A Small Journey Around the Labyrinth

Sometimes you need a few hours away from your daily routine. While many may think of Long Island as suburbia filled with homes, malls and shopping centers, the island is also filled with spots where you can get a little escape from your everyday life.

My friend Silvia and I have wanted to check out labyrinths in the area for a couple of years now, and today was the day we finally walked our first one.

My first choice was the one at Avalon Park and Preserve in Stony Brook Village, but the labyrinth was being re-seeded. Silvia got online and searched for “labyrinths on Long Island” and found one for us right in Sayville.

The Peace Labyrinth in Sayville is a simple one in a small park called The Common Ground, and it serves its spiritual purpose. Slowly walking along the path that twists and turns, you may think you may not make it to the center, but you will. It’s always a good idea to go into the labyrinth with a request with something you need help with. When you finally walk out of it, you’ll have your answer. Most likely the answer will be a simple one, but to understand, you need to walk one yourself. The park holds moonlight labyrinth walks on nights of a full moon, and with such a serene feeling after an afternoon walk, I do wonder how I would come out of it on a night when the moon is at its fullest.

Afterwards we headed for downtown Sayville, which like many Main Streets on Long Island is filled with cute little shops and restaurants. Silvia and I were saying we felt like we were on vacation exploring a new place instead of just a short distance from our own homes.

It have been a simple day, but a perfect example of how a short car ride can lead to a small town experience or even a bit of a spiritual one.

K-K-K-Katie's

This past Friday night a couple of friends and I stopped by Katie’s of Smithtown. The bar is a staple in town, and while those unfamiliar with it may think it’s just your everyday bar, others know differently. You see the decades-old structure is haunted. 

The bar’s owner Brian Karppinen is no stranger to his ghostly customers. Through the years, he and his staff have witnessed flying glasses and images in mirror. Featured on the A&E television show “Paranormal State”, the existence of spirits and dark entities has been identified by the experts on the show and psychics. 

Among those floating around Katie’s is a former resident turned mischievous ghost, Charlie. In his research, Karppinen found that Charlie was a bootlegger, bartender and part owner of the former Smithtown Hotel in the 1920s. Unfortunately for Charlie he was arrested for selling a drink to an IRS man right before prohibition ended. With prison time ahead of him, and his wife leaving him, the bartender committed suicide in 1933.  

It’s not a surprise that Charlie and his fellow ghosts have been drawn to Katie’s. A hotel called Trainor’s was once located closed to the structure and the Smithtown train station. After decades of business, the hotel burned down in 1909, and it’s believed many of the victims have lingered on earth. As for Charlie, he’s probably still trying to tend bar, as it’s believed he’s the cause of the flying glasses. 

The building where locals find Katie’s has maintained its original shape and footprint for decades. While many remember the various bars that have been located there, many older Smithtown residents remember when the location was the spot to purchase soda, candy, cigarettes and newspapers as well as fishing supplies and even typewriters.  

When you stop by Katie’s, make sure you check out the photos and articles along the walls that feature not only the bar but old Smithtown. Oh, and if you see Charlie, tell him I said, “Boo.” 

Sidebar: My main reason for visiting Katie’s Friday night was the band Bitter End. The band covers songs from the 70s and 80s as well as more recent songs. Friday night the members did an excellent job that was enjoyed by those who remember the 70s and 80s and the younger customers.

Walking On Sunshine

I am burning up with spring fever, so I'm not too thrilled with this rainy weekend ahead of us. Every year the warm weather arrives and my list of places to go and take a walk grow, and every year various factors get in the way.

With working full-time, my adventures are limited basically to the weekends. There are days when the weather doesn't cooperate, other weekends that are jam packed with obligations, and then other days where my walking companions are busy. Well, the latter applies more to walking in the parks. I think, "Is wandering around the woods a good idea when you're on your own?" I recently realized if I go to a park on a weekend afternoon, most likely there will be a number of people there, and I will be reasonably safe. That problem solved!

But when it comes to bad weather, there's not much I can do except plan the walks for the sunny and not so sunny days to come in the months ahead. And I am planning!

As always, many of the local parks are topping my list. I am very fortunate to have Smithtown's Blydenburgh County Park and Caleb Smith State Preserve just a few minutes away from me. Both not only offer beautiful trails to enjoy nature but are also steeped in local history. I also plan to visit Avalon Park and Preserve in Stony Brook again. I have only been there once with a friend, and the view is gorgeous and there is even a labyrinth, which always intrigues me. I also hope to finally get to the David Weld Sanctuary in Nissequogue. I didn't even know the sanctuary existed until I started writing my history articles for Smithtown Patch. The Weld family that owned Blydenburgh Park before the county acquired it is also responsible for this wonderful gift to our area.

Of course, there are more places to take a refreshing walk in the area. The last couple of years I have made it down to Sunken Meadow a few times during the summer to take an early evening walk along the boardwalk. There are also all the little villages and towns filled with stores to be discovered and re-discovered. The summer isn't complete without a visit to Port Jefferson, and this year I would like to roam around Northport Village, Huntington Village and more again. And while Smithtown may not be known for its shops, I think I'm going to take a walk along Main Street. In this economy it's important to support our local businesses, and I must admit I barely know what's there anymore.

During my stint writing history articles for Patch, I found myself a few times needing to visit local cemeteries for my stories. One of the things that surprised me was the intrigue and beauty of these local graveyards. You can actually spend a good amount of time at the cemeteries behind Hauppauge Methodist Church or St. James Church or at Smithtown Cemetery. There are the details of the gravestones, the landscape, the serene atmosphere. And if you are familiar with the local history, when you discover some of the stones, you feel like you are visiting an old friend. So yes, with the warm weather here, I may even be visiting a cemetery or two.

Of course, as I visit all these places I plan to blog about them. If anyone has suggestions for other places to enjoy a day of walking, let me know, and I will try my best to get out there and write about it. Seems like I have a lot of writing and walking in my sunny future!

My return to blogging

This blog started off as a Long Islander Discovers Long Island. It was an opportunity for me to discover and write about all the things I encountered on the island that I didn't know about, visit enough or just felt needed to be celebrated.

When I started writing a weekly history column for the website Smithtown Patch, the blog fell to the wayside. My Patch experience found me learning more about this great area I live in, especially right in my own backyard.

I decided to change the name of this blog to From the Town of Smith, because I realized most of my earlier posts were about places that were fairly local to me, basically western Suffolk County. There wasn't much from the rest of Long Island.

Granted with a full-time job, freelance writing and currently looking for a new position, it may not always be easy to take time out to blog, but I would like to get back in the game. Lately I have been inspired by many blogs I have come across and love that we live in a time where people can share their passions so easily.

So I hope you will join me on this journey as I continue to learn about the Town of Smithtown, as well as the surrounding areas. There's plenty of places to go around here, it's filled with so much history, and I'm starting to find out there are even fun places for the over 40 crowd to go and celebrate a night on the town!

So let's explore.....