The Week Ahead: Fire District Vote, Holiday Parties, Zumba Zumba

We’ve got only a couple of weeks before the big holidays hit, and that naturally means everyone is scrambling to company Christmas parties and trying to work off the pounds (before putting them on) at local Zumba classes. But don’t forget to vote for fire district commissioners in your local fire district in the meantime on Tuesday …

1. Seats for fire district commissioner are up for the vote this coming Tuesday across the North Fork, and a couple are contested this year — two candidates are running for one seat in both the fire districts of Cutchogue and Orient. In Orient, fire department members Bill Wysocki and Richard Milligan are running for a seat to left vacant by incumbent Robert Scott. In Cutchogue, incumbent commissioner Sanford Friemann is being challenged for the first time in 10 years for a five-year term by Jeff Smith, a Cutchogue resident and former Mattituck School Board member. Voting takes place Dec. 11 from 6 to 9 p.m. at local firehouses.

2. The North Fork Chamber of Commerce hosts a breakfast networking meeting at Bonnie Jean’s restaurant in Southold on Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. Guest speakers are Carolyn Fahey of the Suffolk County Department of Economic Development and Workforce Housing and Dan O’Connell of the Small Business Development Center to speak on programs that are geared to help businesses that were hurt by Hurricane Sandy. Members pay $13, RSVP at 631-765-3161 or email info@northforkchamber.org.

3. This is the week for company holiday parties, and at least one is donating all proceeds from the party to Long Island charities supporting disaster recovery from Hurricane Sandy. The party happens at Hotel Indigo in Riverhead on Thursday at 7 p.m. Tickets are still available, and the party is priced at a suggested donation of $60 per guest inclusive. Charities include Rotary District 7260, Island Harvest, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island. Tickets must be purchased in advance and are available by calling Hotel Indigo directly at 631-369-2200 or on the Hotel Indigo East End website at www.indigoeastend.com. Special room rates are also available for attendees of the party, who would like to make a night of it.

4. Oysterponds Elementary School hosts an installment of its ongoing series, “What is 21st Century Education?” Thursday at 10 a.m. at the Orient school. This educational coffee hour addresses New York State’s Core Curriculumn. Please RSVP the day before by calling 631-323-2410.

5. With the rich food of the holidays beginning to fill your diet already, you might be considering committing to a workout routine before the gyms fill with New Year’s Resolution-ers. Five Branches Wellness in Greenport and NOFO Wellness in Cutchogue are only two venues to hold Zumba fitness classes — great if you love to dance and hate to workout. Let us know in the comments below where you go to Zumba on the North Fork!

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