Header images: Babylon Town Hall, North Lindenhurst — Infrastorian / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 · Babylon LIRR Station platforms — Spike9936 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Main Street, Babylon Village — DanTD / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

By I Love Babylon · Week of September 27 – October 3, 2026

Last weekend’s nor’easter left its bill this week: a four-to-six-foot drop-off where the beach at Gilgo used to be, a closed state park, and Lindenhurst homeowners still running pumps on Monday. At Town Hall, the news was better — a property tax break for disabled veterans is about to get much easier to qualify for, with a public hearing Wednesday. And in Wyandanch, an Army veteran and her three kids got the keys to a Habitat for Humanity home. Plus: Whiskey Down is finally open, Taylor Swift may or may not have written a song about us, and two big events are happening today.

TODAY · SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3

Deepavali at Overlook Beach, noon to 8 p.m. The Association of Indians in America–New York Chapter brings its Diwali festival back to the Town’s beach for a second year: dance performances from noon, a rangoli competition at 2, singer Arjun at 6 and fireworks at 7:15. Free admission and parking. Newsday →

Free paper shredding in Deer Park, 9 a.m. to noon (or until the truck is full) at Mangano Family Funeral Homes, 1701 Deer Park Ave. Up to four bags or boxes, paper only, residential only. Info: 631-586-3600. Patch →

Jump to a story:
The Storm’s Aftermath •
The Veterans Tax Break •
A Wyandanch Homecoming •
Whiskey Down Opens •
Taylor Swift’s “Babylon” •
Schaffer Holds the Chair •
Schools Roundup •
Friday Night (Monday) Lights •
Quick Hits •
Coming Up •
Nearby •
Remembering Our Neighbors •
What to Watch Next

TOP STORY · WEATHER · GILGO & LINDENHURST · SEPTEMBER 28–29

After the Nor’easter, Gilgo State Park Is Closed and Lindenhurst Is Still Pumping

The storm moved out, and the damage report came in. At Gilgo State Park, surfers arriving Monday found a four-to-six-foot drop-off along the beach, News 12 reported, and ABC7 described sand cliffs where the shoreline had been. The park is closed. CBS New York reported that the Army Corps of Engineers was already mobilized at Gilgo for sand replenishment before the storm hit. State Parks regional director George Gorman told News 12 the agency is assessing the damage and weighing longer-term protections for its South Shore parks.

On the mainland, Lindenhurst took the longest soaking. CBS New York found Mike Felicetti still running pumps on Monday after his home had been surrounded by water for three days, and the Lindenhurst Soccer Club called off practices because the fields were too wet to use. News 12 reported residents parking at Shore Road Park and the Lindenhurst LIRR station to keep their cars out of the water, and pooling water on the road in front of Venetian Shores Park and along Surf Street as the high tides eased. Not everyone was rattled: Darlene and Robert Fantel, who elevated their home, told CBS the price of living on the Great South Bay is worth it.

Sources: News 12 → · CBS New York → · ABC7 → · News 12 (live updates) →

TOWN HALL · VETERANS · HEARING OCTOBER 7

Babylon Moves to Open Its Property Tax Break to More Disabled Veterans

In February the Town adopted a property tax exemption for permanently disabled veterans, made possible by a state law signed in December. The catch was the list of requirements: an honorable discharge, a VA finding of permanent and total disability, a 100% rating, individual unemployability, and federal money received to build or adapt a home for the disability. Miss one and you didn’t qualify.

The state loosened those rules in the April budget, and the Town is following. A public hearing on Wednesday, October 7 will consider cutting the requirements to just two: the honorable discharge and the total-disability determination, Newsday reported. “Almost right away, the governor and the state realized there had to be some tweaks to the law,” said Councilman DuWayne Gregory, who heads the Town’s Veterans Advisory Council. Retired Army Sgt. Jessie Bell, 67, of West Babylon, was denied under the old rules despite his total-disability determination; the adaptive-housing requirement, he said, made no sense for a veteran rated for PTSD.

