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Meeting the first president
Celebrating the community
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VOL. 127 NO. 19
MAY 9 - 15, 2025
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HERALD $1.00
Gold Coast Book Fair returns to O.B. event wrapped up — “when things were fresh on our minds,” Israel wrote in an The Gold Coast Book Fair is email. “We invited input from returning this month for its sec- participants and authors, and ond annual celebration of liter- incorporated many ideas into ature, learning and community our planning.” The result is a — and this time it’s festival that expandbigger, bolder and ed not only in size even more familybut also in mission. friendly. F ro m n at i o n a l ly Spanning three known speakers to days, May 16 to 18, new local voices and the festival will once a robust street-fair again take place on a t m o s p h e r e, t h e the LIU Post camweekend aims to celpus and in downebrate literature town Oyster Bay, while stimulating bringing more than economic and cul100 authors, expandtural growth in the ed children’s proarea. gramming, interac“As an author tive panels and a who appeared at headline appear- STEVE ISRAEL many book festivals ance at the college Owner, around the country, by Pulitzer Prize- Theodore’s Books I learned that they winning biographer not only celebrate Ron Chernow. The event is the brainchild reading, but inject economic of former U.S. Rep. Steve Israel, opportunity into the communiowner of Theodore’s Books, in ty,” Israel wrote. “Restaurants Oyster Bay, and founder of the and coffee shops fill up, venGold Coast Forum, a nonparti- dors sell their goods at our san nonprofit dedicated to edu- street fair, money fills pockets. cating people about the impor- And all based on books and literature.” tance of books and literature. Ju l i e We r n e r s b a ch , t h e Planning for this year’s fair began just days after last year’s CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
By WILL SHEELINE
wsheeline@liherald.com
W
Courtesy Troop 253
Members of Troop 253 installed a system of hoses and pumps to draw the sap out of a stand of maple trees on the Roberts Farm property.
A sweet victory for the Scouts Members of Troop 253 succeed in making maple syrup By WILL SHEELINE wsheeline@liherald.com
In a sweet blend of tradition, science and hard work, the Scouts of Troop 253, in Oyster Bay, recently wrapped up their first season of maple syrup production, tapping dozens of trees on a historic farm owned by the town. Armed with roughly $3,000 worth of professional-grade equipment and a bold idea, the scouts harvested 80 gallons of sap from about 30 trees this winter, eventually boiling it down to roughly a gallon and a half of rich, dark amber maple syrup. Affectionately branded Two Fifty Tree, the syrup even has a custom label featuring Teddy Roosevelt.
“It sounded cool. It sounded interesting. Definitely, like, sounded like a challenge,” Scout James Syrett, 14, said. “… It was really interesting to both learn where everything comes from, (and) also learn how to do it.” “It took a really long time too,” Scout Peyton Roberts, 12, added. “We started at 11:30 in the morning, and we finished like 12 hours later.” Scoutmaster Darren Costanzo, who has led Troop 253 for the past five years, said the project began with a map, an idea and a desire to give scouts a hands-on experience that would teach them both skills and values. “I had this crazy idea after looking at a map, realizing that the area where maple syrup is produced primarily in the United CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
e’re on hair trigger, pushed by social media algorithms and sound bites. The antidote is a book.