________________ LONG BEACH _______________
HERALD Also serving Point Lookout & East Atlantic Beach
Vintage shops set up in plaza
Remembering Hedy Page
Balloon cleanup across L.I.
Page 3
Page 4
Page 12
VoL. 37 No. 31
JULY 30 - AUGUST 5, 2026
$1.00
Swim, paddle, run honors Michael Kiefer company died. In his life of service, Kiefer spent time not only fighting “The thing that always gets fires, but protecting those in me about this race is, it’s a the water as Long Beach liferace,” Kerri Kiefer, one of guards. “I was his lieutenant Michael Kiefer’s two younger down in the West End,” Chief sisters, said, “but our brother of Lifeguards Rich Borawski did this as just a recalled. “Great, workout on his great individual. He lunch break. Just loved to work out. swim, paddle, run.” Loved the job. He The three-part chalwas amazing.” lenge has become Since 2002, the an annual memoricity’s Department al event, honoring of Parks and Recrethe young man who ation has helped protected the resicoordinate an annudents of Long al memorial race, Beach and beyond. inviting individual Kiefer was a athletes and two- to Franklin Square three-person teams native who grew up to take part in an knowing, unquesintense multi-leg tionably, that he KeRRI KIefeR event: a 150-yard would be a firefightMichael Kiefer’s sister run to the shoreer. After working line, a 400-yard his way through the swim, a half-mile Franklin Square, Freeport and paddle on a surfboard and a Hempstead fire departments, 1½- mile run on the beach. The the 25-year-old eventually race was set up at Riverside earned a spot in the New York Boulevard last Sunday, with the City department, with Ladder run portion comprising laps on 132. Kiefer had served for less the sand between Monroe and than a year on Sept. 11. 2001, Edwards boulevards. when he responded to the Doreen Candon, 67, of Long attack on the World Trade Cen- Beach, has been competing in ter’s south tower, where he and the event for decades. “I think four members of his ladder Continued on page 10
By CHRIS CoLUCCI
ccolucci@liherald.com
L
Courtesy Helen Keller Services
Will Skudin, in the water, guided angel Ye, 19, in one of her first experiences on a surfboard.
Skudin Surf offers lessons to deaf-blind young adults By CHRIS CoLUCCI ccolucci@liherald.com
Helen Keller wrote, “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” That may not have been a specific invitation to deaf-blind people to learn to surf, but it might as well have been. Earlier this month, six participants in the Summer Youth Vocational Program at the Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults spent a week in Long Beach with adaptive surf instructors from Skudin Surf, getting comfortable with boards on land before venturing into the Atlantic for hands-on lessons each day. The Helen Keller National Center, named
for the late author and disability rights advocate who was both deaf and blind, is a division of Helen Keller Services, which was established in the 1890s to provide support and training for deaf-blind people. The center, based in Sands Point, is the only training, resource and rehabilitation facility of its kind in the country. The Summer Youth Vocational Program teaches people ages 16 to 24 career training and life skills. Each summer, attendees undertake a four-week curriculum including hiking adventures, STEAM education and this year’s inaugural surf lessons. The Skudin Surf instructors used interpreters from the center to communicate with Continued on page 8
ong Beach is such a tight community, even locals from the area, they know his name.