-drug coalition, for our <a href="../morichesfocus">Town Focus in the Moriches</a> this week. Johnson gives her impressions of the community. 
 How long have you lived here? 
 Since '93, so 19 years. 
 Where were you before that? 
 In Bayside, Queens. My husband was a New York City firefighter, he's retired now. We moved when my daughter was 3. 
 Why Center Moriches? 
 We wanted to raise our daughter outside of the city. Center Moriches had the space we wanted at the price we wanted to pay. My husband is an avid fisherman, so we were familiar with the area. I grew up in New Hampshire and he grew up by the water in Queens, so this felt like a little bit of home to both of us. 
 And we really wanted diversity. We wanted our daughter to be in an environment where she would learn to cooperate with lots of different people. I have to say, it has not disappointed us. This is a pretty diverse community. She has gone to school with children from black families, Hispanic families, and children from the Poospatuck Indian Reservation. 
 What challenges does the community face? 
 The biggest challenge is one that virtually every community is facing and that's prescription drug use. I think there is the misconception among young people that they are safer because they're prescription, but they are opiates, and often that leads to heroin. I think to combat that is a real challenge and it's happening everywhere. 
 How would you define the character of the community? 
 Close knit. While we don't know everybody, we know a lot of people and everybody gets to work together. It's been a great place to raise my daughter. She just graduated from college and she and her friends talk about how much they enjoy coming here and spending time here. You can pretty much be yourself here and no one is going to bother you.

Mom finds diversity in Center Moriches

Today, you’ll learn about the history of the Moriches area -- once sparsely populated but rich with duck farms -- through a story and video I’ve been working on this week. And don’t forget to check out our <a href="http://www.newsday.com/historic-photos-of-the-moriches-area-1.4019198#1">historical photo gallery</a> for images of the area from as far back as the 1800s. 
 You’ll also get to know a few more of the residents I’ve met this week, Mary Field, 81, who has lived in Center Moriches her entire life; and Kathleen Johnson, who has her hand in a few community organizations around town, and moved to Center Moriches with her husband after their daughter was born. 
 Tonight, I’m headed back to the Moriches Community Center to take a closer look at one of their programs -- a peer leadership group. 
 The teens meet every week with an agenda covering topics that are relevant to them, including issues they face in the community, and look for ways to solve them. 
 You can expect to read about their point of view on the Moriches Friday. 
 You’ve been great with suggestions this week. I have more people on my list of those I should meet than I’ll likely manage. I’ve enjoyed reading all of your perspectives through your <a href="http://www.twitter.com/eringeismar">tweets</a>, <a href="mailto:erin.geismar@newsday.com">emails</a>, and comments, so keep those coming. 
 And don’t forget to follow along today on <a href="http://www.foursquare.com/eringeismar">Foursquare</a> and below. 
 Above: Kaler's Pond Audubon Center in Center Moriches, run by Audubon New York, provides wildlife, nature and environmental education programs. (June 29, 2011) 
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Town Focus: Day 4 in the Moriches

HLCENT29

The smell of popcorn wafted through the room above Buckley’s Irish Pub as ping-pong balls whizzed around at the hands of two teenage boys. 
 Others cheered them on from a nearby couch, or ran to the whiteboard hanging on the wall to update the score. 
 They were at the “drop-in lounge,” an informal program for teens run by the Moriches Community Center in the space it rents above the Center Moriches pub. When asked what they would be doing otherwise, all five boys present said the same thing: “Playing Xbox.” 
 Kathleen Johnson, co-executive director of the center, smiled at their answer, but 12 years ago when she and a group of concerned citizens started the center, it was because they were trying to avoid something much more serious. 
 “There was nothing to do other than what the school was offering and nowhere to go,” said Johnson, 51, of Center Moriches. “We were seeing kids hanging out in parking lots, at the gas station, and an increase in drug use and criminal mischief.” 
 What started as a simple idea to create a safe haven for teens has morphed into something much bigger. Even without its own permanent space, the center offers a variety of programming, including a drug prevention coalition, open recreation nights, summer camps, theater programs and community outreach. 
 Most activities not suitable for the small, cozy space above Buckley’s take place at one of the schools. 
 “We’re always growing,” said co-executive director Anthony Parlato, who recently got the kids involved in a special-needs basketball league with residents from Independent Group Home Living, Inc., which provides residential and other services for people with developmental disabilities. 
 Matt Argyropoulos, 15, of Center Moriches, was at the drop-in lounge with his younger brother, Jake, 13, on Tuesday. 
 “We hang out, play ping-pong, eat food,” said Jake Argyropoulos, adding that he, his brother and his friends have all also been involved in the theater group — something they never thought they’d do. 
 “The best part of the year is definitely Christmastime,” Matt Argyropoulos said, referring to the center’s holiday outreach program, which last year donated toys and food to dozens of local families. 
 Johnson said the center has grown beyond her imagination — they see about 200 kids a week throughout their programs, and have also been able to hire students to help work some of their programming — and it’s all done on a shoestring budget. Last year, the group lost funding from the Town of Brookhaven, and this year expects to lose funding from Suffolk County. 
 But they have great support from the community and are always applying to grants, Johnson said. They are recipients of an ongoing grant from the Knapp-Swezey Foundation, which allows them to pay their $1,400 rent each month, and are currently in the running for a Chase Community Giving Grant, for which online voting ends <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ChaseCommunityGiving/app_162065369655">today at midnight</a>. 
 “I think we’ve far exceeded our goals,” Parlato said. “People can’t believe what we’ve done for what we have.” 
 Parlato said with more resources, he’d like it to become a “real” community center that serves more facets of the population, like the elderly and the disabled, and of course, have their own building. 
 Johnson said there was an initial push to build a center on the Center Moriches School District property, but when the recession started, they decided it wasn’t the right time to raise funds for that kind of project. 
 “It’s always in the back of our minds,” she said, but she agreed the center has been able to achieve a great amount without it. 
 “There’s a lot more for kids to do,” she said. “There are still kids who choose poor options, but between today and 12 years ago, this is a very different community.”

