Moriches Chamber hosts combined Christmas tree and menorah lighting

The Chamber of Commerce of the Moriches hosted a joint Christmas tree and menorah lighting at Center Moriches Square on Dec. 9 at 6 p.m.

For the past several years, Steve Druek, of Druek’s True Value, has donated four hours of his time and an array of lights to decorate the tree. The menorah is the craftsmanship of Center Moriches native Greg Delong, who owns Freedom Wood Designs.

As the crowd drank free hot chocolate and coffee, courtesy of Hampton Coffee Company, they enjoyed performances by middle- and high-school band students from Center Moriches and children and teens enrolled in the Artistic Choreography Dance Academy.

Before the festivities began, chamber president Arthur Gerhauser honored the memory of community figures who supported the tree lighting in years past: John Damiano of Damiano’s Realty Group, which owns the square, and Dr. William Savino.

“This time of year, at Christmas time, we like to remember people,” Gerhauser began. “John was liaison to the community; John was a man that never said no whenever the chamber of commerce asked for anything. And so, when you see the star lit on the tree this evening, that star every year is in memory of John.

“Also, if you look at the storefronts on Main Street—the decorating—we always have a contest every year in memory of William Savino,” he continued. “If you knew Bill Savino, he was ‘Mr. Christmas.’ And so, we have a contest within the chamber of commerce where we judge the window decorating and we give out an award in memory of Bill Savino.”

Master of ceremonies Chuck Schultz, of Village Music Shoppe, invited Steve Schwartz, from the Jewish Center of Moriches, to speak. In a playful way, he provided a brief lesson on Hanukkah for those who do not celebrate.

“There’s an old Jewish joke: What holiday is celebrated on the 25th of the month and you get presents?” Schwartz began. “The answer is Hanukkah. What month? The month of Kislev. That’s an old Jewish joke; you can tell it to your friends.

“We’re very pleased to be invited here to participate in this,” he continued. “I want to thank Miriam for the invitation; I want to thank the chamber for the invitation. It’s a great pleasure to be here, to be a part of the community.”