Summer in Mastic Beach

Summer is here and the living is easy! Today is the last day of school for the elementary school students. Summer in Mastic Beach means sunny days, hazy night and plenty of time soaking up seaside pleasures. The natural beauty is all around us at the beaches, William Floyd Estate and our own backyards.

Happy summer everyone! Check out the Community Library for the Summer Reading Club. Children of all ages are included. The adult reading club encourages me to grab a book when I'm lounging by the pool. When parents read, it's a good example to the children! Today the library will be kicking off the Summer Reading Club with giveaways and events, so don't miss it. The library is an excellent place to chill out and cool down all summer.

Another Chance To See The Manor of St. George

Over the summer, the Community Library has a program to tour the Manor of St. George at the end of Neighborhood Road. The program was canceled this summer because of the mosquito population. The tour is rescheduled for this Saturday, October 4 at 11 AM. Check out the Community Library website for more info and to register your children for this wonderful historical experience.

Taking A College Road Trip To The Library

Our Community Library is the perfect place to gather. There's something for everyone and it's always free or low cost. My family and I went to see "College Road Trip" yesterday and had a great time!

The downstairs room at the library just like a movie theater, with comfortable seats and a large screen. Bags of popcorn and juice boxes were served. The movie was an excellent choice with back to school and encourages young people to think about college. "College Road Trip" stars Raven, Martin Lawrence and Donny Osmond, so we laughed during the entire movie.

Where else can you have such a fun afternoon for free?

Back To School Cool

The Community Library had a fun program on Saturday called, "Back to School Cool". My kids made great tote bags they will use to carry their library books during the years. Since both children read at least a half hour every night, we love the library! It was a terrific program that put my children in the mood for school and reading.

Metro Balloon & Music Festival Is Lots of Hot Air

I was excited about the Metro NY Balloon and Music Festival when it came to town last year. Imagine such an event right around the corner with performers from my youth such as Joan Jett! After finding out the cost of tickets, I decided to volunteer to offset the price. The only problem is volunteers have to arrive at 5 AM, a tall order when you have children and a business to run.

I wondered if I was being cheap when I thought $10 parking and $25 entry fees were outrageous - never mind the hundreds of dollars it costs to actually go up in a balloon. We are a family of four so I spoke to friends in the same situation. Both felt the prices were outrageous and were more beneficial for those profiting from this event rather than this area. In fact, my friend estimated for a family of four to experience the entire event (ride bracelets, a snack, balloon rides for everyone) would cost more than her last vacation to Disney. When I received a call to volunteer this year, I just chuckled and passed. In fact, we went camping in East Hampton instead to get away from the hectic pace in the neighborhood (we've grown accustomed to the quiet). Our entire weekend cost about 100 bucks and the kids had a great time.

After returning home, I still felt a bit guilty about skipping the festival another year. After checking out this blog, I realized my friends and I have plenty of company from the comments:

http://longislandnewyork.blogspot.com/2007/08/metro-ny-balloon-music-festival-august.html

I am sure many people enjoyed this event, though I doubt many are from around here. With the foreclosure rates so high in our area, people can barely keep a roof over their heads never mind attend such as pricey festival. How is this fun for the majority of our residents, who really can't afford it? Even those who are making ends meet, such as my friends and I, worked hard to get there and aren't ready to fritter away funds for a day trip.

There are things that would be fun and affordable for everyone. I am still concerned about the everyday quality of life in our neighborhood. What happened to our million dollar pool? Another summer goes by with no pool for our residents to appreciate. A decent town pool in our area is long overdue. Will there ever be a skate park or rec center for our kids? While people cluck at the kids skateboarding by the Community Library, they have no suggestions for alternative recreation. Where are they supposed to go? There are the things I want to see happening in our neighborhood...how about you?

St. George's Manor Overrun With Mosquitoes

Just a heads up to anyone who wanted to participate in Saturday's library program at St. George's Manor - it's been canceled because of excessive mosquitoes in the area. We loved the program last year because it is one of the few opportunities residents have to tour the premises and find out the rich history in our area. We're sorry to miss it this year!

Spring Has Sprung

During the past week, spring has sprung in Mastic Beach! With daylight savings time, there is more sunshine so the children are playing outside longer and you hear the welcome sounds of laughter despite frequent bouts with rain.

St. Patrick's Day was Monday and we had a terrific time at the Community Library. My children decorated delicious shamrock cookies with green icing while my husband and I enjoyed laughter yoga. The kids got paper aprons and hats and decorated the cookie box then got to eat a tasty cookie - what could be better? My husband and I loved laughter yoga, a variation on traditional yoga which is also taught at the library. By using forced laughter and yoga stretching, you rejuvenate and improve your breathing. We all felt wonderful on St. Paddy's day at the library! Meanwhile, the Long Island Press had an article about Leg. Kate Browning, a native of Ireland, teaching Irish dance at the local Long Island School of the Arts. What an exciting, cultural community we live in!

Today is also the first day the children have off for spring break although many of the Easter and spring activities took place last weekend. There are still ongoing services for the holidays at the local houses of worship and you can find a last minute Easter bunny at Walmart in Middle Island. On Friday and Saturday between 10 and 2, the bunny will be at Walmart for free photos.

Meanwhile, in the back of all our minds is the idea that our neighborhood may become an incorporated village. What do you think of this?

With so much to see and do around town, have a wonderful spring break in beautiful Mastic Beach!