Moriches Community Center thrives despite no permanent home

On Day 3 of our weeklong focus on the Moriches, I’ll be getting to know the area a little bit better. You’ll find me walking around Main Street in Center Moriches, checking out the local shops, and visiting sites in the surrounding hamlets, like the old Jurgielewicz Duck Farm in Moriches. 
 I’d love to know what you think I should see, and maybe it will end up in our community photo gallery. You can pass on suggestions about your favorite places in the Moriches by <a href="mailto:erin.geismar@newsday.com">email</a> or <a href="http://www.twitter.com/eringeismar">Twitter</a>. 
 Yesterday afternoon, I stopped by the Moriches Community Center and met with co-executive directors Kathleen Johnson and Anthony Parlato, as well as a handful of the teens who hang out there. 
 Look later today for a story on the center and how it’s grown in the last 12 years. 
 Throughout the day, you’ll meet more of the people that live and work here and make the community what it is. 
 Thanks for all your suggestions so far; you’ve given me a lot of running around to do! 
 Above: A view of Main Street in Center Moriches. (Nov. 11, 2011) 
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Town Focus: Day 3 in the Moriches

HLCENT20

Erin Geismar spoke with Muriel Corcoran, president of the Camp Pa-Qua-Tuck executive board (the camp serves special-needs children) for our <a href="../morichesfocus">Town Focus in the Moriches</a> this week. Corcoran gives her impressions of the community. 
 Are you from here originally? 
 I was raised in Shirley, mostly, but I’ve been married for 45 years and we’ve lived in Moriches all that time. 
 Why did you settle in East Moriches? 
 We always liked the area. I married someone I went to high school with. 
 What do you like about it? 
 The closeness of everyone and the willingness to provide help for those who need it. There are some pretty wealthy people in the area but it’s the everyday people that care about each other. Once, there was a house that burned down in East Moriches, and I heard this story that the kid was in school and somebody asked how they could help and he said, ‘You don’t have to worry, my Pop-Pop is a Rotarian.’ I just love that story, it shows that even the kids know that the community is here to help. 
 How has the community changed? 
 It’s only getting bigger, as far as more people coming in. With the economy the way it is, we have a lot of people out of work. They’re seeing more people come to the food pantry. 
 You grew up nearby. What sets this community apart from those around it? 
 It’s a small community. I think we help the surrounding communities, too. At our events, people come from the other communities around us. People live here for many, many years. Children are helping work at the businesses their parents started; they go away to school and come back to take over. The best-kept secret is the camp. The Rotary has been doing this for 65 years and I don’t think people know what we do here. 
 Tell me a little about the camp. How many people does it help? 
 I just happened to look at the numbers for the last three years. We had 325 kids this year, 357 last year, and 360 the year before that. We can accommodate 50 kids per session. We have nine sessions per summer. 
 Do you think the camp is a part of the Moriches community? 
 I think so. If we’re looking for donations for something we’re running, every store in town wants to help out. A lot of people know about the camp because they come to the Spooky Walk. 
 What challenges does the community face? 
 Right now, unemployment. Also, the price of gas. People that do have jobs have to travel to get there and they can’t afford it. 
 Define the character of the community? 
 Helpful. And it’s a young community, too, people like to mingle. It’s young regardless of age. Many people here are retired but they’re young at heart. I got to an exercise class and you would never know the women in there are in their 70s and 80s.

