This year, Town of Hempstead residents will have the chance to end a summer day by packing up their coolers, ordering some takeout and heading to their local parks with their family members and friends for a free concert. more

The Seaford Public Library’s children’s room was busy with young readers and families coming and going on May 4 for the library’s Children’s Book Week. more

As summer nears in Wantagh and Seaford, the Chamber of Commerce in each hamlet is planning a series of outdoor, socially distanced events to allow neighbors to spend time together. more

There were plenty of people walking the boardwalk and shore of Jones Beach State Park on Sunday, a cool spring day. With a cool breeze and wariness of Covid-19 in the air, many were wearing a light jacket and a mask. In just a few months, this scene may look a bit different, with people in their swimsuits sprawled out on beach towels instead. But whether the beach will be filled at 100 percent capacity, or a limited capacity, remains a mystery. more

James Lodato left an impact on his classmates with the jokes he told, his love of baseball and the unfettered joy with which he lived the last year of his life. When he started second grade at Forest Lake Elementary School in the fall of 2017, James was diagnosed with a rare soft-tissue cancer called alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. He died the following May. Last month, the Wantagh community dedicated a new baseball field to James at the elementary school, naming it the James Lodato Field of Dreams. The opening coincided with another community project. Isabella and the rest of Girl Scout Troop 3105 dedicated their Bronze Award project to him, naming it James’s Angels. Throughout the school year, they collected toys and gifts that they donated to the John Theissen Children’s Foundation last month.  more

"Been homeschooling a 6-year old and 8-year old for one hour and 11 minutes. Teachers deserve to make a billion dollars a year. Or a week."—Shonda Rhimes (@shondarhimes), March … more

Children and their families gathered at Tackapausha Museum and Preserve last Saturday, where employee Sam Hammel introduced them to a variety of the preserve’s residents, including a screech owl named Nutmeg and a python named Pat. All the animals he showed the crowd were rescuees, each with its own stories of how it ended up at the Seaford museum and preserve. more

A Facebook page titled, “Quarantine Cook Off,” not only sets stomachs rumbling, but also builds friendships. From Wantagh and Seaford to as far afield as Jupiter, Fla., and Kansas City, strangers are sharing what they’re cooking for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s a community of food lovers that has led to contests, friendships and potential potlucks (once it’s safer to hold them). more

About three dozen people met at Wantagh Elementary School early last Saturday morning for the first 5K run of the Wantagh Wellness Project, a community group dedicated to promoting healthy lifestyle choices among neighbors. more

Chris and Michelle Panetta lost their close friend Nick Mencaroni, a New York City police officer, to suicide in January 2019. Now the Seaford couple is striving to raise mental health awareness and reduce the rising number of deaths by suicide among first responders. more