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HERALD GIFT and DINING GUIDE November 25, 2021
$1.00
Inside: Best of the holiday season
Vol. 69 No. 48
District proposes renovations
Drug bust, arrest in Wantagh
Page 9
Page 13
NoVEMBER 25 - DECEMBER 1, 2021
Seaford rings in the holidays
Turkey trotters flock together
Vendors, food trucks turn LIRR parking lot into festive market
Two members of the Tomzyk family were appropriately attire for the inaugural Turkey Trot in Seaford last weekend, organized by St. William the Abbot Roman Catholic Church. The Nov. 20 race, which kicked off at 8:30 a.m. with a Fun Run, served as a fundraiser for the church. More photos, Page 3.
By MAlloRy WIlSoN mwilson@liherald.com
Courtesy Iris Gomez
There were winter-themed trinkets, hot cocoa and lot of spirited Seafordites at the firstever Seaford holiday market last Saturday, where more than 100 residents turned out to prepare for the holiday season. Dozens of vendors lined the Long Island Rail Road station parking lot on Sunrise Highway, to offer their goodies to prospective shoppers from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., while food trucks prepared meals until 8 p.m. The event, organized by the Chamber of Commerce, emulated the success of Seaford Saturday Nights,
which the chamber has set up since 2019. “It’s been a big hit so far,” chamber member Donna Jebaily said at the market. “We started with the Seaford Maker’s Markets over the summer, and people got word of it and wanted to do a holiday market, so here we are with 56 vendors today.” The holiday market vendors, some of whom came from as far away as Manhattan, were eager to return, Jebaily added. “We had a lot of people that heard about it that wanted to be involved,” she said, “so we reached out, and we have an amazing turnout.” From Seaford-themed attire, Continued on page 16
Protesters voice opposition to school vaccine mandates By KATE NAlEPINSKI knalepinski@liherald.com
“Fight for my mommy’s right to choose!” one sign read. “We love our freedom of choice,” another stated. “Families should NOT have to choose between public school and the shot,” another read. These statements were emblazoned on some of the many signs outside Wantagh High School and Seaford Manor School on Nov. 18, when district parents and children spread more than 70 pairs of children’s shoes around school grounds to make a statement about potential Covid-19 vaccine mandates in
schools. More than 50 districts on Long Island — and many others across the state — took part in Operation Shoe Drop last week, the movement’s founder, Kimberly Boyette, of Merrick, told the Herald. The shoes served as a visual representation of the children who may be pulled out of school in the event that the vaccines are made mandatory. A new bill in the State Assembly would mandate immunization for attendance at all public and private schools, and would authorize the state health commissioner to develop and supervise the rollout of a school vaccination program. The bill is cur-
rently under review in the State Senate. In an effort to raise awareness of the bill, the shoes were collected and dropped off at the office of State Sen. John Brooks in Massapequa on Nov. 19. Brooks, from Seaford, represents the 8th Senate District, which encompasses Wantagh and Seaford. The shoes were then donated to a South Shore-based drive, Boyette said. “We’re all here for the same reason: parental choice,” district parent Lisa Schreiner said at the gathering last Thursday. For Schreiner, that means choosing whether children wear masks or get the vaccines.
Schreiner said that her children — an 11-year-old at Wantagh Middle School and a 7-yearold at Forest Lake Elementary — have had difficulty focusing in school while wearing masks, as required. And children struggle to pick up on social cues when everyone wears masks, she said. “Children don’t know if the teacher is angry [or] if she’s
frustrated because [her] face is covered,” Schreiner said. “We need parental choice,” Boyette told the Herald, adding of the vaccines, “It’s only been around for less than a year. If a person wants it, that’s great. I’m so happy that people who want it can get it, but I don’t want it, and I don’t want my daughter to have Continued on page 4