Local explains Rotary's connection to camp

East Moriches resident discusses Rotary's dedication to special-needs camp

It may have been the last day of the Moriches Rotary Club’s annual Oktoberfest, but the Bavarian beer was still flowing, the bratwurst grilled until glistening and the twangy notes of an Austrian-style band’s accordion still echoing throughout the tent erected at Camp Pa-Qua-Tuck. 
 The fourth-annual festival, which benefits the special needs camp where the event took place in Center Moriches, lasted one extra day this year because it fell on a Jewish holiday and the local schools were out. 
 Monday was a slow day, with about 100 people trickling in throughout the day, but the weekend attracted a few thousand, said Peter Traina, the Rotary’s chairman for the event. 
 “I’ve been to the real Oktoberfest in Munich,” he said. “I thought it would be a good thing to bring here.” 
 And it was, he said, noting the event’s continued success. Each year it brings inasmuch as $25,000 for the camp. 
 “There’s a little bit of everything,” he said. 
 On Monday, parents brought children for a go on the carnival rides and games, and sat at long picnic-style benches in the beer tent dining on German-style food. 
 Nancy Kretsch, of Shirley, was thankful for the extra day of this year’s festival, which landed on the day she baby-sits her granddaughters. She said they were with their father at the Kaler’s Pond Playground, which is adjacent to the camp, the day before and begged their grandmother to take them on Monday. 
 “We went on lots of rides and had lots of fun,” she said, as her 7-year-old granddaughter Candice carefully protected the goldfish she had won at a carnival game. 
 Karen Lee, of East Moriches, brought two of her three children — Aaron, 7 months; and Mikailing, 5 — in lieu of their normal afternoon activities. 
 “We walked here,” she said. “It’s right around the corner from us.” 
 But the beer was still the main attraction for some. Leo Tolson, 35; Jamie Kurz, 32; and Briana Caputo, 23; all of Center Moriches, said every year past they’ve attended multiple days of Oktoberfest, but this year could only make it on Monday. 
 “We come for the beer,” said Tolson, who was sipping an Oktoberfest from Long Island’s Blue Point Brewery. “And we come every time.” 
 Caputo said they were also happy to support Camp Pa-Qua-Tuck, which this summer hosted more than 300 mentally or physically challenged children. 
 “We like to do anything we can do to support them,” she said. “We know that this is really for the kids.” 
 Above: Jane Miller, a member of the Moriches Paquatuck Squaws, a group of women that raises funds for Camp Pa-Qua-Tuck, pours beer at the Moriches Rotary Club's Oktoberfest. (Sept. 17, 2012)

Local Oktoberfest enjoys an extra day

Oktoberfest enjoys extra day in Center Moriches

This morning, I’m headed to the Terry-Ketchum Inn, in Center Moriches, to meet with Moriches Bay Historical Society president Bert Seides. 
 I’ll get a look around the property -- the inn is listed on the National Register of Historic Places -- and talk to Seides about the history of the Moriches area. 
 Look for a story and a video on the history of Moriches later this week. 
 Today, you’ll find a story on the last day of the Rotary Club's Oktoberfest, which organizers said had a few thousand visitors throughout the four-day festival. You’ll also find interviews with some of the people I met there, both volunteering their time and enjoying the festivities. 
 In the afternoon, I’m meeting with Kathleen Johnson, co-executive director of the Moriches Community Center, which was incorporated in the spring of 2000 aimed at giving people ages 12 to 19 a place to congregate and participate in safe activities. Currently, the group is renting space above Buckley’s Irish Pub, but Johnson said they hope to one day have their own space. 
 I’ll hang out during their Tuesday afternoon “drop-in” lounge for teens and talk to Johnson about what makes the center a success. 
 Thanks for all your emails and suggestions yesterday. Some of them I’m already following up on, but feel free to send more or just share your thoughts about the Moriches hamlets. 
 You can reach me via <a href="mailto:erin.geismar@newsday.com">email</a>, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/eringeismar">Twitter</a> and in the comments below, and follow me on <a href="http://www.foursquare.com/eringeismar">Foursquare</a>. 
 Above: Havens House on Main Street in Center Moriches, which dates back to 1890, is the home of the Moriches Bay Historical Society. (June 29, 2011) 
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Town Focus: Day 2 in the Moriches

