Upcoming events: Fall fest, pet adoptions

MALVERNE
Crossroads Farm hosts fall festival
The Crossroads Farm at the historic Grossmann’s Farm in Malverne Village will hold its annual fall festival this weekend.

The 5.2-acre vegetable farm will be open for the free event Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Attendees will be able to enjoy a petting zoo, hay rides, pumpkin picking, farm tours, live music, farm demonstrations and hands-on workshops at the century-old farm at 480 Hempstead Ave.

There will also be cider doughnuts, organic produce and other locally produced items for purchase, including artisanal cheeses, gourmet pickles, olives oils, Italian specialties, cookies, pies, cakes, breads and chocolates.

The farm opened its doors in late April for the 2011 growing season, after lying fallow more than three years.

Nassau County acquired the formerly family-owned Grossmann’s Farm in 2010 for $6.5 million through the county’s Environmental Bond Act. The county, in partnership with Nassau Land Trust, manages the farm as part of the “Grown on Long Island” campaign.

For more information, email the farm at farmstand@nassaulandtrust.org or call 516- 881-7900.
— AISHA AL-MUSLIM

PLAINVIEW
Pet benefit features on-site adoptions
The third Paws 2 Love Pet Adoption Festival & Benefit at the Manetto Hill Animal Hospital will be held Oct. 27.

The event at 122 Manetto Hill Rd. is co-sponsored with the Town of Oyster Bay and will include the Little Shelter, Last Hope Rescue, Animal Lover’s League, Yorkie 911 Rescue, A New Beginning Rescue, Our Best Friends Rescue and the Town of Oyster Bay Shelter.

The free event runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. It not only raises money, but the rescue groups and shelters also bring animals that can be adopted on the spot. There will be live music, children’s activities, food and vendors.
— BILL BLEYER

RIVERHEAD
Event to provide info for seniors, caregivers
A resource fair for people 50 and older and their caregivers will be held Monday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Riverhead Public Library, with a variety of local and state officials on hand to answer questions about programs ranging from real estate tax exemptions for seniors to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Aid Program.

The Suffolk sheriff’s office will give information on its Shield the Meds safe disposal program for medications, and the AARP — a co-sponsor of the fair along with the library — will talk about its Car Fit program for elderly drivers, and how to determine if they need additional safety equipment.

The Suffolk Veterans Service Agency and Office for the Aging will have representatives as well, along with Riverhead’s senior services office.
— MITCHELL FREEDMAN

SAYVILLE
Ambulance company sets groundbreaking
The Community Ambulance Company of Sayville will hold a groundbreaking ceremony at 11 a.m. Saturday for a new facility on Lakeland Avenue.

The new building, privately funded with a mortgage based on equity in the company’s two other buildings, will cost an estimated $7 million, ambulance company chief Jamie Atkinson said.

The building will have five double bays to house 10 vehicles, and will allow the company to achieve better response times to emergency calls by centralizing equipment.

“I think it’s a positive thing for the community by far,” Atkinson said. “A lot of these things in the new building will improve our response times, and it gets all our equipment indoors. They’re expensive equipment and should be stored indoors.”

The new location, slated on the site just south of Chester Road, will also help the company better aid residents who live north of the Long Island Rail Road tracks, and eliminate the potential for trains to delay assistance, according to Atkinson. The site will also serve as a facility where the company’s EMS providers can train.

The ambulance company covers the Bayport, Bohemia, Sayville and West Sayville/Oakdale fire districts.
— SOPHIA CHANG