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🐝 Orient’s Sweet Spot

🐝 Orient’s Sweet Spot

North Star Orient, Pipeline Plans Meet Pushback, 20 Years of Growing Together

Thomas Loncar
August 24, 2026

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Good Morning, North Fork!

In today’s North Fork Buzz:

North Star Orient
Pipeline Plans Meet Pushback
20 Years of Growing Together

Ready, Set, Go!

The Lowdown

North Star Orient 🍫

After closing just before Easter, the longtime Candy Man property is being revived as North Star Orient, with new owner Don Jayamaha and tenant Lucy Barnes planning to preserve plenty of what made the 38 year old shop a local institution.

That includes the important part: the candy.

The original chocolate tempering table will remain, nostalgic favorites like chocolate bunnies are expected back, and a new old fashioned pick and mix section will offer roughly 40 to 50 kinds of candy.

North Star will also be more than a candy shop. Plans include grab and go food, antiques, everyday essentials like sunscreen and batteries, free water bottle refills and potentially Southold Town Yellow Bags. A bicycle shop is planned for a shed behind the property, while Tesla chargers are expected next door. ($)

Get the full story 👉 Suffolk Times

Pipeline Plans Meet Pushback🚰

The proposed North Fork Pipeline got a lengthy public airing Thursday, with Southold officials, environmental groups and residents raising questions about whether the Suffolk County Water Authority’s plan is the right answer to the region’s water problems.

Much of Thursday’s conversation came down to: Does the North Fork need more water, or does it need to use less of it?

Suffolk County Legislator Greg Doroski pointed to lawn irrigation, which accounts for 70% of summer water use, and pushed for steeper pricing for heavy users. Environmental groups echoed that concern, questioning whether additional capacity could simply mean more water headed toward expansive lawns.

There were also concerns about the pipeline’s newly preferred Main Road route, including its potential impact on a $2.2 million wetland restoration project near Meetinghouse Creek. Others argued SCWA should wait for an ongoing U.S. Geological Survey study of the North Fork aquifer before completing its environmental review.

Greenport officials landed firmly on the other side. Mayor Kevin Stuessi said dangerously low summertime levels in the village’s water tower, combined with saltwater intrusion and growing demand, make the pipeline an urgent public-safety issue.

Southold Supervisor Al Krupski took a more measured approach, asking SCWA to consider everything from road drainage and road salt to land preservation and the unfinished groundwater study before moving ahead.

Get the full story 👉 East End Beacon

20 Years of Growing Together 🌱

What started with two garden plots and some very ambitious pumpkins has turned into a 20 year North Fork tradition.

The Hallockville Museum Farm Community Garden is celebrating its 20th growing season, two decades after South Jamesport’s Jim Romansky planted the seeds for what became the North Fork’s first community garden.

Today, the all organic garden stretches 230 feet by 90 feet, with all 36 plots sold out for the season. Gardeners grow everything from tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers to artichokes, okra and enough flowers to make the place look pretty good even before harvest.

Getting there required some defenses. An 8 foot deer fence went up about 11 years ago, followed by underground fencing after rabbits discovered the garden was essentially an all you can eat buffet.

But the real harvest here might be the community. Gardeners swap vegetables, seeds, advice and watering duties, and years ago even had a weekly tradition known as the “4 W’s”: Weed, Whine and Wine on Wednesdays.

Get the full story 👉 North Fork Sun

Portrait of America 📸

There’s a little more time to catch A Portrait of America: Documentary Photography at 250 Years at Greenport’s Floyd Memorial Library. The summer exhibition has been extended through Sunday, Sept. 6.

Curated by Sally Grant for America’s 250th anniversary, the show brings together 21 photographers documenting American life: the people, places, celebrations, struggles and everyday moments that make up the country.

And there’s plenty of East End woven into the bigger picture.

The result is less “here’s what America looks like” and more 21 different answers to the question, from parades and protests to small towns, road trips and ordinary life.

Get the full story 👉 Northforker

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Happenings: This Week

Monday

🎨 Pink & Purple Skies Put those sunset colors on canvas at the Old Town Arts & Crafts Guild. Artist and instructor Lee Harned will lead the way as painters create their own pink and purple sky masterpiece. More Info

Tuesday

🎙️ Lifetime Learning Speakers Bureau Go behind the scenes of morning television with Tom Mazzarelli at Peconic Landing. More Info

🀄 Open Play Tiles hit the table under the tent at Braun’s Kitchen for a morning of open mahjong play with NoFo Mahj Club. Play a few rounds, meet some fellow Mahj fans, then stick around and make a lunch out of it. More Info

Wednesday

🎨 Maritime Parade Costumes The Greenport Maritime Festival gets a little more colorful with three days of costume making at Veme Studios. Wednesday through Friday, kids ages 6 and up can turn their best sea inspired ideas into wearable creations. More Info

^{_{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}}

Local Spotlight

New Spot to Study 📚

There’s no shortage of students who could use a little extra help after school. Finding a quiet, comfortable place to actually sit down and do that work? That can be another story.

Rowan Craft Boutique in Southold is looking to change that this fall by turning a cozy room inside the shop into a dedicated tutoring and homework space. They’re hoping to connect with a local tutor who needs a consistent place to meet with students.

The idea is to create a familiar spot where students can get help with homework, test prep, or whatever subject is giving them trouble that week. Tutors interested in having a welcoming home base in Southold are encouraged to reach out.

^{_{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}}

Live Music + Fun Breakdown

Monday

Tuesday

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Tom Loncar- Publisher
Nicole Loncar- Editor + Partnerships

🐝 Orient’s Sweet Spot

North Star Orient, Pipeline Plans Meet Pushback, 20 Years of Growing Together

Together With

Sponsored By Little Fish

Coastal Cuisine Done Right 🐟

The Lowdown

North Star Orient 🍫

Pipeline Plans Meet Pushback🚰

20 Years of Growing Together 🌱

Portrait of America 📸

Happenings: This Week

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Local Spotlight

New Spot to Study 📚

Live Music + Fun Breakdown

Monday

Tuesday

THANKS!