Long Island Blog

A wonderful treat is in store tonight– the lighting of a 35-ft tall Japanese Umbrella Pine on Long Island.  The event is in Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park in Oyster Bay NY.  It takes place from 5:30 PM to 8 PM.

There is free admission but hot cider is $1 per cup.  At the tree lighting Santa will be making an appearence along with Christmas carolers.

A Hanukkah Menorah Lighting takes place onight at 7:30 PM on the grounds at the Temple B’nai Israel  in Elmont NY.  The community is invited.

New York State just formulated a task force their focus being Mold. Here you can find government (Huntington) offices and websites that maybe helpful in obtaining more information on what your local government may be doing Nassau Suffolk. With the humid weather conditions especially on Long Island mold and mildew are problems with which almost every homeowner is faced and is not an issue to be ignored as it can be a hazard to you and your families health and eventually force you and your loved ones out of your home.

Mold is has many nuisances as well as uses. As many organisms Ecosystems are established on different organisms each interacting through different forms of symbiosis , amensalism , commensalism , mutualism, and parasitism.
Some prevention options include air purification systems or contacting a contractor who has knowledge in the rectification and prevention procedures in the treatment of mold susceptible residences. as well as Resources such as private testing contractors, environmental testing labs, and environmental agencies can be a good starting point for your battle against mold. When you have already lost your battle against mold your next most important step is the cleanup. Some options include cleaning services and carpet cleaning services.
Rectify your mold problem ASAP as they can be deadly to you and your loved ones!!

As Thanksgiving and the holidays approach the time honored tradition of taking loved ones from out of town and children who have never had the magical experience of a Broadway show to their first experience once again becomes of utmost importance; not to mention those who rarely miss a well reviewed fresh hit, and those who are regular return visitors to the Theater District in New York City, to see their favorites such as Rent and Lion King. November 9, 2007 was when the first ripples of talk seemed to spread through 42nd street and out to the rest of the Broadway world and eventually the broad media that the talks between the ‘League of American theaters and Producers’ and Broadway’s unionized stage hands (Local One-International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees) were not going well and by the 10th the union had

Shows which have been closed include:

August: Osage County Imperial Theatre

Avenue Q Golden Theatre

A Bronx Tale Walter Kerr Theatre

Chicago Ambassador Theatre

A Chorus Line Schoenfeld Theatre

The Color Purple Broadway Theatre

Curtains Al Hirschfeld Theatre

Cyrano de Bergerac Richard Rodgers Theatre

The Drowsy Chaperone Marquis Theatre

Duran Duran Ethel Barrymore Theatre

The Farnsworth Invention Music Box Theatre

Grease Brooks Atkinson Theatre

Hairspray Neil Simon Theatre

Is He Dead? Lyceum Theatre

Jersey Boys August Wilson Theatre

Legally Blonde Palace Theatre

Les Misérables Broadhurst Theatre

The Lion King Minskoff Theatre

The Little Mermaid Lunt-Fontanne Theatre

Mamma Mia! Winter Garden Theatre

Monty Python’s Spamalot Shubert Theatre

The Phantom of the Opera Majestic Theatre

Rent Nederlander Theatre

Rock ‘n’ Roll Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre

The Seafarer Booth Theatre

Spring Awakening Eugene O’Neill Theatre

Wicked Gershwin Theatre

Because the Nederlander Organization negotiaties directly with the union is along with Lincolon Center, The Roundabout Theatre Company, and the Manhattan Theater Club all remain unaffected.

The League finds that the stage hand’s contracts are obsolete and detrimental to the health of the theater industry. They do recognize the skill and experience that qualifies them for their wage scale and their goal is to “…To pay for workers we need and for work that is actually performed. Stagehands are highly skilled and highly paid…” and proceed to apologize for any disappointments and inconveniences that the strike has caused to the theatre going public. The Local One has not come out with an official statement but the fliers that they have been distributing read: “Broadway is a billion dollar a year industry and has never been more profitable than now. Cuts in our jobs and wages will never result in a cut in ticket prices to benefit the public, but only an increase in the profits for produces. Unlike the producers, we are not fighting for our second or third homes: we are fighting to keep the one we have. ” The Actor’s Equity is behind the Stage Hand union and believes that all workers deserve fair wages, conditions, and respect from all those who are a part of making the magic come to life.

The impact is going to be felt through out the winter months as this season is usually the one that gives a cushion to the slow months such as January through March. Shows that were scheduled to open this week which will feel the impact of this strike most deeply will be “The Farnsworth Invention,” “The Seafarer,” “Augues: Osage County,” “The Little Mermaid,” and “The Homecoming,” are all shows which will especially feel the hit as they will not have the force caused by positive new reviews, that usually generates a lot of traffic for newly opened plays.

Contrasting to shows which are feeling such an impact there have been slight agreements reached by those working on “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” at the St. James Theatre. As this is a seasonal show which was slated to start the day after the strike was announced did come to an agreement between the Union and Jujamcyn Theatres to resume performances as it is only slated to run until January 6,2008. The heads of the union did not agree to the reopening initially but did eventually agree to reopen the theatre and instruct the picketers to stand down. The top union officials had been sluggish at first to agreeing to this proposition but as the probability of talks wrapping up in a timely fashion has decreased the show has been reopened.

