Outside BrookHampton Realty we served gallons of Hot Mulled Cider to spectators looking to warm themselves. The parade is a great community event and if you missed it, put in your must do list for next year.

  by Mary Brantmeyer

 On March 15, 2009 Center Moriches hosted it’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The streets were lined with spectators as Grand Marshall, James Dineen, flanked by members of the Chamber of Commerce and the Irish Princess began the procession down Main Street. With a twirl of his cane, the Grand Marshall led several Fire Departments, bagpipers, Car Clubs, Girl Scout troops, Boy Scout Packs, Center Moriches High School Marching Band, Irish Step Dancers and other local ( and some not too local ) groups. Antique cars, Old Time fire trucks and even some pets got into the spirit some wearing green others dyed green for the occasion! This event is held annually and is just one of the parades and functions sponsored by The Moriches Chamber of Commerce.

 
]]> http://morichesbay.wordpress.com/2009/03/16/st-patricks-parade-in-center-moriches/feed/ 0 morichesbay st-patricks-day-parade-2009-1 st-patricks-day-parade-2009-121 st-patricks-day-parade-2009-082 http://morichesbay.wordpress.com/2009/03/06/random-photography/ http://morichesbay.wordpress.com/2009/03/06/random-photography/#comments Fri, 06 Mar 2009 05:04:13 +0000 morichesbay http://morichesbay.wordpress.com/?p=44 ]]> I am a shutter bug.  Flickr, Picasa and any other avenue for photography appeals to me.  I take pictures almost every day for my my real estate website.  Interior and exterior home pictures with the occasional scenic view tossed in.  To better justify my new camera I now have the luxury of postimg pictures on this blog. 

Eastport Township Line by Kevin Loiacono

East Moriches Sailboat by Kevin Loiacono

East Moriches Harts Cove

Tara at the Trackside Cafe in Speonk New York

I confess I am selfish. I do not want to share this little gem with you on the outside chance it will be over run by the hordes of visiting summer folk. The thought of our little “Mayberryesque” Trackside Cafe becoming a trendy cult favorite is by no means a long shot. Located in Speonk, the Trackside is actually the original Speonk train station. Subtle clues that you have entered the domain of the Trackside start in the parking lot. A few “Polish Only” parking signs and outdoor seating for the warmer days. The building is quaint and in keeping with it’s theme. I remember my first visit here and the distinct feeling that I had stumbled upon a hidden treasure, the type one searches for when on a road trip. A cozy nosh only the locals would know about.

Trackside Cafe Patrons

Enter the Trackside and you have traveled back in time. The old bench seats from the train station are still there as is the original wainscot. Counter service and a five or six tables host a happy clientele most of whom are regulars. Conversations often spread across tables as staff and customers talk local issues and current events. The coffee is served hot and fresh and the menu is exactly what one would expect from a luncheonette of this size. The appropriate eggs and pancakes as well as hamburgers, soups and sandwiches. In the warmer months, on select days, the owners have opened in the evening for dinner. The transformation from the breakfast to evening fare works well with the offering of a carefully though out menu that changes each night. Soft music and lighting and the bring your own spirits creates an enjoyable tone with the patrons.

Trackside Cafe exterior

The Trackside is a regular stop for me when entertaining family and friends from out of the area. Put it on your must visit list and maybe I will see you there.

The Trackside Cafe
N. Phillips Ave
Speonk, New York
631-325-8827

I will be looking to add local pictures so if you would like to share please let me know.

 ~Kevin

Beginnings: Believed to be named for an Indian who once lived there, the area today encompassing Moriches, Center Moriches and East Moriches went through a dozen spellings after the first Europeans arrived. Take your pick: Meritche, Merquices, Maritches, Marigies, Meritces, Moritches, Muriches, Moricha and Meriches all have been spotted in historical records. Col. William (Tangier) Smith, who already owned hundreds of acres in Brookhaven known as the Manor of St. George, snagged some land in the Moriches area in patents of 1691 and 1697. But he retained little of those purchases due to competing claims from earlier settlers who had deeds with the Indians.

Turning Point: The railroad arrived in 1881, opening the Moriches to vacationing New Yorkers. Among them was 16-year-old Julia Hand of Brooklyn, whose family operated the Hand rooming house on the banks of Senix Creek. Julia kept a diary of her 16th summer in the Moriches in 1886, offering a slice of life in the 19th-Century seaside town. When she wasn’t doing chores at the boarding house, Julia rowed along the creeks, sailed on the bay and picnicked at the beach. On Aug. 12, she wrote: “Had a regular Jones breeze all day. We went to the beach in the morning & Mrs. J. took some trimming along which she unearthed for the occasion & insisted on my showing her every stitch, she talked so much that Sandy commenced to hunt for a cork – with a bottle on the end of it, & we laughed every minute.”

Claim to Fame: The old Ketcham Inn or Terry’s Hotel, as it was known from 1783 to 1852, was built on the stagecoach route from Brooklyn to Sag Harbor (today Main Street in Center Moriches) and was a popular rest stop for many years. By far the inn’s most famous guests, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, sojourned there in 1791 during their historic visit to Long Island. Restoration of the old inn, a portion of which dates to 1693, is under way, spearheaded by the Ketcham Inn Foundation Inc.

Radio Days: The golden age of radio, circa the 1920s, brought an early radio station to the east end of Smith Street in East Moriches. Run by the Independent Wireless Co., the station housed a spark transmitter used to communicate with ships off shore. Only problem was the transmissions wiped out popular radio programs like “Amos ‘n’ Andy,” prompting residents to form a protest group called the Suffolk County Radio Protective League. A compromise was struck. The company agreed to keep the station silent during the prime-time shows, unless there was an SOS call. Today, nothing remains of the station, but the area still carries the name Radio Point. In July, 1996, East Moriches was the site of one of the most urgent emergency calls in Long Island history: the explosion of TWA Flight 800.

Photo: Public School and Main Street, East Moriches (“Long Island To-day” by Frederick Ruther, 1909)