As a kid, my mom and I had a tradition called “May Day.”
From elementary school all the way through to high school, we’d pick one weekday in May where she took off from work and I played hooky from school to do something special, whether it was theme park adventure, lunch and a movie, a trip to the mall — it was a nice tradition that signified school was almost over, spring had sprung and fun was in the air.
While my May Days weren’t exclusively outdoors, I hope a bit of that fun is evident in this, our “Get Out!” issue to celebrate the beautiful weather and activities on the North Fork.
The North Fork has farms of every kind, but horse farms have been a bit of a blind spot for me. I have to admit that, aside from one pony ride as a kid, I know next to nothing about equestrian endeavors! Luckily, staffer Amanda Olsen is a lover of all things equine and did a deep dive on the region’s stables. Take a ride with one of the many horse farms of the North Fork in “Gallop to Greatness.”
The 2022 Eurovision semi-finalist song “Eat Your Salad” by Latvian pop group Citi Zēni is a cheeky but earnest call to action: Eat your vegetables! Contributor Sal Vaglica took the notion to heart and spoke with a local expert about growing a local vegetable garden. Learn how to grow your own carrots, peppers and more in “From the Ground Up.”
Stephanie Villani took a walk down memory lane with the Strong family and learned all about the history of Strong’s Marine, who have been supplying boats to the North Fork and beyond for decades. Meet Jeff and Re Strong, along with their kids, Ryan and Jay, in “Strong Island.”
On a clear night, you can see the vast sky and all its twinkling stars throughout the North Fork. The North Fork Dark Skies Coalition — which advocates for clean, dark skies and the importance of not obstructing it with artificial lighting — spoke to Amanda Olsen about how the dark sky is important to one’s mental health. We also received stunning skyscape photos from North Fork Dark Sky Coalition Steve Bellavia. Read “Let There Be Dark.”
Elsewhere in this issue, staffer Emily Toy had a delectable Italian meal at Isola on Shelter Island, where she drank in the homey atmosphere and tasted some unique takes on traditional favorites. I strolled around Greenport — my home! — and picked out just a few of the lovely shops and restaurants worth checking out. Multimedia reporter Ana Borruto and digital editor Angela Colangelo found the nicest places to picnic on the North Fork. And in this month’s very special edition of Northforker Book Club, learn about former senior editor Steve Wick’s new novel and Shelter Island Reporter editor Ambrose Clancy’s new collection of stories and articles he’s written over the years.
On a bittersweet note, I have some personal and professional news to share. This is my final issue as managing editor of Northforker, as I will be moving on to a new role at Newsday starting next month. While I’m sad to be leaving this wonderful job, I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to share what I love about the North Fork with you this past year. A huge thank you to our wonderful readers for the lovely feedback and warm response to Northforker, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for the magazine starting next month, when talented contributor Stephanie Villani takes over as senior editor.
Signing off with much love,
Lee Meyer, Managing Editor
