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🐝 Bocce Under The Lights

🐝 Bocce Under The Lights

Invisible Ink, Rebuilding Southold’s Legion, Smashburgers & Wine

Thomas Loncar
May 15, 2026

Together With Tim O’Keefe

Good Morning, North Fork! Fridays feel a lot like the last day of school, just with more passwords and fewer Trapper Keepers.

In today’s North Fork Buzz:

Invisible Ink
Rebuilding Southold’s Legion
Smashburgers & Wine

Ready, Set, Go!

P.S. Happy Birthday to Joan Sinning on May 17! 🎂

The Lowdown

Invisible Ink 📜

Before there were encrypted texts, there was invisible ink.

At a packed talk earlier this month at Hallockville Museum Farm, historian and author Bill Bleyer broke down the real story behind the Culper Spy Ring, the secret Long Island network that fed George Washington intelligence during the Revolutionary War.

The spy ring formed after the disastrous 1776 Battle of Long Island left the British in control of New York City and Washington desperate for reliable intel. His first attempt at espionage ended with Nathan Hale getting captured and executed, so the Americans shifted tactics and built something far more organized.

And yes, they really used invisible ink.

A chemist named James Jay developed a two part chemical system that allowed spies to hide messages between the lines of ordinary letters. Washington loved it so much he reportedly had a lab built to keep production going.

Get the full story 👉 North Fork Sun

Rebuilding Southold’s Legion 🇺🇸

At 78 years old, John Christina isn’t interested in letting Southold’s American Legion quietly fade into history.

Instead, he’s helping turn the Griswold-Terry Glover American Legion Post 803 into something that feels a little less “old guys sitting inside” and a little more community cookout with bocce under the lights.

Over the past six months, Christina has rallied local businesses to completely overhaul the Legion property ahead of Memorial Day. The outdoor space now includes a rebuilt patio, new grills, patriotic picnic tables, horseshoe pits, cornhole space and even a bocce court with nighttime lighting.

Businesses across the area donated materials, labor and equipment.

Veterans organizations nationwide have struggled with aging memberships and declining participation, and Christina believes younger veterans want something different, more casual gatherings, more outdoor spaces and more opportunities to connect outside the traditional Legion hall atmosphere.

Get the full story 👉 North Fork Sun

Photo of the Week

📸 submitted by John Sinning

Tag @NorthForkBuzz or email us at [email protected] to get your photos in The Buzz!

Foodie Friday 🍽

Smashburgers & Wine 😋

You know a place is doing something right when you walk in planning to “just check it out” and immediately start figuring out how often you can realistically come back without it becoming concerning.

That was pretty much the feeling last night at the Grace & Grit Pop Up Series at Chronicle Wines, which officially kicked off its Thursday night run from 5–8 PM. We figured: why wait? Last year, this series ran bi-weekly, but this year it’s happening every week.

Tucked away in Peconic, Chronicle Wines has a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere with just really good wine and really good people. And the people genuinely make the place.

The Chronicle team kept checking in to make sure we had what we needed, chatting with us, keeping the whole space feeling fun and comfortable It feels more like hanging out at a friend’s than a typical tasting room.

Add Chef Adam of Grace & Grit into the mix, who, quite frankly, seems incapable of making boring food, and this team up become a dangerous Thursday habit.

The concept is simple: Chef Adam’s smashburgers stay on the menu every week, while seasonal specials rotate throughout the summer depending on what inspires him and what pairs best with the wines.

Which means no two Thursdays will fully look the same, and honestly, that’s kind of the fun of it.

Lets dive into what we got:

Wine

Before we ordered, we made one thing very clear: we are admittedly not the most educated wine drinkers. So instead, we left it to the experts and asked what wines they’d recommend based on our food order, and honestly, they nailed it.

🍷 Saltbird Cellars Chardonnay: Crisp, smooth and super easy to drink. It was really refreshing and one that’s great for sitting outside with in the summer.

🍷 AS IF WINES “Serendipity” White Blend: Clean and refreshing with just enough fruitiness to keep things interesting.

Food

Now onto the part we do know something about: eating.

🍔 Smashburger This was exactly what you want a smashburger to be. Crispy edges, juicy center, perfectly seasoned, and a little messy. The grilled onions, melty cheese, burger sauce, and pickles all worked together perfectly. Simple, classic, ridiculously good.

🧀 Reuben Quesadilla Never would’ve thought to turn a reuben into a quesadilla. The homemade pastrami had this incredible peppery crust, the swiss cheese was perfectly melty, and the sauerkraut gave it just the right bite to cut through the richness. Crispy, cheesy, salty, and tangy all at once.

🍤 Shrimp Cakes: These Chinese style shrimp cakes were packed with flavor and essentially like a shrimp meatball. Served over egg fried rice with a little bit of heat, the whole dish was comforting, savory, and one we could eat over and over again.

There’s just something really fun about this whole setup. Good people, good wine, creative food, and a menu that changes enough to keep you curious all summer long.

Heading to Chronicle on a Thursday? Let us know! Maybe we’ll come join you?
Email us at [email protected] and give us a shout.

Nothing in this section is sponsored. They’re just fun things you need to know. I’ll always let you know when something is sponsored

A Quick Reminder: We Want Your Recipes

Just a reminder that we’re opening up this Foodie Friday space to you, we’d love to start highlighting your go to dishes in upcoming Foodie Fridays. Have a recipe you swear by? Send it over. We especially want to hear if you’re using local ingredients!

How to submit:
Email us at [email protected] with:

The recipe (ingredients + steps)
A photo (even an iPhone pic is perfect)
Your name
Optional but encouraged: a short story - when you make it, who you make it for, or why it’s special
Bonus points if you tell us which local purveyors you hit up for the ingredients

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THANKS!

Thanks for reading the North Fork Buzz today. Like what you read? Send it to someone who needs a smash burger.

Tom Loncar- Publisher
Nicole Loncar- Editor + Partnerships