Tag Archives: From Long Island

From Long Island

U.S. Presidential Inauguration Parade 2017

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From LONG ISLAND – by Ann Parry (ann-parry.com)
December 31, 2016

Yesterday, I read the exciting news that Long Island’s own Nassau County Firefighters Pipes & Drums will participate in the U.S. Presidential Inauguration Parade in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2017.

Originally known as “Fir Na Tine” (Gaelic: Men of Fire), it’s America’s first Volunteer Firefighter Pipe Band, and has performed widely, including at St. Patrick’s Day parades, at halftime shows for NY Jets, and band members were the 11 Pipers Piping in a Christmas commercial.

[NOTE: background tent digitally altered blue]

East Meadow, NY, USA. March 31, 2012. [NOTE: background tent digitally altered blue ]Nassau County Firefighters Pipes & Drums band performs at firefighter Ray Pfeifer Benefit. (© 2012 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

Also, Nassau County Firefighters Pipes and Drums has been an inspiring, stirring part of many memorials and benefits. In spring 2012, I covered the band when it played at the Ray Pfeifer Benefit at the East Meadow Firefighters Benevolent Hall. Retired FDNY firefighter and Hicksville resident Ray Pfeifer is a true profile in courage, perseverance, and brotherhood.

FYI From Long Island: After the 9/11/2001 Twin Towers terrorist attacks, Ray Pfeifer helped recovery efforts at Ground Zero, and by 2008 was battling cancer. Pfeifer – along with Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer, Representatives Peter King and Carolyn Maloney, and others – helped make sure the 2010 James Zadroga 9/11 Health & Compensation Act was eventually extended to 2090, establishing the “World Trade Center Health Program.”

Fund raiser for firefighter Ray Pfeifer on Saturday, March 31, 2012, at East Meadow Firefighters Benevolent Hall, New York, USA. The Nassau County Firefighters Pipes and Drums band performed. (Ann Parry/Ann Parry, ann-parry.com)

East Meadow, New York, USA. March 31, 2012. The Nassau County Firefighters Pipes and Drums band performing at Ray Pfeifer Benefit. (© 2012 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

When the Nassau County Firefighters Pipes and Drums Band participates in the Inauguration Parade in a few weeks, it will be continuing its mission of proudly representing the Nassau County Fire Service.

To help the band reach its $10,000 goal to cover transportation & lodging costs for its 40+ members, the band manager created and runs a gofundme fundraiser: “Presidential Inauguration Parade” for the Nassau County Firefighters Pipes & Drums.

  • Photo Video of Ray Pfeifer Fundraiser, with Nassau County Firefighters Pipes & Drums music:

And I send sincere thanks to Nassau County Firefighters Pipes & Drums, esp. Band Manager Alan Jacoby, for permission to use their music in above photo video of 2012 Firefighter Ray Pfeifer Benefit.

  • UPDATE 1/18/2107:  $17K+ of revised $20K goal has been raised by band’s gofundme campaign.  [NOTE: This post’s link to band’s gofundme page removed after end of 2017.]

Band’s official site: Nassau County Firefighters Pipes & Drums

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TMB Model Train Club’s O-mazing Open House

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From LONG ISLAND – by Ann Parry (annparry.com)
November 30, 2016

Where can you see a three-ring circus, NYC subway line, and real prop used in a mob hit scene on The Sopranos?  At the Train Masters of Babylon Model Train Club HQ in Long Island!

Last Saturday, during the long Thanksgiving Weekend, I spent a couple of hours that sped by all too quickly at TMB’s Open House, which was free and open to the public, as all their Open Houses are.

Farmingdale, New York, USA. November 26, 2016. BAKE TURNER, of Melville, holds a blue Electromotivee Division EMD model train engine at the Train Masters of Babylon TMB Model Train Club's Open House. Visitors enjoyed a 4000 square foot O Gauge model railroad with 10 trains running on 19 scale miles of track and an underground subway system. Watching O Scale model trains traveling on tracks through various elaborate scenes was family fun, free and open to the public, during the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend. (Ann Parry/Ann Parry, ann-parry.com)

Farmingdale, NY, USA. Nov. 26, 2016. TMB club member BAKE TURNER, of Melville, holds a blue Electromotive Division EMD model train engine at the Train Masters of Babylon Model Train Club’s Open House. (© 2016 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

BAKE TURNER, a TMB Model Train Club Board Member, told me how the club – which is a Lionel Ambassador for 2016-17 – moved from Lindenhurst to their Farmingdale location four years ago, and they’re still expanding the elaborate O-Scale layouts, including developing one vertically up a wall!

