Thanksgiving in the Bellmores and Merricks would not be complete without the Merrick Brotherhood Council’s annual Thanksgiving concert, sponsored annually at Calhoun High School. more

It's time to get ready for the turkey, the trimmings, those visions of sugarplums, and so on. Before we focus on the Thanksgiving preparations, take a moment to get into the spirit of the season and explore some of the many holiday-themed events throughout the area. more

Craig Papach, Kennedy High School's athletic coordinator and a 19-year phys. ed. teacher, had long heard the stories of poverty and loneliness, and he wanted to help. So, on Thanksgiving morning, he and his family piled into their car and made the trek from their suburban home in a quiet Wantagh neighborhood to a tiny church on Beach 94th Street in Queens. They went to lend their hands and, equally important, their ears to a day-long effort to aid the homeless. Papach was one of 10 Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District teachers who joined roughly 100 volunteers from Rock and Wrap It Up, a Five Towns-based nonprofit group founded by Syd Mandelbaum, to feed hundreds of impoverished street denizens, some of whom had not eaten for days. more

It may seem odd to confess in a newspaper column, but this year I went on a week-long news fast. Actually, it was the week up to and including Thanksgiving that I blacked out the news; I needed to clear my mind. more

“In a community like this, you don’t really think about families struggling, but year after year, we have more and more families in need,” said Liana Sventoraitis, social worker at Sanford … more

My, how the holiday season crept up on us this year! One minute, it seemed, we were basking in the summer sun, and the next, Thanksgiving appeared out of nowhere. On Friday, after downing turkey, playing touch football and remembering all that we’re thankful for, many will be out and about, shopping for the December holidays. more

Robert Frost said that nothing gold can stay. This week, for the first time in 40 years of preparing the Thanksgiving meal, my husband and I will sit down at my son and daughter-in-law’s table, and not all of us will be there. more

Before beginning those Thanksgiving preparations, take a moment to get into the spirit of the season and explore some of the many holiday-themed events going on this weekend. more