Exploring Summer at Sayville's Parks

The Common Ground at Rotary Park is a place for the community to come together and celebrate all life has to offer. During the warmer months, the Common Ground serves as a backdrop to family gatherings, such as Shakespeare in the Park, the annual Pet Parade and  concerts.

Every month from May to October, during the light of the full moon, neighbors gather at the Common Ground for the "Full Moon Labyrinth Walk." The Peace Labyrinth, built in Rotary Park in 2003, is an ancient symbolic path with healing and spiritual significance. The Labyrinth is like a maze, except with no wrong turns. It is a winding path designed to quiet one's body, mind and spirit.

Surrounding the Labyrinth are beautiful perennial gardens. Gardeners and non-gardeners alike gather twice a month at the Common Grounds in Rotary Park to attend gardening class with local garden enthusiast known as "Purple Nancy." The classes were intended to educate the community as well as serve as a source to maintain the beautiful gardens.

When you visit the park, be sure to take note of the plaque dedication along a path. The plaque in Rotary Park speaks for itself. "This precious park is lovingly offered and maintained by the community. May it stand as a breathing testament to the infinite possibilities present when good people cherish their entire village as a home and their neighbor has family."

Following the roads south to the Great South Bay, you'll find Sayville Marina Park - site of the Tidewater Inn, which opened in 1916 and featured a restaurant that could seat 300 for dinner.  In 1937 new owners renamed the inn The Shoreham.  In its more recent history, the Shoreham was operated as a beach club.  The building was destroyed by fire in 1987, eventually becoming an Islip Town park.

To the east, on the corner of Montauk Highway and Broadway Avenue stands a restoration village commonly called The Grange. The open fields surrounding the village are used by residents for festivals, frisbee play and even the high school cheerleading squad has been spotted practicing there. The stretch of land carries north with playgrounds, tennis courts, hand ball courts and several little league baseball fields.

Each week, Natasha Beccaria highlights Sayville through pictures. If you have a suggestion for this photo column, e-mail editor Denise Nash at Denise@patch.com.