Scarecrow Contest 2017
The ninth annual scarecrow building workshop was held again this year on Oct. 7.
Joanne Specht, a wonderful graphic artist by trade, is one of the nicest and most creative people you’ll ever meet. Along with her family, Joanne is a real asset to Bellport. Nine years ago, Joanne came up with the idea to hold a scarecrow contest in Bellport. This wasn’t to be just any old scarecrow contest. Instead, it was going to be a unique scarecrow building workshop for families. The scarecrows would be displayed on Main Street and a contest would be held to see which family came up with the best design.
Joanne approached the Village for permission to hold the workshop on the “Village Green” in front of the Community Center and to hang the finished scarecrows on Main Street. Permission was granted and it's been a successful event ever since!
This year Joanne was joined by Kathy Cullen, Sherry Binnington, Bonny Clark, Beth Pate, volunteers from the library, the Bellport Chamber of Commerce, Bellport Village and the Bellport Village Program Fund to carry on this great and fun family event.
Sandcastle Contest 2017
The 9th annual Sandcastle contest was held on Sept. 04 at Ho Hum beach. It was a sunny, windy day and a record 296 people used the ferry as transport to the beach. With 22 sandcastle submissions, the judges had a difficult time deciding the winners! Usually we award 3 prizes to each category of entry. The entry categories are: 10 and under, 11-16, and 17 and over (adult) with help from children. Due to the abundance of entries in the 10 and under category, the judges unanimously decided to give 5 prizes to this group, thus reducing the adult prize category from 3 prizes to 1 prize.
In The under 10 category the winners were:
#1 Luna, Anise and Dean for “Castle with dungeon and pool”
#2 Marina, Marina, Sofia and Chiara for “Turtle shed”
#3 Lila, Anna, Olivia and Rowan for “Ho Hum tunnel”
#4 Hyla for “Starfish”
#5 Ariel for “Snail”
In addition we are grateful for all of the under 10 participants which included: Louisa and Ruby for “Mermaid”, Mirabel and Renzo for “Lost world”, Penelope for #9, Sophie, Maisi, and Davi for “Large round mound with shells”, Hazel for “Sleeping mermaid”, Virginia for #12, Addy and Valesia for #2, Emma and Amber for #5.
In the 11-16 category the winners were:
#1 Sam, Katie and Nicholas for “Bell-Putt”
#2 The Rauches for “Igloo”
#3 Sarah, Violet, Susan and Annmarie for “Big Mermaid”
In addition Flossie, Sophia, Max and Drew for “Dolphin”
First place in the adult category went to Mike and Brian Specht for “Hippo” with second place “Firepit” by Carl and family; third place was the Guyfreda family for “Horseshoe Crab”
In addition, The Newman family for “Mermaid Village” and the Vaisa family for Octopus!
Cocktails by the Bay 2017
This year’s party was a great success with over 175 people in attendance supporting the Bellport Village Program Fund. We want to thank everyone for their support and we will continue with all of our programs with increased enthusiasm.
Bat House Seminar - Let’s Go Batty June 2017
On Saturday, June 24, 2017, a two hour seminar, sponsored by the Bellport Village Program Fund, was conducted by Eric Powers of the Center for Environmental Education & Discovery (CEED). The seminar was about bats and the building of bat houses and was held in the Bellport Village Community Center. The program was attended by about 75 participants, who were given a chance to build their own bat houses, with instructions and materials provided by CEED.
Family Bingo Nights 2017
The BVPF hosted two Family Bingo Nights at the Bellport Country Club on July 5 and Aug. 9. Attendance was very large (over 60 at each event!) and everyone had a fun time playing bingo! Carla Marla coupons were awarded as prizes.
Family Nights at Mothers' Beach 2017
Now in its third season, Family Night (formerly Meet the Parents) at Mother’s Beach has proven to be such a resounding success that two events were held this year on Saturdays, July 15 and August 19th. Grandparents, parents, siblings, guests, and children galore all had a great time meeting each other and enjoying the beauty of Mother’s Beach. Children played on the new playground equipment and participated in seeding and chucking oysters into the Bay. Everyone enjoyed the great food at Flo’s Truck, and all had a fun, relaxing afternoon!