Farmingdale, New York, USA. November 26, 2016. Tiny high wire aerialist model figure, about two inches tall, is part of the circus scene display at Train Masters of Babylon TMB Model Train Club's Open House. Visitors enjoy a 4000 square foot O Gauge model railroad with 10 trains running on 19 scale miles of track and an underground subway system. The free and open to public event was family fun during the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend. (Ann Parry/Ann Parry, ann-parry.com)

Farmingdale, NY, USA. Nov. 26, 2016. Tiny tightrope walker model figure, about two inches tall, is in circus scene display at Train Masters of Babylon TMB Model Train Club’s Open House. (© 2016 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

Young children perched on parents’ shoulders; adults bent down to inspect the subway line; and lots of arms, short and long, pointed to trains whizzing around the 19 scale miles of track winding through fantastically detailed landscapes, towns, tall cityscapes….

Farmingdale, New York, USA. November 26, 2016. At TMB Train Masters of Babylong Model Train Club's Open House, visitors look at actual train display - complete with blood stains - seen in'The Blue Comet' episode of'The Sopranos'. Photo above layout is scene with character Bobby Baccalieri at L.I. model train store. (Ann Parry/Ann Parry, ann-parry.com)

Farmingdale, New York, USA. November 26, 2016. At TMB Model Train Club’s Open House, visitors look at actual train display seen in ‘The Blue Comet’ episode of HBO’s ‘The Sopranos.’  (© 2016 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

And then there’s the club’s star attraction: the actual train layout featured in “The Blue Comet” episode of The Sopranos HBO television series. It wasn’t until shortly after my visit I realized the layout was complete with “blood stains” from Bobby Bacala’s execution, so I want to return to the scene of that crime during a future Open House.

UPDATE:  January 2019

In the Jan. 2019 issue of Model Rail, the UK model train magazine, editor Richard Foster writes that The Blue Comet episode of HBO’s The Sopranos is his favorite TV episode featuring a model train.

Along with info about the episode and TMB Model Train Club, Foster’s “Backscene” article (page 146) includes one of my news photos of the actual TV prop on display during TMB’s Open House.

The Model Rail  January 2019 digital back issue is currently available for purchase at the PocketMags site (which I have NO relationship with).

TMB Open House:  PHOTO GALLERY 

Train Masters of Babylon: TMB site  |  2016-17 Lionel Ambassadors

Feb. 28, 2018 blog post: “TMB Model Train Club: Big Room with Big (& Small) Views“

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Where the Heck is Matt? Dance-a-gram for Cleo the Cat

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From LONG ISLAND – by Ann Parry (annparry.com)
October 25, 2016

For years, my family’s been a fan of Matt Harding’s “Where the Heck is Matt?” videos where he enthusiastically dances around the world. So I was intrigued when I saw that the Kickstarter campaign to fund his 2016 video included a perk to have him create a Dance-a-gram.

Hamburg, Germany, March 2016. Matt Harding dancing with fans in Marco-Polo Terrassen.

Hamburg, Germany, March 2016. Matt Harding dancing with fans in Marco-Polo Terrassen, his final stop in Europe. This is one of several postcards Matt sent as perks to many of his Kickstarter supporters.

I asked Matt to create a message about adopting animals on behalf of our family’s Cleo the Cat – the gray and white striped furball we adopted from Last Hope Animal Rescue in Wantagh, NY.

Yesterday I received Matt’s Dance-a-gram, and it’s AMAZING:

[videopress BXTOWaU3]

Matt Harding’s Dance-a-gram for our Cleo the Cat, adopted from Last Hope Animal Rescue in Wantagh, NY. (YouTube: youtu.be/mGUSaiBFekl ) 

When I saw the first location in Matt’s Dance-a-gram is Cape Canaveral, Florida, I smiled, since I’m such a space fan and was at Kennedy Space Center in 2000 for Jim Lovell’s talk & book signing for Apollo 13.

And please remember, if you have room in your heart and home, Cleo the Cat hopes you’ll adopt a rescue animal!

Cleo the tabby cat at home on Sept. 1, 2015, after being adopted from Last Hope Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation, Wantagh, New York, USA (Ann Parry/Ann Parry, ann-parry.com)

Long Island, USA. Here’s a glimpse of Cleo the cat, which will have to do until I capture photo of her dancing for joy over Matt’s Dance-a-gram.  (© 2015 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

Official site of Last Hope Animal Rescue

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