Riverhead column: RFL battle of books and senior citizen prom

Teens at 19 Suffolk County libraries competed in the “Advanced Battle of the Books” on April 29 at West Islip Library. Riverhead Free Library’s team, “The Loyal Order of the Rebellious Readers,” placed sixth overall. The competition for this book trivia contest was terrific. Led by their coach, librarian Joyce Rienzo, the following gave their all: Laimis Abromaitis, Anya Augustyn, Rachel Eager, Liz Morrison, Kristen Morris, Kayleigh Teresky and Courtney Lamont. Congratulations! RFL and the students will once again participate in the project “150 Memorial Day Cards” for the Veterans Hospital at Northport.

This is a great project for such a great cause.
Peconic Bay Medical Center’s auxiliary volunteers were honored at an awards luncheon held recently at Giorgio’s restaurant. Auxiliary volunteers are an essential part of the PBMC team, providing more than 22,000 hours annually of service to a variety of areas, including greeting patients and visitors at the front desk and in the emergency care center, assisting the patient care units and performing clerical work.

This year Marion Harrison received the Jeanne Shaffery Lifetime Achievement Award of Excellence for her dedication as a volunteer since 1994. Her invaluable service in the skilled nursing and rehabilitation center is welcomed and appreciated by staff and patients. In addition to the numerous hours of service auxiliary members give to the hospital, they are also key in raising funds to help PBMC purchase new equipment and develop and implement new programs. Anyone interested in becoming a hospital volunteer can call Lynn LaGrua at 631-548-6021.

Riverhead United Methodist Church’s Thrift Shop, “Blessings,” opened on May 7 with lots of goodies and bargains for sale. Donations of gently used items will be accepted on Thursdays from 9 to 11 a.m.

The Interact Club at Riverhead High School, together with adviser Carole Kirchhoff, held its annual senior citizen prom on May 4 at the high school. A turkey dinner with all the trimmings and dessert and coffee were served. The Riverhead Middle School Middle Masques did a mini-performance of “Alice in Wonderland” with their adviser, Ed Tholl, and the Riverhead High School choral students performed with their director, Ms. Tisham. The audience loved being entertained. They then danced the night away to tunes by DJ Sean Saterfiel.

Thanks to all the students and the officers of the club — Jeremy Warner, president, Jake Messina, vice president, and Nicole Mielnicki, secretary. The club promotes international understanding and community service, provides outreach to our local Salvation Army, donates food baskets during the holidays, and assists the Rotary at its spaghetti dinner and pancake breakfasts. A big thanks to RHS’s student government, which also participated in this endeavor. Birthdays recognized that evening were: Emma, 90, Harriet, 71, Marie, 91, and John, 100 years and 3 months. All enjoyed a round of “Happy Birthday” and dancing.

Art in Action, on May 6, showcased artwork by Riverhead Central School District students in grades K-12. The talent that was displayed was amazing, from clay projects and computer graphics to photography. The one that caught my eye was the castle made of cardboard cereal boxes, for the encouragement of recycling and expanding the imagination of the young students at Roanoke Avenue Elementary School. The finishing touch was princess Beth Wells, who greeted attendees at the main gate. Light entertainment was provided by high school students, who sang in various locations throughout the school where the art was displayed.

Happy birthday wishes to Bill Kelly Jr. and Carmecha Langhorne on May 12; Leo Jasinski, May 13; Eric Reilly, Tim Corwin and Betty Nash, May 14; Samantha Carter, Fran Madzelan and Gary Hotchkiss, May 15; and Baycan Fideli, May 16.

Happy 45th wedding anniversary wishes to Bob and Pat Walsh on May 14 and to Bryan and Buffy Krajewski, May 16. Hope your day is special.

Get well wishes to Ellen Kramer.