Community

Flanders: Important civic meetings coming up

March flew right by us, didn’t it? I cannot wrap my head around the fact that my oldest, Thomas, will be graduating from high school in about three months. It seems like yesterday I was putting him on the bus for his first day of kindergarten. Time has a funny way of creeping up on you, doesn’t it? I guess that’s the way it is for most parents who are busy rushing around and raising a family. It’s sad because although I was there for the whole thing, I feel like I’ve missed out on something. Or maybe it’s just that “empty nest” feeling starting to take root. Thank goodness I have my nieces and nephews for when I need that “little kid” fix.

Here’s some news from Janice Artandi: the next meeting of the Bay View Pines Civic and Taxpayers Association will be held on Friday, April 1, at 7 p.m. at the David W. Crohan Community Center, 655 Flanders Road. Guest speaker Andrea Spilka, president of the Southampton Town Civic Coalition, will talk about community activism.

Don’t forget! There will be an important community meeting on Friday, April 8, at 7 p.m. at the David W. Crohan Community Center. FRNCA, in conjunction with the Bay View Pines and Waters Edge civic associations, will be hosting a forum to discuss how to achieve fair school taxes for Southampton residents who live in the Riverhead School District (school taxes went up 22 percent this year!). Topics of discussion will include new legislation proposed by Assemblyman Fred Thiele (who has been invited to attend), as well as changing the current method of 100 percent assessment. Everyone should attend this meeting.

The Riverhead Blue Masques will present the play “Once Upon a Mattress” on April 2, 3, 8 and 9. Friday and Saturday shows start at 8 p.m.; Sunday matinée, 2 p.m. According to my baby girl Kaitlyn, who has been attending play practice since January, it’s “really going to be good.” For more information, call 369-6750 or visit riverheadbluemasques.com.

I have some RHS Class of 2014 T-shirts — with all the students’ names on them — for current ninth-graders who wish to purchase one. They are $5 each and I can deliver them. Please call or email me using the info above.

Well, that’s all this week, friends and neighbors. I’m going to end this column not only asking everyone to drive safely and put those cell phone down, but to send a little prayer for those unfortunate people in Japan. As I’m writing this column the news is on and they just reported that Japan had another earthquake. What a horrifying ordeal for them. I pray that this earthquake business ends and that they stabilize their nuclear reactors before something even worse happens.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone and be safe.