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🐝 Pad Thai Fix

🐝 Pad Thai Fix

Maritime Festival New Era, Losing the Deer War, Behind the Badge

Thomas Loncar
August 21, 2026

Together With Tim O’Keefe

Good Morning, North Fork! Today’s agenda: accomplish something before lunch, reward ourselves like it was much harder than it was.

In today’s North Fork Buzz:

Maritime Festival New Era
Losing the Deer War
Behind the Badge

Ready, Set, Go!

P.S. Happy Birthday to Chris Collins on Saturday! 🎂

The Lowdown

Maritime Festival New Era ⚓️

After the East End Seaport Museum stepped away from organizing the Maritime Festival following 35 years, local business owners rallied to keep the tradition going. The newly formed Greenport Business Owners Alliance, working with the nonprofit Hold Fast Fund, is now handling the Sept. 25–27 weekend.

This year’s festival will still have plenty of familiar Maritime flavor, including the Saturday morning parade, but organizers are looking to make it bigger and a little weirder: nautical floats, seashell crowns, jellyfish umbrellas and all.

The Cardboard Boat Regatta returns Sunday at 12:30 PM, with organizers hoping to pack the beach with even more questionable but seaworthy engineering projects.

Meanwhile, the East End Seaport Museum is getting back to the particularly nautical stuff. The Bug Light Classic Regatta returns Saturday morning in Gardiner’s Bay, followed by a Reggae and Rum party that evening.

There’s also something entirely new: community rowing. The Village Community Boathouse is bringing a four oared wooden gig to Greenport, giving festival goers a chance to actually get out on the water Saturday and Sunday.

The biggest thing organizers need now? People. Volunteers are needed for everything from parade help and vendor setup to water safety, competitions, promotion and the annual treasure hunt.

Get the full story 👉 East End Beacon

Losing the Deer War 🦌

During his State of the Town address, Supervisor Al Krupski agreed with a resident who said the town is “losing the war” against its growing deer population, acknowledging that Southold would need to remove roughly 60% of the herd each year just to keep the population from growing.

Current estimates put Southold at roughly 65 to 75 deer per square mile. Wildlife experts say a more sustainable number would be closer to 10 to 15.

And the consequences go well beyond disappearing hostas.

Deer play a major role in the reproductive cycle of blacklegged ticks, which can spread Lyme disease.

Then there are the roads. Southold police recorded 183 deer related crashes in 2025, and another 215 deer carcasses were removed from Route 25 on the North Fork over the past year. ($)

Get the full story 👉 Suffolk Times

Behind the Badge 🚓

The annual Paul Drum Life Experience Project Southold Police Kid’s Funfest gives local children a hands on introduction to police work, complete with patrol vehicles, lights and sirens, K-9 demonstrations, police drones and plenty of face time with the officers behind the badges.

The event was founded by Sharon Sailor, co-owner of Front St. Station, and named after her son, Paul. What started as a simple “How to Be a Detective” class has grown into a full afternoon built around curiosity and interaction.

And “hands on” really means hands on.

Kids can climb aboard police vehicles, try the equipment and ask questions instead of admiring everything from behind a rope. This year, they also watched K-9 teams in action and a mock hostage scenario involving Paul.

Get the full story 👉 North Fork Sun

New Large Animal Vet 🐴

Dr. Amanda Farino has been around barn animals for most of her life, so becoming a veterinarian for horses, goats, sheep and the occasional house pig feels pretty on brand.

Farino, 28, recently joined Mattituck-Laurel Veterinary Hospital as its newest large animal veterinarian, traveling across Suffolk County to farms and homes to treat everything from alpacas and cows to horses and llamas.

Farino grew up riding horses, working in barns and spending much of high school at a petting zoo. After studying biology at Stony Brook, she attended veterinary school at LIU, where she leaned heavily into equine and livestock medicine, including rotations with dairy cows in Texas and smaller farm animals.

She’d already spent summers working alongside Mattituck-Laurel veterinarian Dr. Benjamin Haar, so when Haar moved away and a position opened, Farino was a natural fit. ($)

Get the full story 👉 Suffolk Times

Photo of the Week

📸 submitted by Jennifer Blackhall

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

Foodie Friday 🍽

Pad Thai Fix 🍜

We’re always happy to have an excuse to head to First & South in Greenport, and their weekly specials give us plenty of them.

Along with their regular menu, First & South has some fun specials throughout the week. Monday is Mussels & Fries, Tuesday is Pupusas & Tacos, and Thursday brings Pad Thai, Sticky Wings & more. They also have live music on Tuesdays, plus a Sunday brunch that’s worth checking out if you’re looking for a weekend spot.

And then there’s the vibe. First & South has that easygoing, welcoming energy that makes you want to stick around. The staff is friendly, the atmosphere is lively, and it’s one of those local institutions that draws both North Fork locals and visitors. There’s always a good mix of people in the room, which is part of what makes it such a fun place to grab a bite.

For this week’s Foodie Friday, we stopped in on a Thursday night and went straight for the Pad Thai with chicken.

Pad Thai isn’t something you come across all that often on the North Fork, so we’re always excited when Thursday rolls around. We’ve had the Pad Thai at First & South several times before, and it has yet to disappoint.

But first, we started with an order of First Fries, because when you’re at First & South, you just have to. They have several homemade dipping sauces to choose from, and we couldn’t pick just one, so we went with three. Honestly, we’d recommend doing the same.

Then came the Pad Thai, and once again, it was everything we dreamed it would be.

The noodles had that perfect sweet and savory sauce, the chicken was tender, and the whole thing had just the right amount of flavor and texture. It’s comforting without being too heavy and flavorful without being overwhelming. Basically, exactly what you want when a Pad Thai craving hits.

Needless to say, we’ll be back again for this one.

We love a restaurant that gives you a reason to come back during the week, and First & South definitely does that. Whether you’re craving mussels on Monday, tacos and pupusas with live music on Tuesday, or Pad Thai on Thursday, there’s something fun to put on the calendar.

If you’re a Pad Thai fan, add First & South to your Thursday night plans. And definitely get the fries.

🍽 Foodie Friday Wants Your Recommendations

Had an incredible meal on the North Fork recently? Don't gatekeep it.

Maybe it was a standout lobster roll, an unforgettable dessert, a hidden gem, or a dish you're still thinking about days later. Whatever it was, we want to hear about it. Send us a quick blurb about your experience, what you ordered, and why it's worth trying. Your recommendation could be featured in an upcoming Foodie Friday edition of North Fork Buzz.

Share the good stuff and help fellow food lovers in the Buzz fam discover their next great meal!

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

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THANKS!

Thanks for reading the North Fork Buzz today. Like what you read? Send it to someone that loves Pad Thai.

Tom Loncar- Publisher
Nicole Loncar- Editor + Partnerships