LI National Register of Historic Places

Erin Geismar spoke with&nbsp;Barbara Caldwell, president of the Moriches Rotary Club, for our <a href="/morichesfocus">Town Focus in the Moriches</a> this week. Caldwell gives her impressions of the community. 
 How long have you lived in the area? 
 We’ve only been here 10 years. We came from Nassau County, and I used to belong to the Rotary there. My husband is not a Rotarian. 
 What brought you here? 
 My son lived in East Moriches; otherwise, I had no idea it was here. Now, we call it our “best kept secret.” 
 What was it like when you first started coming out here? 
 We used to have a house in Sag Harbor, so we love it out here. I got involved in the Rotary almost right away, and this year I became president. We liked it very much. It was very quiet; that took a lot of getting used to coming from Nassau County. The other thing is I found it very hard to find a store to shop in. But the people were friendly and there’s the Rotary, which became not just my friends but my other family. 
 Ten years in, what do you love about the community now? 
 I like the idea that there is so much water around; the quietness, the people are very calm. It’s very different from Nassau County; everyone is not in such a hurry. It’s just a nice place to live. I have four grandchildren that go to the schools, and they love it. 
 And have you found a place to shop? 
 Not really. But I’ve saved a lot of money. 
 Tell me a little about what the Rotary does. 
 We have 26 members. It’s not a very big club, but we do a lot of work. Annually we do the Duck Race and the Octoberfest, and we probably raise about $25,000 from the Octoberfest and the same from the Duck Race. That all goes to the camp [Pa-Qua-Tuck]. We are trying to start a pancake breakfast, and we do a Stuff-A-Bus every month, except during the summer. Around the holidays, we adopt a family. We also have a very active Rotoract, which is for college students, and Interact, which is for high school students. They are very good, and often they are our right arm. 
 Are there other big events in town? 
 The chamber does a street fair in the spring, there is a great St. Patrick’s Day parade with parties afterward. In winter, there is a light parade, with fire trucks and ambulances. It’s like a great small town you’d find upstate. 
 Define the character of the community. 
 It just reminds me of old movies you’ve seen, towns where everybody is nice to each other and just comes together. Everybody tries to help each other out. &nbsp;

Woman happy to trade Nassau for Moriches

Erin Geismar bumped into&nbsp;Jim Dineen, 85, former president of the Moriches Bay Civic Association, one of the founders of the Moriches Bay Little League and a member of the Moriches Rotary Club, for our <a href="/morichesfocus">Town Focus in the Moriches</a>. 
 How long have you lived [in Center Moriches]? 
 45 years. Before that I lived in Middle Island. 
 What brought you here? 
 The water. I wanted to be close to it. I have a boat and I love the bay for fishing, and I was just in the ocean [Thursday]. It takes 10 minutes to get there. 
 What made you stay here? 
 It’s a small town. Middle Island didn’t have a small town and the taxes were starting to grow there because they were building the schools. That’s when I moved here. There is a great little Main Street in Center Moriches. And I knew a lot of people that lived here before I came. I joined the Rotary about the same time. 
 How has it changed? 
 It’s unbelievable. There were only about 1,000 people when I first moved here. Now it’s more like 10,000. But it’s still a pretty little town. 
 Are there any secret gems in town? 
 Main Street with all the small businesses. When I was in the civic, we wouldn’t allow chain stores. We still maintain a small Main Street. There is a playground where all the bricks are dedicated to people from the TWA crash, which happened right out here. 
 What challenges does the community face? 
 Renovating Main Street. We had a big beautification committee that put up all new lamp posts, redid the sidewalks. Now we are trying to get stores that have closed to reopen. We also need to provide more sports activities for the children. I’m trying to build a skatepark. Right now, all the kids skateboard at the King Kullen shopping center. They don’t have a place to congregate. Little League only lasts four months. 
 How would you characterize the community? 
 Small, close knit, very friendly. Everybody seems to know everybody. You can find the best fishing in the world right here.

Fishing spurs man's love of Moriches area

Today, I start our weeklong focus on the Moriches. You’ll likely find me working from Main Street in Center Moriches for most of the week, but I look forward to getting to know the people and sites in the surrounding hamlets of Moriches and East Moriches, as well. 
 First up, you’ll meet some of the local Rotarians, who have been hard at work this past weekend throwing an Oktoberfest festival at the Camp Pa-Qua-Tuck grounds in Center Moriches. They expected thousands of people throughout the weekend, and for the first time since they began throwing the festival three years ago, they are keeping it open on Monday. 
 Proceeds benefit the camp, which serves mentally and physically challenged children. 
 I’ll be there later Monday, taking photos and talking to the people I meet there. Look for a story on Octoberfest later. 
 I’m also meeting with Pat Hahn, of Center Moriches, founder of the Center Moriches Watchdog Community Association and a local Boy Scout troop leader. We’ll talk about what his organization does, how it has grown in the two years since it was established, and his time living in Center Moriches. 
 If you have suggestions on places to go or people to meet, or would like to share your own thoughts or memories on one of the Moriches, please do. You can reach me in the comments below, by <a href="mailto:erin.geismar@newsday.com">email</a> and on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/eringeismar">Twitter</a>. You can also follow along throughout the day via <a href="https://foursquare.com/eringeismar">Foursquare</a>. 
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Town Focus: Day 1 in the Moriches

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