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Friday, January 22, 2016

Broad Channel Bits



By Dan Guarino

Hopefully you are settling into this new year.
We really appreciate those who enjoy Broad Channel’s parks, but especially those who clean up afterward. Quite a few times recently, I have seen beverage containers and snack bags neatly collected and stowed in the baskets or in boxes at 17 Road Park. Just the other day I came across a toy vacuum cleaner in one of the cans by the park. I’m not sure how much someone thought they were going to clean up with that, but it was sincerely appreciated.
Drip drip. Now that temperatures are plunging, don’t forget to keep your faucets running. It’ll keep your pipes from freezing.
Last call: If you went to the Friend In Need Benefit for Minnie on Saturday. Jan. 9 at the VFW Hall and stayed late, you might be a winner. Check your coat pockets. You might find a free ticket to see my good friends Ethoscope as they rock Brooklyn this Saturday night, Jan 23, from 7 p.m. on. They’ll be playing at The Shop, 234 Starr St., in Bushwick. Enjoy the show, courtesy of me.
Minnie Horan and her family were overwhelmed by the caring and support of the Broad Channelcommunity, and would like to thank all those who worked so hard to put together and run the benefit. To all the musicians who came out, and all those who came and packed the VFW, it was very much appreciated.
Don’t forget to get your tickets now for the Broad Channel Volunteer Fire Department’s Annual Officers Installation Dance. It’s on Saturday, Feb. 27, at the American Legion. They will be celebrating 111 years of service. It is a great ceremony as each officer is proudly sworn in. After that it’s an evening of music, dancing, food, drinks and fun. Tickets are $45 per person. Contact Captain Spinelli at 917-995-2390 and get yours. The event is open to the public and all proceeds go to the BCVFD. They’ve been keeping us safe since 1905.
Zumba is ready and waiting to help you start a new year. Sessions are Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 12:30 p.m. The classes are open to both men and men 16 or over. Wear suitable exercise clothes and be at the Christ Presbyterian Church by the Sea Hall sharp on time. You’ll feel good as you get in shape and drop some weight. And the great thing is even if the weather is not great, you never have to go far. It’s right here in town.
Operation Kid Comfort is rallying to help people in the South and Midwest who have been hit with severe weather, historic flooding, tornados and mudslides. They are collecting gift cards to send to residents there. It’s easier and faster to get the cards there and easier for those in need to use them. If you’d like to help, think about what you needed after Hurricane Sandy. Then pick up some gift cards from stores that would supply those things, like Home Depot for building supplies or Babies R Us for children’s needs. Visa, AMEX, MasterCard, Home Lowes, Toys “R” Us, Walmart and cards from other outlets are also helpful. Cards can be dropped off or mailed to organizer Maura Buckley, Attention Operation Kid Comfort, at 12 1/2 Neptune Walk, Rockaway Point, NY 11697. You can also call Maura at 917-855-4683. Operation Kid Comfort started in 2012. Even while we were still recovering from the devastation of Sandy, neighbors were reaching out to comfort children in Newtown, Conn. after the tragic shootings atSandy Hook Elementary School. They collected thousands of stuffed animals, delivering them throughout the Newtown area before Christmas. Since then they have helped disaster victims inColoradoOklahomaSouth Carolina and elsewhere, raised money to help a local mother and son severely injured in an auto accident and collected toys for the Secret Sandy Claus Project and Stony Brook Hospital.
This just came in from Marguerite Rocholl: “Hi Dan- My second book, I’ve Never Been This Old Before, is now available online, at Amazon.com and on Kindle. It is a humorous look at becoming a senior and their annual migration to Florida. It has only one mention of Broad Channel, but every senior should enjoy it!” If you haven’t had the pleasure, you might want to pick up Marguerite’s first book. Before You Were Born recounts her rollicking childhood, the kind that could only happen in Broad Channel.
I am currently working with the typeset text of my new book, Broad Channel Through Time. I’m working with the publisher, Fonthill Media, and reviewing, correcting and making adjustments at this stage. No word yet on release dates, but I will let you know. In the meantime you can still pick up copies of my first book, Images of America: Broad Channel, written with my late wife, Liz. It is $20 a copy and I will not only sign it for you, but hand deliver your copies right to you. Mail me at workingstories@aol.com or leave a message at 347-246-6820. Some people may assume these books are vanity publications. I assure you, there is no vanity involved. Just first ‘auditioning’ to confirm I could produce these books, a lot of hard work, and a couple of signed contracts stipulating I would deliver a finished book by a specific date.
Here’s a puzzler. If you look up 713 Shad Creek Road on Google maps, you will find the VFW. If you look up 705 Shad Creek, you’ll find the lot next door. The number actually on the building is 705. But in many places, like fliers and Facebook postings you’ll see 713. Well, you might reasonably say, 713 must be the lot next door. Nope. The next house over is 709 Shad Creek Road! Anybody have any good information or any even better yarns, about this mystery? Send them to me at workingstories@aol.- com! Thanks for reading!

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