The Oyster Festival, one of the east coast's largest waterfront festivals, and a key fund-raising event for local charities, returns to Oyster Bay on Oct. 15 and 16 with a mixture of new activities and old favorites certain to entertain the entire family. FULL STORY

When I decided that I wanted to study abroad this summer in London, I thought I was going to a "safe" city. I would be living in a house in Notting Hill with a blue door (not unlike the house inhabited by Hugh Grant in the beloved film, Notting Hill) and nothing could be more perfect. Thus when I called home at 6 a.m. on July 7 with the news that there had been a series of terrorist attacks in London, no one wanted to believe me, not even myself. FULL STORY

This year the American Red Cross in Nassau County honored Renata Maimone of Bayville who died this past year. For many years she had been the "poster-child" of the swim, as the oldest swimmer to take part in the Red Cross Swim-A-Cross. Throughout her life, Renata would swim each day of the summer at Stehli Beach on Long Island Sound. In the winter she swam at the Glen Cove Y. FULL STORY

Only Sagamore Rowing Association's coach Troy Smith and four rowers, all girls, drove and flew to Indianapolis to compete in the National Championship last year. And they rowed well on the Eagle Creek over the course of 2000 m, coming back with one gold and two bronze medals. Ashleigh Tate was a Junior Single Scull National Champion and there was a celebration at the boathouse on the Beekman Beach. FULL STORY