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Egg your neighbors on Wantagh girls’ lacrosse organizes Easter fundraiser By KATe NAlepiNSKi knalepinski@liherald.com
’Twas the night before Easter, and all throughout Wantagh, lacrosse players were stirring, long after the snow had thawed. Members of the Wantagh High School’s girls’ lacrosse team are eager to egg houses this spring — without any of the eggy mess. The team recently announced its Easter-themed fundraiser, “Egg My House.” Next month, individuals who donate to the team will wake up on Easter Sunday with plastic, candy-filled eggs scat-
tered and hidden across their front lawns. Between the hours of 9 p.m. and midnight on Sunday, April 16, the teammates will peregrinate across Wantagh and will assist the Easter Bunny in hiding colorful eggs with treats inside. “When these kids wake up, they’ll have this magical egg wonderland,” head coach Robyn Rooney said. “Parents don’t have to stress about anything, and they’re donating to our incredible team. It’s a winwin for parents.” The fundraiser was inspired by Northport High
Courtesy Robyn Rooney
WANTAGH GiRlS’ lACRoSSe players gathered on the field at a home game on May 12, 2021. School, which supposedly hosted a similar Easter fundraiser in the past. “It was a nobrainer,” Rooney, of Long Beach, said. “It’s such a great way for the girls to have their time as a team to do something together.” Funds raised will pay for photographers and videogra-
phers at games, future team events and for new jerseys for the team — some of which Rooney has previously paid for herself. Not to mention, media exposure will help to advance the players’ professional experience, Rooney said. “These girls can make a n a m e fo r t h e m s e l ve s i n
lacrosse. So, to be able to give these girls professional photos and video of them on the field, and put their names out there,” she said, “will only help elevate their names and improve the future of woman’s lacrosse at Wantagh.” Rooney, a former lacrosse Continued on page 15
Real estate prices continue to soar in Wantagh-Seaford By MARiA CeSTeRo and JoRDAN VAlloNe mcestero@liherald.com
Wantagh real estate agent Michael Sherack said that home prices across Long Island are on the rise – and Wantagh-Seaford is no different. Sherack, 47, sells homes within 60 neighborhoods across Long Island. A Seaford resident since 2008, Sherack said properties in Wantagh are selling for more money than in the past as the number of available houses has dropped. “Bidding wars” frequently ensue, he said. “There seems to be an insane amount of demand for houses on
Long Island and there’s not enough inventory to meet it, and Wantagh and Seaford are really no different,” said Sherack. As an agent, “it can be frustrating sometimes, but rewarding to a certain degree, when you find a buyer their perfect home.” A nearly $2.5 million home sale set to be finalized this week in South Merrick reflects wider trends seen across the island. Real estate prices have spiked on Long Island since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. An influx of buyers seeking suburban homes has been met with limited inventory, Sherack said. One key MLS data point gathered by Sherack showed that in
January this year, the median sales price of Wantagh homes was $615,000, a rise of 11.2 percent from the prior year, when it was about $553,000. Neighboring Seaford’s median sales price was reported at $599,000 the same month. That’s an increase of roughly 12 percent since last year alone. And the median home price on Long Island stands at $600,000 — just a year ago, it was $550,000, according to Realtor.com. As of late February, Sherack said that he had only 28 houses in his inventory to sell in Wantagh. In Seaford, the market is even tighter: there were only 19 houses up for sale.
Sherack said he’s watched buyers take part in bidding wars and has seen as many as 20 buyers competing for a single home. “There’s a lot of competition for all the houses in the area and there are a lot of people on the move,” said Sherack. “The average home prices are consistently rising, and some buyers won’t be able to go that high.”
Buyers are taking out more expensive loans than in years past, he added. Further, the average interest rate is projected to be 4 percent by the end of 2022. It was roughly 3.45 percent in late January. Although Sherack stated that rising prices may sway buyers away from certain houses, sellContinued on page 5