While doing some research for the column, I learned that Mother’s Day inspired Father’s Day. Of course it did. At first, the idea was not well accepted because merchants, of course, wanted to make this holiday a money maker and one florist said, “fathers haven’t the same sentimental appeal that mothers have.”

Over the years, different states and groups have celebrated fathers in different ways but it was not until a woman from Spokane, Washington, Sonora Smart Dodd, a woman with five siblings

Part 2

Thank you so much for all of your emails this past week. Special shout out to Eamon and Maureen Charles for sending me an old Belle Harbor Property Owners sign that states, “Please wear robe to and from beach.” Everyone seems to be on the same page with people needing beach etiquette. I just want to note these rules are for everyone, not just our visitors. I just am so happy we had beautiful weather this weekend!

Rule 4: PDAs. Our beach is a public beach, not a private beach on a

I have lived in Rockaway Park for most of my life. I lived in Broad Channel for about ten years and I did a one-year stint in Indiana. When I was a child, I lived on Beach 117th Street and we did not have a driveway. On Friday afternoon, after alternate side, my parents would park the car on the beach block until Monday morning. I tell you this both because I know what it is like to want to come to the beach on the weekends and not have a spot and I know what it is like to not have a car on the

With the ferry dropping people off by the thousands, our fabulous concession stands and our new beautiful Rockaway Hotel, this summer is sure to be very crowded. So, we established some beach rules, now let’s get to the beautiful boardwalk.

I saw an interesting comment last week regarding the boardwalk and I could not agree more with the person writing it. Why is the bike lane directly against the railing? It should be in the middle of the boardwalk. But like most things in New York City, no

 I should have had this column in last week, but I did not know it was going to be such a spectacular weekend.  And I am sure with beach closures and ferry visitors, space will be a hot commodity.

Here is my annual beach etiquette column and it is for all of our new residents and our visitors that were pouring off of the ferry this past week. One loyal reader last year said Kevin should place my column as one of the boardwalk photos, but he has not done that yet. And it is not just for the

Today I am going to start teaching Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird to my 9th grade English class. I am glad the New York City Department of Education and my school, specifically, have not yet said that this is a banned book. YET. Over the years, this novel has been the subject of debate about its racial insensitivity due to the language used in the novel. Even before cancel culture came out and everything became offensive, I always started the novel with the explanation that, in my opinion