Breaching Whale Finds Home At Museum

John Scarola’s breaching whale sculpture at the Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum.

By Sophia Ricco
sricco@longislandergroup.com

Next time you drive by The Whaling Museum of Cold Spring Harbor, take a look at the large whale rising into the air. The whale is built from wood and comes from the creative mind of sculptor, John Scarola.

The large wooden sculpture outlines the silhouette of a whale breaching the water and stands at 15 feet tall, making it an eye-catching display that sits at the front of the museum. Scarola fondly remembers childhood days spent at The Whaling Museum, learning more about Long Island’s connection to the water and its creatures.

“I wanted something that had a really big visual impact so when people drive by the museum, it catches their eye and makes them hopefully want to come in and see what’s going on,” Scarola said.

After completing a large sculpture, named Two Schools of Thought, for The Suffolk Center on the Holocaust, Diversity and Human Understanding that now stands in Billy Joel park, Scarola knew he enjoyed making large pieces that made a big impact. He was looking for his next project when Assistant Director of The Whaling Museum, Cindy Grimm, suggested he apply for the NYSCA Decentralization Grant. Scarola was instantly on board and knew he wanted his work to go the museum.

“I felt the Museum was an obvious choice for my sculpture because I am passionate about environmental issues,” Scarola said. “The museum provides great programs in that direction.”

John Scarola at work on his Breaching Whale.

Scarola began to work on the application for the grant that had many questions as a way to determine a project’s merit. The grant is distributed by the Huntington Arts Council to two projects in Suffolk and Nassau and had over 400 applicants.

“Only the projects with the highest artistic merit and community service receive funding,” Marc Courtade, Huntington Arts Council’s Executive Director, said. “The grants not only validate the artistic merit for the recipients, but allow them to further explore their creative visions and enrich the cultural landscape of the Long Island community.”

After Scarola received the letter that his project was chosen, he began to work on the sculpture in March and just recently finished this past Sunday by applying the final coat of stain.

“My work comes pretty much out of my head so when an idea hits you, you kinda get fired up and want to get it started,” Scarola said.

The idea to construct a massive whale comes from Cold Spring Harbor’s history of having a large whaling industry that existed from the end of 18th century to mid-19th century.

“Whales are just a part of what Long Island is, whales used to pass by,” Scarola said. “Even during the 1960s and 70s, you could see whales on the beach from the South Shore, it was not a rare thing.”

But Scarola knew he could not construct a horizontal whale because of the small amount of property he was working with. Instead, he choose a whale emerging from the water to give it magnitude.

“It comes with a lot of challenges and problems but that’s all part of the deal that you have to sort it out,” Scarola said.

After working with wood for many years, Scarola knows what it takes to complete. Even from his childhood, he enjoyed carving wood and gained more experience by working for a carpentry company and doing tree work. He now has a studio in San Remo and works on smaller projects that could one day be used for an art show.

“Art is something you just do and feel like you have to do it,” Scarola said. “I know that when I’m away on vacation for a week, I start to get antsy about not making something. I think a lot of artists would say the same thing, you don’t really think about why you’re making it but you’re drawn to it and want to make it.”

The Whaling Museum will be having a dedication ceremony for “Breaching Whale” at their annual SeaFaire & Festival on Sept. 29, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Scarola will be there demonstrating on his workbench how to use 19th century woodworking hand tools and will allow people to try.

“Great public art fosters a pride of place and enhances a community’s identity,” Whaling Museum Executive Director, Nomi Dayan said. “John’s sculpture indeed accomplishes that as this mammoth whale celebrates our Island’s deep ties with the sea.”

Dave Winfield Honored At Oheka

Celebrity watching is on the menu at Oheka Castle tonight when former Yankee Dave Winfield receives a lifetime achievement award from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences at a gala dinner.

Tonight at Oheka Castle, Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Dave Winfield will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his constant charitable leadership. The award will be presented by The American Academy of Hospitality Sciences (AAHS) at the Six Star Diamond Gala Event that is in celebration of the launch of the AAHS strategic partnership with Starplus.

Former Yankee All Star Dave Winfield will be honored for his charitable work at a gala at Oheka.

Winfield, whose on-field career spanned from 1973 to 1995 and who played for the New York Yankees from 1981 to 1990, is a 12-time All Star, and seven-time Gold Glove Award recipient, among many other performance related awards. However, he is being honored for his off-field charitable work. Winfield founded the David M. Winfield Foundation in 1977 as a way to give back to the community. His notable leadership is demonstrated through The Dave Winfield Nutrition Center at Hackensack University Medical Center and his work in partnership with Merck Pharmaceuticals to create the  internationally acclaimed bilingual substance abuse prevention program called “Turn it Around.” From holiday meal giveaways, to scholarships, to tickets to games, to funding health clinics, Winfield has shown his commitment to giving back in a substantial way.

Among the notable celebrity watchers might glimpse at Oheka tonight, from left, are Armand Assante, Rita Coby, Nicky Hilton, Tony LoBianco and Anthony Scaramucci.