One thing to know: the exemption covers Town taxes and Town special districts only. The county and the school districts have to opt in on their own.

Source: Newsday →

COMMUNITY · WYANDANCH · OCTOBER 1

An Army Veteran and Her Three Kids Get the Keys to a Habitat Home in Wyandanch

Habitat for Humanity dedicated a newly built home in Wyandanch to Shinita Gray-Virgil, a U.S. Army veteran and mother of three, on Thursday. The house came through Habitat’s Long Island Veteran Build Program. The family had been living in hotels and a string of apartments since being forced out of their last home when the owner died.

“It’s a full-circle moment actually,” Gray-Virgil, a paralegal for the Town of Islip, told News 12. She grew up with aunts and uncles who owned homes in town — “it’s like we never left.” She said she had watched too many families leave Long Island over the cost of living, and that the house is a legacy for her children.

Source: News 12 →

BUSINESS · BABYLON VILLAGE · SEPTEMBER 28

Whiskey Down Is Open on East Main Street

The wait is over. Whiskey Down Diner opened its second location at 175 E. Main St. in Babylon Village on Monday, September 28, after a run of friends-and-family soft openings and an extensive renovation of the space. The expansion was announced at the start of the year and went through a special-use permit hearing at Village Hall in February. The Farmingdale original has been on Main Street there since 2019 — breakfast, burgers and disco fries.

The same week took one away: Chip City closed every remaining shop on Friday, including its North Babylon location, citing “significant macro-economic headwinds,” Newsday reported.

Sources: Patch → · Patch (LI Biz Roundup) → · Newsday (Chip City) →

MUSIC · BABYLON VILLAGE · THIS WEEK

Is Taylor Swift’s “Babylon” About Us? An East Main Street Shop Owner Makes the Case

Taylor Swift released The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore with four new bonus tracks, and the last one is called “Babylon.” A line about waking up on a train was enough for Joseph DeBello, who owns Hitch and the Bestea cafe on East Main Street, to tell Newsday he’s convinced it’s about the village. The LIRR weighed in on X with a photo of the Babylon platform: there’s still a train going to this Babylon. Not every Swiftie agrees — a tribute-show owner from Glenwood Landing told Newsday she doesn’t think it’s about us.

Either way, Bestea is pouring a Swift-themed lavender drink. We’ll take the free publicity.

Source: Newsday →

POLITICS · NORTH BABYLON

Supervisor Schaffer Survives the First Real Challenge to His Party Chairmanship in 26 Years

Town Supervisor Rich Schaffer of North Babylon kept his job as chairman of the Suffolk County Democratic Committee, beating Southold Democratic Chair Kathryn Casey Quigley at the party’s convention in Melville. It took 12 rounds of voting over more than three hours; Schaffer finished with 113,010 weighted votes to Quigley’s 84,234, Long Island Life & Politics reported. He swept his hometown of Babylon. Both camps say the focus now turns to November.

Source: Long Island Life & Politics →

SCHOOLS · DEER PARK & AMITYVILLE

Schools Roundup: A National Merit Semifinalist in Deer Park, a New Finance Chief in Amityville

  • Deer Park senior Joseph Reina was named a National Merit Semifinalist — roughly the top 1 percent of seniors in the state — and classmates Vincent Cacciola, Kimberly Cho and Nobin Nath were named Commended Students. Patch →
  • Amityville schools hired Rakeem Callands as assistant superintendent for finance and operations. He comes from the Greenburgh School District in Westchester, where he has run business operations since 2022, and before that the New Rochelle district. Patch →

SPORTS · NORTH BABYLON & COPIAGUE · SEPTEMBER 28

Jack Miller Runs for 275 Yards and Four Touchdowns as North Babylon Wins at Bellport

The storm pushed Week 3 to Monday, and North Babylon made the most of it. Running back Jack Miller carried 30 times for 275 yards and four touchdowns — and added an interception — in a 43–18 road win over Bellport in Suffolk II, earning a spot on Newsday’s Gridiron Greats. Copiague got there too: quarterback Adrian Jaquez threw two touchdowns and ran for another, and Jayden James caught a touchdown and the game-sealing interception in a 27–23 win over Centereach. Deer Park fell 35–12 to Commack.

