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🐝 Rock and Dock

🐝 Rock and Dock

Bug Light Restoration, A Culinary Journey, Under the Stars

Thomas Loncar
January 20, 2026

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Good Morning, North Fork! This is North Fork Buzz, the local newsletter that hits like your favorite song coming on at the perfect time.

In today’s North Fork Buzz:

Bug Light Restoration
A Culinary Journey
Under the Stars

Ready, Set, Go!

The Lowdown

Bug Light Restoration 🏗

After years of planning, Bug Light is officially getting the attention it’s long been due.

The East End Seaport Museum has secured the full $880,000 needed to kick off the first phase of restoring Long Beach Bar Lighthouse, better known as Bug Light. Construction starts in February and should wrap by mid-June, just in time for summer lighthouse cruises and peak harbor season.

This initial “Rock and Dock” phase focuses on the unglamorous but essential stuff: stabilizing the lighthouse’s rock foundation and building a brand-new dock and access ramp.

The funding came together thanks to a powerful mix of generous local donors and matching grants from state and regional partners.

Get the full story 👉 North Fork Sun

A Culinary Journey 🧑‍🍳

Growing up at Hellenic in East Marion, Savvas Giannaris spent his afternoons doing homework and lending a hand at his family’s longtime restaurant, owned by his father, George Giannaris. It was never a requirement, it was a choice, and one that quietly shaped his respect for ingredients, teamwork, and the rhythm of a working kitchen.

After graduating from Mattituck High School in 2019, Savvas headed to Binghamton University to study statistics, encouraged by his father to earn a solid degree first. But the pull of the kitchen never left. He mapped out a plan to graduate early, returned briefly to Hellenic as sous chef, and then took a leap, moving to Paris to study cuisine and pastry at Le Cordon Bleu.

When it came time to apply for jobs, he aimed high, and landed at Eleven Madison Park, one of New York City’s most celebrated kitchens.

Get the full story 👉 Northforker

Skate Park Still Waits 🛹

After six months of fundraising, planning, and community momentum, the brakes are still on at the Greenport Skate Park, and the nonprofit behind the effort is asking village leaders to hit the gas.

Rena Wilhelm, president of Skate Park Inc., spoke candidly at a recent Greenport Village work session, urging officials to clear the red tape that has stalled a $125,000, fully fundraised plan to renovate the skate park on Moores Lane. The money, raised almost entirely from North Fork residents and local businesses, is in hand, a contractor is lined up, and Phase 1 is ready to go.

Village officials say the holdup comes down to state prevailing wage laws, which require engineered plans and a public bidding process. While trustees expressed support for improving the park, they emphasized the need to follow state rules, even when the work is largely privately funded.

Phase 1 would refresh the eastern side of the park with a new street style course designed for skaters of all skill levels, while keeping the most popular ramps in place. Phase 2 would address the western side down the road. ($)

Get the full story 👉 Suffolk Times

Art & Authors 🎨✍️

Winter at Sound View Greenport is about leaning in.

The waterfront inn is officially launching its winter cultural season with the return of two much loved creative programs: the Uncommon Arts Residency and the Nameless Writers Salon. Now in their eighth and third years respectively, the initiatives bring nationally recognized artists and writers to the North Fork for intimate, thoughtful gatherings.

The Uncommon Arts Residency kicks off with artist John Roach, in residence January 19–26. An artist talk and studio tour is scheduled for January 25 at The Halyard.

Meanwhile, the Nameless Writers Salon returns on January 22 with a theme that feels perfectly timed: New Beginnings. Hosted by Isaac Fitzgerald, the evening will bring together acclaimed authors Tara Westover, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Daniel Loedel, and Sanaë Lemoine for an intimate conversation inside Sound View’s library.

Get the full story 👉 James Lane Post

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Happenings: Upcoming Events

🍝 Red Sauce Night Cold nights call for comfort food. Head over and support the Greenport Fire Department’s Marine Fire Rescue at their 2nd annual Red Sauce Night on Saturday, January 31. Enjoy spaghetti & meatballs, mozzarella sticks, salad, garlic bread, and dessert. More Info

✍️ Disney Magic Spend the day on Saturday, January 31 with legendary animator Andreas Deja at the Rams Head Inn for a hands on animation workshop that pulls back the curtain on the art behind some of Disney’s most iconic characters. The experience wraps with a fireside chat and dinner, offering a rare chance to hear stories, insights, and creative wisdom straight from a master of the craft. More Info

🌶 Chili Cook Off A lineup of North Fork restaurants and local First Responders will go head to head at Greenport Harbor Brewing Co.’s (Peconic location), North Fork Chili Cook Off on Sunday, February 1. Come sample an impressive spread of chili, grab a beer, and cast your vote for who takes top honors. Bonus: the brewery is releasing a special beer just for the occasion. More Info

🇫🇷 Cooking Class Couples, friends, and fellow food lovers come roll up your sleeves at Flavor Fork for Date Night: Flavors of France on Wednesday, February 4. This cooking class is designed to be fun, relaxed, and super interactive: plenty of chopping, seasoning, tasting, and learning classic French techniques as you go. More Info

🌸 Galentine’s Flower Arranging Enjoy a chic afternoon with your favorite people at The Shoals on Saturday, February 7. Hosted by Laurel Floral Design, this hands-on workshop invites you to sip, snip, and style your own floral arrangements. More Info

🛍 Winter Artisan Fair An afternoon of local shopping is coming to Hallockville Museum Famr on Sunday, February 8. Hallockville’s Winter Artisan Fair will fill the historic Naugles Barn with local vendors and handmade finds, perfect for browsing, gifting, and supporting North Fork makers in the heart of winter. 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

Under the Stars 🌌

Doug Geed traded daylight scenes for a darker sky on a recent visit to the Custer Institute and Observatory, for an up close look at what’s happening above us.

Doug goes inside Long Island’s oldest public observatory, where volunteers, powerful telescopes, and a dark North Fork sky come together to make the stars feel a little closer to home. It’s the kind of place where curiosity leads the way, whether you’re spotting planets, tracing constellations, or just marveling at how much there is to see once the sun goes down.

The Custer Observatory has long been a quiet North Fork gem, offering public viewing nights that blend science, history, and a sense of wonder.

^{_{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

First & South | Julia King | 5-8 PM
Front Street Station | Music Bingo | 7 PM

Wednesday

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Tom Loncar- Publisher
Nicole Loncar- Editor + Partnerships