Some of the notable guests and additional AAHS award recipients expected to be in the crowd tonight will be financier, entrepreneur, and political figure Anthony Scaramucci, entrepreneur, model and dashion designer Nicky Hilton, traditional and experimental brush and ink work master Cao Jun,  actors Armand Assante and Tony LoBianco, and Dr. Nicholas Perricone, a dermatologist, businessman and author of self-help books about weight loss and maintaining the appearance of youth.

Rita Cosby, Emmy Award-winning journalist for Fox News, MSNBC and most recently a special contributor to Inside Edition. Cosby, will present the awards. Cosby wrote the books Quiet Hero: Secrets from My Father’s Past and Blonde Ambition: The Untold Story Behind Anna Nicole Smith’s Death.

All of the awards will be part of The Starplus Gala Event at Oheka Castle.

Starplus Index® is a blockchain based asset index co-founded by Blue Ocean Capital, Moral Integrity International Ltd., and the AAHS.

Blue Ocean Capital is a private equity company headquartered in New York City. Headed by Antony Liu and Partner Lina Li, BOC is a cross-border investment firm dedicated to actively pursuing investment opportunities in Blockchain Applications, Healthcare, Franchise Restaurants, and Real Estate. Committed to capital appreciation and value creation they strive to be successful in structuring their approach to client transactions quickly and efficiently.

Moral Integrity International Ltd. is a leading blockchain technology company headquartered in Hong Kong.

The American Academy of Hospitality Sciences is renowned worldwide for awarding excellence in the global travel and luxury services sector. Each year the Academy bestows its coveted International Star Diamond Award on Five- and Six-Star quality hotels, spas, golf courses, restaurants, chefs, destinations, airlines, cruise lines and products. This award is a prestigious emblem of achievement and quality in the hospitality and luxury services industries worldwide. All its recipients are deemed to be of pinnacle quality and global recognition.

The venue of Oheka Castle was well suited for such a gala. As a Six Star Diamond Award recipient, the Castle is a world class venue with a world class restaurant, but it is also listed on the Historic Hotels Worldwide, Gold Coast Mansions, Historic Long Island, Historic Hotels of America (National Trust for Historic Presentation) and is an AAA Four-Diamond Award winner. Under the watch of Huntington’s Gary Melius, the Castle was meticulously restored to its original splendor and thrives as a global destination.

Firefighters Heed Call To ‘Never Forget’

East Northport firefighter commemorated the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks in ceremonies at Fire Department headquarters.

By Connor Beach
cbeach@longislandergroup.com

Fire Departments from around the Town of Huntington hosted memorial ceremonies on Tuesday to honor and remember the victims who lost their lives on Sept. 11.

The East Northport Fire Department hosted its annual memorial on Tuesday morning at department headquarters on 9th Avenue in East Northport. Members of East Northport and neighboring fire and police departments joined the local community to remember the events of that tragic day.

“All Americans have made a promise to truly never forget,” East Northport Lt. Brian Hinton said.

A piece of steel from the World Trade Center stands in front of the East Northport Fire Department headquarters.

The firehouse siren blared at 9:59 a.m. and 10:28 a.m. to mark the respective times that the South and North Towers collapsed. The speakers podium was flanked by a special tribute to the first responders who died at the World Trade Center; an FDNY helmet with the number 343 and a police uniform bearing the number 71 represented the number of people from each service who died on 9/11.

Later that evening, the Cold Spring Harbor Fire Department held a candlelight vigil in front of the 9/11 memorial that stands in Cold Spring Harbor Fireman’s Park across Main Street from the firehouse.

The memorial, which was officially dedicated in June, contains a massive steel beam from the World Trade Centers. The massive steel beam was one of the last remaining physical pieces of the Twin Towers when the Cold Spring Harbor Fire Department acquired it in 2016.

Cold Spring Harbor Fire Department held a candlelight vigil Tuesday evening in front of the 9/11 memorial in Cold Spring Harbor Fireman’s Park where a piece of steel recovered from Ground Zero is the centerpiece of the memorial.

The waters of Cold Spring Harbor served as a solemnly picturesque background for Tuesday evening’s vigil.

“Let us not forget those who perished on that beautiful September morning 17 years ago,” 9/11 memorial committee chairman Tom Buchta said. “Let us all press forward, never forgetting the sacrifices that were made that day.”

Firefighters, town officials and members of the community held candles as Buchta read the names of the 43 victims from the Town of Huntington.

A memorial at Huntington Manor Fire Department’s Station 2 is dedicated to former department chief and FDNY firefighter Peter A. Nelson who died in the towers’ collapse.

In Huntington Station, the Huntington Manor Fire Department dedicated a 9/11 memorial at Station 2 between East 23rd and 24th Streets on New York Avenue.

During the candlelight vigil on Tuesday night, Huntington Manor dedicated a memorial to former department chief and FDNY firefighter Peter A. Nelson. Nelson, a firefighter with the FDNY’s elite Rescue 4, was killed while on duty during 9/11.

The steel used to create the monument comes from the rails of the PATH train that ran directly below the World Trade Center.

Former Chief Peter Nelson

The memorial’s inscription states, “Blending this location and that steel we tie Peter’s two firefighting worlds together while providing a place that ensures generations to come… Never Forget.”