__________________ Merrick _________________
HERALD Harvesting the farm food
Two arrests made in 19 robberies
New optometry office opens
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Vol. 26 No. 33
$1.00 $1.00
AUGUST 10 - 16, 2023
Comedians back on stage after Covid-19 Merrick business sponsors comedy show for good cause By JoRDAN VAlloNE jvallone@liherald.com
Courtesy Paul Dagliolo
Paul Dagliolo, who will host the show coming up on Aug. 19 at The Loft in Bellmore, on stage at a previous comedy event sponsored by CMIT Solutions.
There’s no doubt that the coronavirus pandemic affected many thousands of local people in dozens of professions — not just doctors, nurses and essential workers, but many others. Including performers. The careers of actors, singers, comedians and more, who make a living by being on stage and entertaining others, were threatened by pandemic shutdowns. One local business, CMIT Solutions of South Nassau, an information technology company, set out to help them. Its owner, Armando D’Accordo, of Wantagh, started sponsoring comedy shows as a way to get comedians back on stage, and to encourage
people to get back out to their shows. The performances are made possible with the help of D’Accordo’s son, Vincent, and Vincent’s friend Paul Dagliolo. CMIT Solutions was based in Merrick for many years, but recently moved to Massapequa. D’Accordo has long been involved with the Merrick Chamber of Commerce as well as other professional networking groups. On Aug. 19, CMIT Solutions will host the third installment of its comedy shows, at The Loft in Bellmore. “We’re looking to do a series of them,” D’Accordo said. “It helps local venues. It helps comedians. We’re trying to do our best to help both sets.” The Loft, a venue above the Bellmore Playhouse on Bedford Avenue, boasts a lot ConTInueD on PAge 2
The wheels on the trolley go round and round Merrick By JoRDAN VAlloNE jvallone@liherald.com
If you were out and about in Merrick on the evening of Aug. 2, you may have seen a trolley driving around town. You weren’t imagining it — or mistaking the Long Island suburb for San Francisco. The North Merrick Public Library was hosting its very first Trolley Tour of the Merricks, as part of its summer reading prog ram, with the theme “All Together Now.” Kelly Rechsteiner, a community relations librarian in North Merrick, said the library drew its inspiration from the children’s television series “Mister Ro gers’ Neighbor-
hood,” which famously featured Fred Rogers. “ T h e T ro l l e y To u r w a s inspired by the beloved Mr. Rogers and his message of community, kindness and understanding,” Rechsteiner said. “Our summer reading prog ram, ‘All To g ether Now,’ focused on these wonderful themes, which led to the visual of the Neighborhood Trolley, synonymous with Mr. Rogers.” Rogers employed a toy trolley on his show, to take viewers into and around his neighborhood. Library patrons packed into a trolley for three hour-long tours of Merrick, and caught glimpses of the hamlet’s hidden history. There were two
T
he community’s enthusiasm for the tour exceeded our expectations. KElly REcHSTEiNER Librarian adult-oriented tours as well as one family tour with the children’s library staff.
The library’s history
Taylor Smith, another community relations librarian, gave most of the presentation as the trolley made its way around town. She began with
the history of the North Merrick library itself. “The first library in Merrick’s history began in 1891,” Smith said. “About 50 books were circulated from the Cammann family farm. For many years the Mer rick Library offered its services for free to their neighbors in North Merrick, but as populations grew, nonresidents were charged a fee.”
The North Merrick Library was established by a community vote on Nov. 21, 1964, and opened two years later, in October 1966. The current library is a former elementary school, part of the North Mer rick School District.
Merrick campgrounds
Today there’s a small neighborhood in North Mer rick ConTInueD on PAge 10