Fundraiser to help beautify Center Moriches

If you like music, bingo and flowers, then you won’t want to miss Music Bingo, a fundraiser being hosted by the Center Moriches Downtown Beautification Organization to benefit its popular Main Street Flower Basket Program, being held on Saturday, Nov. 23, at the Moriches Bay Recreation Center, 313 Frowein Road, Center Moriches. Doors open at 6 p.m. Members of the Downtown Beautification Organization have spent the better part of 2019 brainstorming fundraising ideas to help offset the costs of the program, which this year, came with a price tag of about $5,000. It’s money well-spent, say board members, as it makes a big difference in the physical appearance of Main Street. In the spring and summer, the decorative lampposts that line Main Street are donned with flowering hanging baskets that bring a burst of color. Come fall, those baskets are replaced with homemade scarecrows, the result of an annual scarecrow-making contest; and in the colder months, winter greens take their rightful place among the lampposts. To some, this may seem like a small effort in the grand scheme of things, but to DBO members, the flowers are essential in creating a downtown that is welcoming to businesses. And it seems that their efforts are paying off, as a variety of new businesses have located to Main Street over the last several months, specifically, Gavin’s Treasures, Artistic Choreography, Sunflower Boutique, Pallets & Pickets and the Daily Grind Café. “The efforts of the Beautification Committee have most certainly helped to bring business to Main Street,” said Gerry Sapanaro, committee president. “We are happy to have these new businesses and want to continue our work to bring even more business to town, while supporting our existing businesses and beautifying Main Street.” Pallets & Pickets owner/operator Cyndi Dwyer said that the aesthetic appeal of Main Street was a major factor in the decision to locate her business to Center Moriches. “There’s no other local Main Street like it,” she said. Music Bingo is the Beautification Committee’s latest fundraising initiative and was selected because the board wanted to host an event that would be suitable for all age groups and families, said Sapanaro. She explained that Music Bingo is much like the traditional game, except that numbers on the bingo card are replaced with song titles. A DJ will play different songs from a variety of genres including country, doo-wop and today’s latest hits. And because of the time of year, holiday favorites are expected to be sprinkled in the mix as well. Winners of each game will receive prizes donated from local businesses. The cost of the event is $20 per player and includes four game boards and a snack. Additional boards and snacks will be available for purchase. The Center Moriches Downtown Beautification Committed was established in 2007, as a nonprofit offshoot of the Chamber of Commerce of the Moriches for the purpose of fundraising and applying for grants to help maintain and improve Main Street. For more information on the Center Moriches Beautification Organization, visit moricheschamber.org.