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🐝 The Great Christmas Light Count

🐝 The Great Christmas Light Count

CPF Funds, Picture Based Communication, The Great Christmas Light Count

Thomas Loncar
December 16, 2025

Together With

Good Morning, North Fork! There are 9 days until Christmas, which feels both far away and alarmingly close.

In today’s North Fork Buzz:

CPF Funds
Picture Based Communication
The Great Christmas Light Count

Ready, Set, Go!

The Lowdown

CPF Funds 💰

After months of meetings, charts, and carefully worded conversations, Greenport Village and Southold Town are still circling the same question: how and where Community Preservation Fund (CPF) dollars should actually be spent.

Greenport Trustee Lily Dougherty-Johnson and Southold Councilwoman Anne Smith have spent much of the past several months sitting down together, comparing notes, and building out a list of roughly a dozen projects they believe clearly qualify for CPF funding. Water quality upgrades, historic preservation, and a small handful of potential property acquisitions.

But despite the collaboration and the homework, momentum has been hard to come by. Dougherty-Johnson told the Town Board earlier this month that it was discouraging to hear town staff question the eligibility of some projects after months of work to ensure they checked all the right boxes.

Complicating matters is a relatively recent change in state law requiring 10% of CPF funds be spent in designated disadvantaged communities, a designation Greenport now carries.

From Greenport’s perspective, the village deserves the same level of care and investment as the rest of the town. With water quality issues, historic buildings in need of attention, and projects ready to go, village leaders say the roadmap is already there.

Get the full story 👉 East End Beacon

Picture Based Communication 🖼️

A new picture based communication board will be installed at the playground at Just Kids Early Childhood Learning Center in New Suffolk on December 17, helping young children who are nonverbal or face communication challenges better express themselves during play. The board is sponsored by Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital, marking the hospital’s second such installation on the North Fork. ($)

Get the full story 👉 Suffolk Times

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Happenings: Upcoming Events

🩸 Blood Drive Looking to close out the year with a good deed? The Greenport American Legion is hosting a Blood Drive on Tuesday, December 30, inviting everyone to stop by, roll up a sleeve, and help restock a supply that saves lives every single day. More Info

🏃 5K Beer Run If your idea of a race includes beer, costumes, and a finish line you can actually see from the start, Greenport Harbor Brewery has your New Year’s Eve plans locked in. The 2025 New Year’s Eve .5K Beer Run proudly claims the title of shortest race on the planet, clocking in at just over 1,640 feet. Along the way encounter five “hydration tables.” Plus prizes for best outfit, fastest time, and a few mysterious, top-secret categories. More Info

🍾 NYE Dinner New Year’s Eve at North Fork Table & Inn is offering two seatings to ring in the new year: an early option with a four course dinner, and a later 8:00 PM seating featuring an elevated five course menu with caviar, plus a midnight celebration to officially welcome 2026. More Info

🕛 Countdown to Midnight Ring in the New Year at American Beech on Wednesday, December 31. Enjoy bar snacks throughout the night and dance into the new year with DJ Tim on the decks. More Info

🍽 Dinner, Dancing & Brunch New Year’s Eve at The Watershed is for the people who want the full experience: eat, celebrate, repeat. On Wednesday, December 31, they’re rolling out a New Year’s Eve à la carte menu with a few chef’s specials in the mix. Afterward, the celebration keeps going with Fred the Human iPod, serving a hybrid acoustic + DJ set.

Bonus: You don’t have to “recover” alone. New Year’s Day Brunch is waiting to ease you gently into 2026. More Info

🥞 New Year’s Day Breakfast Start the new year the coziest way possible at the 37th Annual New Year’s Day Breakfast at the Southold Fire Department on Thursday, January 1. Stop by, warm up, and enjoy a classic community breakfast tradition to kick off the year right. More Info

🎭 Variety Show The 21st Annual Variety Show hits the North Fork Community Theatre stage January 2–4, serving up a joyful mix of acts and whatever delightful surprises the community brings with it, there’s are no limits on creativity. 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

The Great Christmas Light Count 🎄

Southold Fish Market is lighting up the season, and turning it into a little friendly competition for a great cause.

The Great Christmas Light Count is officially on. Stop into Southold Fish Market, make a $20 donation, and take your best shot at guessing how many lights are glowing on their giant Christmas tree. The rules are simple: closest guess without going over wins, and the prize is a seafood box valued at over $500.

The lucky winner will be announced at 11:00 AM on New Year’s Eve, just in time to kick off 2026 with an exceptionally good spread. Even better, every dollar donated goes directly to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. Count carefully, guess wisely.

^{_{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 | TBA | 5-8 PM
Front Street Station | Music Bingo | 7 PM

Wednesday

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THANKS!

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Tom Loncar- Publisher
Nicole Loncar- Editor + Partnerships