________ Franklin square/elmont _______
HERALD Elmont charity distributes food
Injuries mount for Elmont
Thomas Stavola’s Court of Honor
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Vol. 27 No. 3
JANUARY 16 - 22, 2025
$1.00
Creating magic: Behind the scenes of Disney On Ice By RENEE DeloRENZo rdelorenzo@liherald.com
Courtesy Feld Entertainment
Disney On Ice’s Frozen & Encanto tour visited UBS Arena in Elmont last weekend, from Jan. 9 to Jan. 12.
Disney On Ice’s Frozen & Encanto tour brought two of Disney’s beloved feature films to life at UBS Arena, in Elmont, Jan. 9 through 12. The two-hour performance, featuring a cast of figure skaters and aerial artists, included 45-minute shows of “Frozen” and “Encanto.” Skaters, dressed in full costume, performed dance choreography to iconic songs from the two films, gliding across the ice as moving set pieces and special effects recreated scenes from the original movies. But, how much work goes into producing such an intricate performance? According to Jaden Clements, a tour coordinator for Feld Entertainment, the producer of Disney On Ice, the entire team spends months working together to organize every aspect of the tour. “To create the magic you see at a Disney On Ice show takes an army of people,” he said. Clements said the team must work out every last detail, COntInUED On pAgE 7
Senior cooperative demolished, residents not told By RENEE DeloRENZo rdelorenzo@liherald.com
Residents of 1888 Foster Meadow Lane, a senior cooperative building in Elmont, are mour ning the loss of their homes after the Town of Hempstead began demolishing the building on Jan. 7 without their knowledge. Residents have been displaced since September 2023, when the 30-unit building flooded amid heavy rain. Then, last month, a fire left the structure, and all of the residents’ belongings that were inside, unsalvageable. Brian Devine, the town’s
director of communications, confirmed that town building inspectors, accompanied by outside engineering consultants, had examined the building after the fire and determined that it was a public health and safety risk. The Town Board, Devine said, voted unanimously to demolish it. But residents were left out of the loop, and were not notified when the town began knocking the structure down. “I feel awful — it’s a slap in the face,” resident Janester Thompson said. “I wanted the courtesy of communication.” Watching the building crumble was an emotional experi-
ence, Thompson added. As she was passing it on the way to a doctor’s appointment, she recalled, she saw the crew at work. The side of the building where she lived was still standing, she said, and she briefly considered running inside to retrieve some of her belongings. “I really was furious,” she said. “All of my memories were in there that I will never see again. It was very hurtful and depressing.” Thompson said she found out from a newspaper reporter that there had been a meeting about the building’s fate before demolition began last week. She said she understood that the build-
ing was too dangerous to remain standing, and that the decision was in the public’s best interest. But, she added, it made no sense that the residents, some of whom had their life savings invested in the building, were not notified about the demolition. The Town of Hempstead did not respond to questions about
why residents were not told about the demolition before it was authorized. Thompson said she did not know whom to blame for the lack of communication and accountability the town, Nassau County or the building’s management company, which is listed as Woods and Ruff on COntInUED On pAgE 5