Kismet Kapers
Volume 49, Issue 6
By Bradlee White

The terrible juxtaposition of time and place came home to me Sunday afternoon. The day had been a perfect epitome of everything Summer. Following the exuberance of a successful community event – Kismet’s first Pancake Breakfast – I sat in the shade of the Market’s awning with the KLAW T-shirts, watching the events of the day slowly unfold. People coming and going from brunch at the Inn or buying bagels and papers at the Market, people trying on jewelry at Kenny’s stand, ferry loads of families, gear and kids in tow, heading to the beach, boats drifting lazily or roaring fiercely. Everyone was smiling, relishing the feel of sunshine and light breezes on their skin. Then I got home and opened the Sunday papers to find the horrible pictures, stories and op-ed pieces on the London bombings and our own troubling security concerns along with the usual tales of man’s inhumanity to all other sentient beings. I guess a lot of the appeal of Fire Island is the escape from reality it provides, the nourishment and rebuilding of hearts and minds that allows us to go back and face that other world again.

Nothing Fazed

The weekend did not start out so summery, as the remnants of Cindy chilled things off and turned all our streets to rivers and rivulets. People turned on ovens and even used fireplaces (including a Saltarian who neglected to open the flue, thus prompting a visit from the Fire Department). Nothing seemed to faze Myrna’s 5-mo granddaughter, Sophia, visiting with her parents, Alan & Christine. She was quite willing to entertain Dorothea and suck on my popcorn-tasting fingers for hours. And nothing stops our Flower Ladies. I went out as soon as it let up a bit and there they were – wet and shivering, but on the job. Joan, Lynn and Judy manned the cart, lamenting that even the few people passing by weren’t buying – “they think we’re crazy,” confided Joan. Meanwhile, Marsha and Janine were going door to door with a wagon load of bouquets for frequent customers. They did manage to sell out – this week’s beautiful flowers were courtesy of my neighbors, Al and Mary Hutter.

The ferries were bursting Saturday with fair-weather weekenders as well as day guests. Anna (darling Lab puppy Lily’s person) was selling shells with her pal Ashley…Maureen & Gene were staying with Stephanie – “It’s so wonderful to be a guest,” Maureen confided…Linda and Dick Romano came over for the day. There didn’t seem to be a whole lot happening Saturday post-beach so houses made their own fun. Semi-marooned on Seabay, we gravitated first to Risque’s deck – it was JoeBeck’s weekend along with Uncle Phil, Roger, Guillermo, Debbie, Haeran, Victoria and Carlos. Then it was on to Sunset’s roof to join Marie, Bob, Scott, Shelley (a Jersey Shore denizen) and her cousin Rachael, Rick & Judy, Mike and Chris. We were shivering as we waited for the #*# sun to finally sink below the cloud and set already. I saw and heard a bit of whoosh whoosh and boom boom left over from the 4th but it was over before I could find my shoe that went floating across Lake Mario when I tried to leave Seabay Island.

Sunday was a complete triumph for the new Fire Department Auxiliary. Three weeks after their first meeting, they had successfully pulled off two major events in the same day. “Once we got Tommy Field on board, we felt confident to go ahead with the pancake breakfast,” Michelle Schlecter, Auxiliary Chair, told me. Proving the skeptics like me wrong, hungry Kismetians were waiting for the doors to open at 8 a.m. I was told that at one point there was a waiting line and the tables seemed constantly full. Despite rumors of running out of food, 280 people were served and some were still eating at 11. “Pancakes, sausage, berries, juice and coffee – all for $6. How could you go wrong?” Maureen commented. Tommy, running on about 3 hours sleep, recruited his pal Bobby Rush to help -- “at gunpoint,” Bobby said. Joe Kelley got the stove going. They arrived at 6:30 a.m., along with Tessa, Bill & Chris Jenks, Brittney Metcalf, Leslie & Lisa Swiedler, Joe & Joan McKeehan, Carole Thomas and Jeannie. When I got there, Michelle, Rita Goldman and Alice Schwartz were handling the door while Barbara Shamah Leeds, Pam Russo Manzo, Rose Liotta, Linda Barkan, Elaine Freda and Fran Stobnitzky were in the kitchen. Barbara was shooting out pancakes from what looked like an enlarged flour sifter – a tool used at fast food restaurants. Other volunteers included Phyllis Bakalar, Linda Schneidman, Nancy Tuck, Carol Betts, Sherri Roth, and Dorothea Castle. Member of the younger set --Philip and Noah Roth, Ilyssa Schneidman and William Andrade posted and handed out flyers in Friday’s rain.

Tribeca on the Beach

The Auxiliary’s second event, the screening of “The Graduate,” was a lot of fun, if not so heavily attended. Chris Jenks, Co-Chair of the Auxiliary, along with her husband Bill, is really into movies – they do the whole Tribeca Film Festival thing – so this was a natural for them. They donated all the projection equipment. Warren and Lee came with three donated pizzas from The Out to complement the beer, wine and soda and snacks sold as refreshments. Chris announced they planned to show ‘adult movies’ every Sunday night and will probably move the time up once they get curtains for the windows (we had to wait until dark).

Lucky for us it was quiet last weekend ‘cause this one’s going to be a real corker. There’s something for everyone and more so. The Second Annual Kismet Art Show (slangily referred to as the Art Crawl) is being held Saturday from 11 a.m. til 6 p.m. Six painters and photographers will display their work at their homes, offering comment and light refreshment. You can visit some or all of them on your own: Utility pole maps show the locations of Ann Littlejohn, Teri Dahl, Bob Negrin, Bill Poindexter, Carolyn Durso and Caroline Stern. Caroline’s is listed last as she’ll feature a Cuban band in addition to her stunning travel photos. Alternatively, you can join the tour, led by Dorothea, starting at the Market at 2:00. Word is that the band will later move on to The Out, playing in the--as yet unnamed--garden. Cartoon Alley will then be hosting their 2nd annual Black and White Sixish Party – with a tie dye twist. This was one of the best parties of the season last year so you don’t want to miss it. And note your calendars – another ‘04 first time classic – the Seabay Block Party – is on for Labor Day Saturday, Sept. 3.