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🐝 Help Shape Southold

🐝 Help Shape Southold

More Room for the Herd, 10 Mile Menu, Communication Plan

Thomas Loncar
August 25, 2026

Together With

Good Morning, North Fork! Today’s agenda: be productive enough to feel good about ourselves and unproductive enough to enjoy the day.

In today’s North Fork Buzz:

More Room for the Herd
10 Mile Menu
Communication Plan

Ready, Set, Go!

The Lowdown

More Room for the Herd 🐐

Catapano Dairy Farm’s goats just got a little more elbow room.

Owners Erin and Connor Burke have purchased 6.88 acres of neighboring farmland in Peconic from the Peconic Land Trust for $245,000. The couple had already been leasing the property through the Trust’s Farms for the Future Initiative and using it as pasture for their herd.

The land sits right next to Catapano Dairy Farm on Route 48, making the purchase a natural expansion for a farm that has already done plenty of growing. When the Burkes bought Catapano in 2020, they hoped to eventually build the herd to around 90 goats. They’re now at roughly 100. ($)

Get the full story 👉 Suffolk Times

Paumanok Vineyards is bringing back one of its signature end of summer traditions, with a new chef behind the menu.

The winery’s 10 Mile Dinner returns Friday, Aug. 28, built around a pretty simple rule: the ingredients come from within 10 miles of Paumanok’s Aquebogue vineyard.

Longtime chef Tom Schaudel had a scheduling conflict this year, so Ryan Carroll of Wild Events by Ryan Carroll is taking over the vineyard side table.

He’s adding something new, too: a farm stand grazing station piled with local produce for guests to snack on before dinner.

Get the full story 👉 Northforker

Communication Plan 🗣️

Southold Town is still working out how officials should respond, and communicate with the public, when federal immigration enforcement activity is confirmed in town.

Police Chief Steven Grattan has submitted a draft policy that would have the police department notify town government once activity by an outside agency is verified. From there, exactly how that information would make its way to the broader community is still being worked out.

One option discussed has been some form of text notification chain, though nothing has been finalized. Supervisor Al Krupski also said the town is not currently moving forward with the separate OLA of Eastern Long Island proposed local law addressing federal immigration enforcement operations. ($)

Get the full story 👉 Suffolk Times

Four Generations, One Barbecue 🍗

The Cutchogue Fire Department’s chicken barbecue has been around for 69 years, and for the Walker family, showing up has become something of a family inheritance.

Rob Walker started volunteering more than 20 years ago on garbage duty before eventually earning a spot over the cooking pits. His son Ryan now works alongside him, and this year Ryan’s nearly 3 year old son James joined the operation, shucking corn ahead of the big day.

That makes four generations of Walkers connected to the tradition. Rob’s father was a Cutchogue firefighter whose barbecue assignment was arguably the family’s cushiest: the beer tent.

There’s more to cooking thousands of chickens than firing up the grill. Each rack holds 25 birds, which cook for roughly two and a half hours, with volunteers constantly adjusting charcoal for wind, heat and flare ups.

Get the full story 👉 North Fork Sun

Mattituck Says No to Tax Hike 🚫

Mattituck Park District voters have rejected another proposed tax increase, this time by a fairly wide margin.

The district’s plan to raise its property tax levy by about 10% failed 128-74, with just 202 of Mattituck’s roughly 4,600 residents turning out to vote.

The proposal would have increased the levy from about $655,000 to $720,000, costing the average property owner roughly $16.25 more per year. Instead, the district will stick with the state’s 2% tax cap, giving it only about $13,000 in additional tax revenue next year. ($)

Get the full story 👉 Suffolk Times

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Happenings: Upcoming Events

Friday, September 4

📚 The Einstein Conspiracy A little wine, a little history, and one very big conspiracy theory. Former Congressman and author Steve Israel heads to Clovis Point for a talk and signing of his novel The Einstein Conspiracy, giving readers a chance to hear the story behind the book and meet the author himself. More Info

🍷 Vineyard at Veraison See what’s happening on the vines before those grapes make their way into a glass. Pindar’s Vineyard Manager will lead a walk through the vineyard during veraison, explaining how the fruit develops as harvest approaches, followed by a guided tasting of their wines. More Info

Saturday, September 5

🍖 BBQ Cook Off The grills are firing up and bragging rights are on the line at the sixth annual Shelter Island American Legion BBQ Cook Off. A crew of BBQ fanatics will put their best recipes to the test, with guests helping taste their way toward crowning this year’s winner. More Info

Saturday, September 12

⚾ Vintage Baseball Game Baseball goes old school for the sixth annual showdown between the powerful NY Mutuals and Oysterponds’ proudly ragtag team of local irregulars. Enjoy a friendly but fierce afternoon of vintage baseball, hosted by the Oysterponds Historical Society. More Info

🛍️ Yard Sale Benefit One person’s attic cleanout is another person’s Saturday morning score. Browse the Southold Historical Museum Yard Sale Benefit for unexpected finds, with every purchase helping support the Museum and its work preserving local history. More Info

🎭 Playwriting Workshop Got a play or musical sitting somewhere between “great idea” and “needs a little work”? Gail Kriegel leads a lively, supportive workshop at the North Fork Arts Center, where writers can bring outlines, early drafts or completed works to share, develop and sharpen. More Info

^{_{Nothing in this section is sponsored. They’re just fun things you need to know. We’ll always let you know when something is sponsored}}

Local Spotlight

Help Shape Southold 🤝

Southold Town is looking for new members to serve on its Communications Committee and Economic Development Committee, and they’re hoping to hear from locals who know a thing or two about business, communications, social media, or economic development.

The committees help guide local government as it makes decisions that affect how the Town communicates with residents and supports the local business community. The commitment is pretty manageable, too, just a couple of hours a month to attend meetings and bring your experience and perspective to the table.

If you’ve ever had thoughts about how Southold could better communicate, support small businesses, or approach economic development, this might be your chance to do more than mention them to your neighbor.

^{_{Nothing in this section is sponsored. They’re just fun things you need to know. We’ll always let you know when something is sponsored}}

Live Music + Fun Breakdown

Tuesday

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Tom Loncar- Publisher
Nicole Loncar- Editor + Partnerships

🐝 Help Shape Southold

More Room for the Herd, 10 Mile Menu, Communication Plan

Together With

Sponsored By Sail NoFo

The Lowdown

More Room for the Herd 🐐

10 Mile Menu 🍽️

Communication Plan 🗣️

Four Generations, One Barbecue 🍗

Mattituck Says No to Tax Hike 🚫

^{_{Stories with a ($) require a third party subscription}}

Sponsored By Pure & Peaceful

Happenings: Upcoming Events

Friday, September 4

Saturday, September 5

Saturday, September 12

Local Spotlight

Help Shape Southold 🤝

Live Music + Fun Breakdown

Tuesday

Wednesday

THANKS!