_________________ WANTAGH ________________
HERALD
HERALD
WHEN'S THE LAST TIME
Presented by
lichoiceawards.com 2023-2024
2023 W IN NER
Vol. 72 No. 25
Fun and food at Spring Festival
A successful blanket drive
Page 3
Page 15 JUNE 13 - 19, 2024
3022 Merrick Rd, Wanta gh www.midislandaudiology.com /wantagh-ny/
$1.00
516-613-5837
Dr. Thomas Recher
1260192
YOU HAD YOUR HEARING CHECKED? CALL US!
Two Wantagh H.S. students hit high notes received the Emerging Artist Award, the runner-up for Outstanding Male Performer, for A captivating theater perfor- his dual role as the title characmance of “Jekyll and Hyde” ters of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. ear ned two students from He said his goal was to become Wantagh High School’s Drama one of 12 students to become Club high marks in the 14th finalists, but he did not expect Annual Roger Rees Awards in to come away with one of the top four awards. May. “It is really Ashlee Fucarino, cool,” Lerro said, a junior, received “because I don’ t the Outstanding think any school Female Performer has ever had two Award for her role winners in the core as Lucy Harris in group of winners, the drama club’s so it’s pretty big for April performances Wantagh. We kind of the famous gothof cleaned up a litic tale of Dr. Jekyll, a respected scientle bit.” tist who develops a The Roger Rees potion that transAw a r d s h o n o r forms him into the excellence in high m a l e v o l e n t M r. school musical theHyde. Fucarino’s ater in the New character, Lucy, is a ASHlEE FUCARiNo York City area by singer at a seedy re c o g n i z i n g o u t Wantagh High School standing student London bar who becomes the love junior performances. The i n t e r e s t o f M r. awards are named Hyde. after the famed Welsh actor, For Fucarino, winning the Roger Rees, who was known for award was a surreal moment. his stage work before his death “It didn’t feel real, and it in 2015. This year’s ceremony didn’t set in for like a week,” took place from May 17-19 at the Fucarino said of her win. “I’m Gerald W. Lynch Theater at still processing it.” Continued on page 9 Anthony Lerro, a senior,
By CHARlES SHAW
cshaw@liherald.com
Tim Baker/Herald
And the crowd goes wild Cricket fans gathered at Cedar Creek Park in Seaford for a watch party to see the India-Pakistan game that was the highlight of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which took place at the temporary Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in East Meadow’s Eisenhower Park. Story, more photos, Page 10.
An unfamiliar environment
Domestic waterfowl released in the wild struggle to survive By CHARlES SHAW cshaw@liherald.com
John Di Leonardo wants you to know that releasing domestic waterfowl into the wild doesn’t save them, but is instead a death sentence. Last month, Humane Long Island, a nonprofit animal-advocacy organization, received a call that two domestic ducklings had been spotted wandering around Mill Pond in Wantagh. Di Leonardo, the group’s executive director, said that it managed to retrieve only one of the ducklings. “I assume one died in short order, and then we
were able to rescue the other one,” he said. “So we already adopted that one out to a home on Shelter Island.” Every year, Di Leonardo said, his organization rescues hundreds of domestic waterfowl, such as ducks and geese, that are released into the wild on Long Island. He explained that these animals are not prepared to live on their own: They can’t fly, they don’t have natural camouflage and they lack the instincts necessary for survival. Abandoned waterfowl, Di Leonardo said, are a problem particularly in the Town of Hempstead, where he and other Humane Long Island volunContinued on page 7
A
s humans, we’re always wanting more, and I think that’s something that a lot of people can resonate with.