After having received such disappointing news and having to shuffle your holiday weekend schedule’s and trying to decide what exactly you are going to do with your relatives and their children during the time that you had planned for going to a Broadway play you will be happy to find that your refunds will be easily obtained.

For tickets purchased through Telecharge will be automatically credited back within two business days to the card with which the tickets were purchase whether by internet or phone.

For tickets purchased through Ticketmaster will also be automatically refunded to your account within 7 to 10 business days (processing fees and delivery charges are nonrefundable)

For tickets purchased at the Box Office will take a little longer to obtain a refund for as the box office workers may be standing out side in support of their fellow theater workers. You may wait until the strike is over or mail them in to receive your refund (keep a copy for your records)

For more information directly from the League of American Theaters and Producers at 212 575 3824 or 8666546362

Sunday, October 28, 2007 7:30pm

The lack of space for parking didn’t stop the masses from arriving at the Schmitt farm as soon as the gates opened at 7:00pm. Accompanied by friends, we made our way to the forming line to purchase our combo tickets (that includes the haunted house & corn maze). It was a good hour before we made it to the ticket stand, but it didn’t seem like an hour with ongoing conversation and some side entertainment. While creeping up the line, the Ghost Busters theme song faintly grew nearer, forcing the crowd to turn out of curiosity. A Honda Element drove up, all decked out in the Ghost Buster décor with three young men dressed in costumes as Peter, Egon, & Raymond (for those of you 1984 movie buffs). The three played their parts well, letting the costumers take pictures and join in on the ghostly fun.

Once we made it to the haunted mansion, there was more standing in line for about 30 minutes. But when the time finally arrived it was fortunately worth the wait. The key to a good haunted house is the spook factor. Anyone can put on a scary mask, but how you utilize the costume is what counts. And for the Schmitt haunted mansion, they had this part perfected. Without ruining the surprise, I will simply say the illusion rooms were my favorite. One room’s illusions literally made you feel like you were doing cartwheels, while in reality you’re holding onto the railings to walk straight. But my most favorite illusion was the checkered room. Check it out. There’s no explaining what it does to your eyes and sensory reactions.

After the mansion, we made our way to the haunted corn maze. There was another wait, but it only took about 10 minutes. The best part of the maze was the 8-foot tall corn and the ¾ harvest moon sitting on the tips of the corn ears, which gave the extra spookiness it needed. The beginning of the maze was what was to be expected. We continued to be startled by the people hiding in the dark behind the corn. Most had chainsaws (without the blades) and others had costumes that camouflaged them. Unfortunately there was some disappointment towards the end of the corn maze when the young employees decided that socializing and taking smoke breaks (while still dressed in their costumes) was more important than scaring the guests that paid $20 a person to be entertained.

However, at the end of the night it seemed to all of us that it was still worth our time and money to partake in a little Halloween tradition at the farm.

The farm also offers children’s events and pumpkin picking. Next year be sure to join in on the Halloween festivities at the Schmitt’s Family Farm.

The price of heating your home with oil heat this year is expected to go up by 22 percent.  This estimate was annouced today by the federal Energy Information Administration. It is widely covered in the print, radio, tv and online media today.   The offical EIA press release is titled “Short-term energy and winter fuels outlook“.  The report notes that 32 percent  of the homes in the northeast use oil heat for winter fuel. The estimate of a 22% increase couldbe quite a shock to the local economy on Long Island for the first quater of 2008.  So far Long Island and the metro New York City area have not suffered as much as many regions from the economic impact of the sub-prime lending crisis.  But the difficulties in the local housing market are starting to hit now.  Sub-prime mortgages with variable interest rates are kicking in and many new home owners will feel double dsitress from raising monthly mortage payments and higher home heating costs this winter.

The EIA report states that natural gas prices will increase by about 10% nationwide.  Part of the expected cost increases for home heating this winter is due to overall demand going up.  The winter season is expected to be about 4% colder than last year. 

But it is important to note that part of the impact on your personal budget depends on the home energy saving steps you take in the next two months.  It is not too late to do simple home improvement and repair projects to winterize your home.  In the past few weeks we have update the business listings and information on our local Long Isalnd directroy category for home heating energy saving tips. You will find information there for county programs and New York State programs that help  Many of these resources will aslo refer you to LIPA’s web resource for Energy Saving Tools so that is a good site to visit first.

The LIPA web interactive tools ask you questions about your home, heating types, appliances and other basic questions.  The top ways to save on energy costs are provided in the areas of weatherization, water heating, lighting and appliances.  Once you have evaluated your home you can plan the home improvement or repair projects that will best help you save money this winter.  You can find other helpful resources and businesses in these related categories in our yellow pages style online directory:
Long Island home heating systems
Long Island home heating oil
Long Island natural gas
Long island solar heating
Long Island wood stoves
Long Island home improvement contractors