Southerners Try to Pronounce LI Towns, ID Returned With Hilarious Letter, Knife-Wielding Clown: 2016 Top 10 Most-Read

As we celebrate the new year, here at Patch we are taking a look back at the top 10 most-read stories on Long Island Patch sites in 2016. Some made us laugh. Others made us cry. Here they are in no particular order:

Watch Southerners Try to Pronounce the Names of Long Island Towns

Massapequa. Hauppauge. Mattituck. A hilarious video posted by a college student from Long Island shows her friends trying to say local town names.

Lost ID Returned to Long Island Woman With Hilarious Letter

When Massapequa Park native Christina Egan lost her ID last year, she never expected to get it back — until she received a mysterious and quite funny letter.

WATCH: Incredible Time-Lapse Video of Massive Storm Rocking Cruise Ship

Members of Long Island digital marketing agency set up a camera on their balcony cabin on Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas before the cruise ship departed for a seven-day cruise to the Bahamas in February. A day later, the ship was caught in strong winter storm with hurricane force winds battering the seas and the ship. The camera was rolling the entire time.

Knife-Wielding Clown Chases Teen on Long Island: Police

A rash of clown sightings reached a scary new height in October when a person dressed as a clown chased a teenager on Long Island.

4 Long Island Pizzerias Among Nation's Best

Rankings by The Daily Meal listed the top 101 pizza joints in the United States, including 29 in New York.

3,400-Pound Great White Shark Hanging Out in The Hamptons

Mary Lee, the famous 3,400-pound great white shark "pinged" just a couple miles south of East Hampton, in May, a year to the day since her last visit to Long Island waters.

Four Arrested by Heroin Task Force in Drug Bust at House Across Street From Long Island Middle School: DA

Four people, including a father and son, were arrested during drug bust at a Long Island home located across the street from a middle school in April.

Sag Harbor Fire: Historic Theater 'Gutted,' Community Vows to Rise From Ashes

Fire swept through the heart of Sag Harbor Village in the icy pre-dawn hours, damaging at least four shops and an iconic, historic movie theater on Main Street in December.

WATCH: Soldier Returns Home, Surprises Mother at Long Island Restaurant

A Long Island mother received the ultimate gift this holiday season: her soldier son home for Christmas. A video shared on Twitter showed the heartwarming scene at a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant.

Vegas Ferris Wheel Romp Lands Couple in Jail: Police

A Long Island woman and a Texas man were caught having sex on a ferris wheel on the Las Vegas Strip in February, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.