Sources: Newsday (Gridiron Greats) → · Newsday (Week 3 roundup) → · Newsday (photos) →

Quick Hits

  • A new pizzeria on Route 109. Vincent’s Pizzeria & Restaurant held its soft opening Monday at 751 Route 109 in West Babylon — with the crust seasonings out on the table. 631-539-2000. Patch →
  • A $2 million Mega Millions ticket was sold in Deer Park. It came from Bolla 2111 Deer Park C-Store, 211 Deer Park Ave., for the April 7 drawing; a 2X multiplier doubled the second prize. A Syosset trust has claimed it. Greater Long Island →
  • The Pasta & Sauce Drive is on. Councilman Anthony Manetta’s ninth annual drive runs through Friday, October 23 for the Town Food Pantry. Drop-offs at Town Hall’s main lobby, the Constantino Brumidi Lodge in Deer Park and Lindenhurst Memorial Library. Town of Babylon →
  • Operation Clean worked Route 110 and Little East Neck Road. The Town’s Litter Response Team has hauled more than 300 tons of litter and debris off Town roadsides since 2024 — state and county roads included. Town of Babylon →
  • Uncle Giuseppe’s food truck is coming to North Babylon. The market’s 25th-anniversary truck tour stops at the North Babylon store October 23–25, serving sausage-and-peppers heroes. Deli Market News →

Coming Up in and Around Babylon

  • Today, Sat Oct 3: Deepavali at Overlook Beach (noon–8 p.m., fireworks 7:15) and free shredding at Mangano Family Funeral Homes in Deer Park (9 a.m.–noon). Details at the top of this post.
  • Wed Oct 7: Town public hearing on the disabled veterans’ tax exemption. See the story above.
  • Sat Oct 10: Long Island Columbus Day Parade. Ceremony at noon at the Lake Avenue Firehouse in Deer Park, parade at 1 p.m. along Deer Park and Lake avenues to the Constantino Brumidi Lodge, 2075 Deer Park Ave., with food trucks, rides and live music after. Free. LongIsland.com →
  • Through Fri Oct 23: the Pasta & Sauce Drive (see Quick Hits).
  • Oct 23–25: Uncle Giuseppe’s anniversary food truck in North Babylon.

Nearby

  • Jones Beach took its own hit. The fishing piers are closed after damage to the pier at Field 10, and floodwater reached the Jones Beach amphitheater, News 12 reported. Further east, Orient Beach State Park closed to repair its roadway. News 12 →

Remembering Our Neighbors

We take a moment to remember neighbors whose obituaries were published or shared this week. Our thoughts are with their families and friends.

What Residents Should Watch Next

Wednesday’s veterans hearing is the one with a direct payoff: if the amendment passes, veterans who were turned down under the old rules should reapply — and the bigger question is whether Suffolk County and the school districts opt in, since that’s where most of the tax bill lives. At Gilgo, watch for a reopening date and whether the Army Corps’ replenishment work gets extended after this storm; State Parks is already talking about longer-term protections. And in Lindenhurst, it’s worth logging the damage now — the next round of flood-mitigation money will want the paperwork.

The Jack O’Lanterns Are Already Lit – Local Events Oct 2–4, 2026

Looking for something to do this weekend? Our events roundup has festivals, live music, markets and family fun across the Town of Babylon.

See this weekend’s events →

Babylon Local

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— ILoveBabylon.com ·
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West Babylon · Wheatley Heights · Wyandanch