_______________ east meadow ______________
HERALD Growing veggies for those in need
Car fire reaches the Tipsy Barrel
Italian American night in the park
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Vol. 26 No. 30
July 23 - 29, 2026
$1.00
Local author Camille Perri back at library always writing on the side, knowing that I was going to try to get published one day… I had East Meadow native Camille a few novels in the drawer that Perry is returning to the East that didn’t go anywhere, but I Meadow Public Library to think that those were my learnshare details about her new ing process.” Throughout Perri’s career, book, “Social Animals.” Perri will visit the library on s h e a u t h o re d a r t i cl e s fo r July 28, at 7 p.m. to discuss her E s q u i r e m a g a z i n e , t h e n became a ghost new novel. Accordwriter and honed ing to library staff, her skills as a novthe book is a smart, elist. witty and hear t Her other novels breaking tale with a include “The Assiswonderful mixture tants,” a financial of dogs, spies, narcrime thriller, and cissists, and social “When Katie Met strata. She will be Cassidy,” a womensigning copies of focused romantic her book which will CAmIllE PERRI comedy. Her new be for sale after a Author novel, “Social AniQ&A session led by mals,” is a fun, fastlibrary staff. “That library is near and paced caper centered around a dear to my heart,” she said. dog park in an affluent Massa“Going back now as an author, chusetts neighborhood. “[‘The Assistants’] was is incredible because all those years when I was shelving inspired by my work; I was books at the library, I was working as the assistant to the dreaming of one day having editor in chief of Esquire magone of my books on the on that azine at the time and I used to do his expenses, and that was shelf.” Perri always aspired to be an where I got the idea for an author. “I was always trying to assistant embezzling funds to write novels throughout my pay off debt,” she explained. whole youth,” she said. “While “My second book was a bit of a I was even a librarian, I was Continued on page 2
By JoSEPH D’AlESSANDRo
jdalessandro@liherald.com
Jordan Vallone/Herald
Jace owens, right, was honored at Veterans Memorial park, in east Meadow, for helping to create a scholarship program offering free swimming lessons. He was presented the Lifesaver award by Stew Leonard Jr., of the popular grocery chain Stew Leonard’s.
Water safety is center stage at Veterans Memorial Park By JoRDAN VAlloNE jvallone@liherald.com
A local teen was honored last week at Veterans Memorial Park in East Meadow for his efforts to promote water safety and expand youths’ access to affordable swimming lessons. Jace Owens, a rising senior at Baldwin High School, is a swimmer, volunteer and lifeguard at the pool in the East Meadow park. His family traces its origins to the Caribbean, where many tragically drowned because they never learned basic water safety skills, despite being surrounded by water, he shared at a news conference on July 15. When Owens was younger, he was deter-
mined to break that cycle and began taking swimming lessons at 8-years-old. “Swimming not only taught me discipline and confidence, but it also gave me a sense of purpose and belonging,” he shared at a news conference on July 15. Wanting to help others achieve the same confidence in the water, Owens recently connected with the Stew Leonard III Water Safety Foundation, created by Kim and Stew Leonard Jr., of the popular grocery chain, Stew Leonard’s. The company operates two locations on Long Island — one in East Meadow and the other in Farmingdale. The Leonards’ son, Stew Leonard III, known affectionally as Stewie, died in a Continued on page 11
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hat library is near and dear to my heart.