Horses, hot sauce and community spirit highlight North Fork weekend
A dream more than half a century in the making became reality Saturday when Debra Rothwell cut the ribbon on Thunder Road Stables in Jamesport.
Ms. Rothwell, wife of Riverhead Town Councilman Ken Rothwell, grew up around horses while her uncle managed a horse farm. She remembers serving as his “little barn man” and said she has long found something soothing — even “quite magical” — about horses.
“It’s a dream come true,” Ms. Rothwell said. “As a goal, I never thought I would get this, so I’m pretty proud to be in this place right now. It’s pretty surreal.”
Ms. Rothwell had boarded horses at the property for nearly four years before eventually becoming its owner. She said the community response to Thunder Road Stables has been “pretty positive.”
“This is our little slice of heaven,” Mr. Rothwell said.
Heating up at Riverhead Cider House
Things got considerably hotter at Riverhead Cider House Saturday, where the second annual hot sauce festival brought together small producers and adventurous eaters for an afternoon of sampling — and a test of just how much heat contestants could handle.
The festival was held with John Kasper of White House Sauce and Long Island Pepper Company, giving vendors an opportunity to showcase their sauces. Attendees could sample the offerings straight or on a chip.
“We have some new vendors, and we’re trying to build a following here, which I think we have,” Mr. Kasper said. “These are really legitimate, good-tasting products. We’re sure people are going to go around and try everything.”
The heat peaked with the 1 p.m. “Marshmallow from Hell” eating contest. Each round brought progressively spicier coatings until Carolina Reaper flakes entered the mix. With multiple contestants refusing to bow out, the final round became a race to finish three spicy marshmallows.
“I did not think I could win,” said winner Ry Guiliano of South Setauket. “[Going into the last round] All I tried to do was get them down. In the second to last round, I contemplated tapping out.”
For enduring the heat, Mr. Guiliano earned a bottle of hot sauce and will receive a red pepper trophy bearing his name — along with some scorching-hot bragging rights.
Unity picnic
In Peconic, the Southold Town Anti-Bias Task Force marked its 16th annual Unity Picnic, bringing residents and town officials together at the Peconic Community Center.
“It’s important for us to come together, stay together and combat bias and hate,” said Anti-Bias Task Force Chair Emeritus Valerie Shelby. “You can’t combat that unless you come together.”
Ms. Shelby said the annual gathering offers people from different backgrounds an opportunity to socialize, share a meal and get to know one another.
“Showing community devotion, that we all belong to one community,” Ms. Shelby said. “There are doctors, lawyers and we all come from different walks of life, but we come together. That’s what I like about it.”
Photos by Nick Mongiovi
