Category: Community Events

On November 30, the Village of Islandia held a Good Neighbor Gala on the grounds of Village Hall to recognize three of its residents—Patricia Ann Kellner, Maria Depaula-Walsh and Robert Sutton—for their positive impact on the community.

Ms. Kellner is President of the DNA Genealogy Group of Long Island and has found lost family members using genealogy and DNA, reunited adoptees to their families and developed successful genetic genealogy strategies. She manages numerous DNA tests, runs Facebook DNA genealogy groups, has hosted family reunions and created an extensive family tree. She is a member of the Genealogical Speakers Guild and has a B.A. in Speech Communications.

Ms. Depaula-Walsh witnessed a tragic accident in September where a boy riding his bike was struck by a car near Gina’s Enchanted Flower Shoppe. She didn’t know the boy, but she felt compelled to learn more about the boy’s condition. She entered the flower shop to see if Gina Lekstutis, Owner, Gina’s Enchanted Flower Shoppe, had any more information on the boy. Ms. Lekstutis gave Ms. Depaula-Walsh a red rose and asked that they continue praying for the boy. Ms. Depaula-Walsh carried the rose with her as she shared the story with everyone she met, including Mayor Allan M. Dorman, and asked them to keep the boy in their prayers.

Mr. Sutton has been a Volunteer Firefighter for the Central Islip Fire Department since 1992. He runs the department’s fire prevention program and has been recognized for developing one of the best programs in the state. He hosts fire safety presentations and poster contests at local schools. He has served as President of the Suffolk County Fire Safety Educators from 2006 to 2009 and from 2011 to 2017, bringing his passion for education to all those in the organization.

At the ceremony, Mayor Allan M. Dorman thanked the honorees for their service to the community and the attendees for supporting their neighbors. He also said that there will be more Good Neighbor Gala events in the future as the village continues to recognize its citizens.

In its December 20-27 issue, the Smithtown Messenger reported on the Village of Islandia’s Good Neighbor Gala on November 30. Read Article

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On November 10, the Village of Islandia held its annual Veterans Day ceremony at the Veterans Memorial Triangle. Mayor Allan M. Dorman, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War, was joined by local elected officials, war veterans and representatives from the Lakeland and Central Islip Fire Departments to honor those who served and continue to serve in the armed forces.

During the ceremony, Mayor Dorman asked those in attendance to remember those local residents who served in the military and have since passed on. He also recognized all the local veterans’ groups that were in attendance. An invocation was delivered by Tom Brauner, Chaplain, Col. Francis S. Midura Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #12144.

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On September 11, the Village of Islandia held a special ceremony at the new First Responders Memorial in honor of the memory of five local first responders who were killed during the September 11, 2001 attacks: Raymond M. Meisenheimer, Peter Brennan, John P. Napolitano. Glen K. Pettit and William J. Mahoney, Jr.

Mayor Allan M. Dorman was joined by village trustees, safety officers and members of the Col Francis S. Midura Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #12144 in remembering those who lost their lives during the 9/11 attacks. The invocation was made by Tom Brauner, Chaplain, Col. Francis S. Midura Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #12144.

The First Responders Memorial was unveiled on June 2, 2018. It features five plaques, one for each of the five local residents who lost their lives that day. Mayor Dorman said this ceremony will continue to be held at the Memorial to remember those who perished that day.

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Despite the heat and humidity outside, more than 800 Islandia Village residents still managed to come out to the thirteenth Annual Bar-B-Que on July 14. Children in attendance received a free baseball-themed gift pack containing a box of Cracker Jacks and an inflatable baseball; the theme was to commemorate the recent grand opening of First Responders Memorial Ball Field.

A group comprised of Village volunteers and local Boy Scouts helped out at the event. Some of them served residents hamburgers, hot dogs, corn, salad, ice cream, soda and water, while others operated carnival games for the children.

Other activities included a water slide, hayrides, pony rides, a petting zoo, face painting, piñatas, kiddie pools and a dunk tank. As part of the entertainment, a local DJ provided music.

During the event, Mayor Allan M. Dorman held a special ceremony honoring John Corallo, Shawn Donato and Robert DellaSalle of Boy Scout Troop #252 in Ronkonkoma for the beautification projects they performed as part of their Eagle Scout projects. This included refurbishing the “little house” on the grounds of Village Hall and constructing benches at the new First Responders Memorial Ball Field.

Mayor Dorman also hosted a blueberry pie eating contest with the winner earning a blueberry pie.

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On May 26, Mayor Allan M. Dorman, Village of Islandia, joined local war veterans and elected officials in its annual Memorial Day ceremony, in which those in attendance remembered all who died while in service to this country.

Tom Brauner, Chaplain, Col. Francis S. Midura Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #12144, delivered the invocation. Afterwards, Mayor Dorman, a former U.S. Marine and a Vietnam War veteran, acknowledged the veterans’ groups in attendance and asked to remember village residents who served and have since passed away. The ceremony concluded with local elected officials joining veterans and village officials in placing ceremonial wreaths on the memorial.

Chaplain Brauner thanked Mayor Dorman for his assistance in establishing the VFW post in Islandia and noted that the mayor was the post’s first-ever president. Mayor Dorman also announced that the VFW post will soon relocate from Islandia Village Commons to a former residence located across the street from the memorial.

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Neither the cold temperatures nor the aftereffects of the Nor’easter kept away local children and their families from the Village of Islandia’s 13th Annual Easter Egg Hunt, which took place on the grounds of Village Hall on March 24. Children had the opportunity to color their own Easter eggs, get their picture taken with the Easter bunny and guess the number of jellybeans in the jar.

Each child also received a basket full of Easter eggs which contained pieces of candy; some of them also had tickets which they could redeem for a special prize. Those in attendance were treated to cookies and hot cocoa and entertained by the music of “Joe the Singing Bus Driver.”

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On December 2, Village of Islandia residents came out to celebrate the holidays at the village’s twelfth annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony. “Joe the Singing Bus Driver” performed under the big tent as he played guitar and sang holiday songs, while residents enjoyed hot cocoa, coffee and cookies. After the tree was lit, Santa Claus came down to give out toys to the good little boys and girls of Islandia. The children also received candy canes, courtesy of Mrs. Claus.

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Six hundred residents came down to Islandia Village Hall to celebrate Halloween at The Village of Islandia’s 12th annual Pumpkin Fest on October 28. Throughout the event, children decorated their pumpkins, took part in a Halloween costume parade and contest and joined their families on hayrides. Islandia’s own “Joe the Singing Bus Driver” was there to tell spooky stories and sing Halloween songs to the children.

The village also provided guests with hot cocoa, cider and cookies. All the residents left with their very own pumpkins.

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