New venue for this year's All-Village Celebration in Babylon
By Carolyn James
A new venue for a popular annual event in Babylon Village is being planned. The traditional All-Village Celebration, held on a Sunday at the Conklin House, will be changed this year to a mid-week cocktail party at Flanagan's restaurant and pub. The event, which will recognize Fran Pasch with the Nathaniel Conklin Award for community service, will be held Wed. July 30, from 7 to 9:30 p.m. In addition, Pasch will be honored at the first summer concert featuring the Joel Sikowitz Orchestra, Fri., June 11, 8 p.m., at the Gazebo. The change of location for the party is due, in part, to the renovations underway at the Conklin House, where the front rooms of the historical home are undergoing a major retrofitting to reinforce the home's structure. Work is not expected to be completed until late summer, early fall. In addition, the Sunday event has drawn smaller crowds over the past several years, and the amount of money raised, which goes toward the preservation of the Conklin House has also been off. "We needed something different," said Babylon Village Trustee Debbie Basile, who chairs the event with Karen Petz, director of special events at the Conklin House. "We needed to rejuvenate the event." Mayor Ralph Scordino agreed, saying that with the construction going on at the Conklin House, this was a perfect year to try something different. "We certainly hope that all of the individuals and families that came out for the event at the Conklin House every year will come to this event, and that we will encourage others to attend as well," he said. The evening celebration will include a cocktail party and music, and a light fare. The cost is $50 per person. There will also be raffle prizes. Anyone who would like tickets or more information can call the committee at 631-669-8164 or online at conklinhouse@yahoo.com. Each year, the winner of the "Nathaniel" is chosen by an awards committee composed of previous winners and Village residents. The award was created in 1996. There have been 15 winners. The award reads in part, "for the highest level of volunteer service in the spirit of Babylon Village."
 | | Nathaniel Conklin Award winner Fran Pasch |
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This year's winner, Fran Pasch, began her volunteer "career" in Babylon when she reported for duty at Babylon's Women's Auxiliary for Southside Hospital, then the hospital closest to the Village. Babylon's Southside Auxiliary, a small group of dedicated women raised funds by organizing such activities as the annual "Kentucky Derby Day" and the Christmas cocktail party, with its well-known Chinese auction featuring items donated by local merchants. These events raised significant funds for the hospital. Pasch was president of this organization during this time. When Good Samaritan Hospital was built in West Islip, Pasch's volunteer activities included working for that hospital too. She was a volunteer in the pediatric department of both Southside and Good Samaritan. Using her experience as a preschool teacher, she was able to keep the children occupied with such activities as arts and crafts, reading children's books and music. Pasch is a long-time member of the Beautification Society. She has worked at the Country Fair from its beginning. When it first began," says Pasch, "It was little more than a food table and a white elephant sale. It was all between Montauk Highway and the gazebo." Pasch still works at the food table.
Pasch is a long-time member of the Babylon Village Professional Women Society. She has served on several committees.
"One of my Christmas pleasures is to play the piano for the singing of carols each year at the holiday party," she says.
Pasch is a member of the Babylon Historical Society. Her most recent work has involved the Conklin House. She has been a docent at Conklin House events and has worked at the door collecting admission for the All-Village Celebration. She also works in the kitchen for the annual Christmas open house. A play-by-ear pianist, Pasch is often in demand, especially for sing-alongs. She has volunteered her efforts for such events as the sing-along at Thanksgiving dinners which the Babylon Youth children would give for senior citizen groups. Pasch was born and raised in Bellport. She attended Syracuse University and moved to New York to work for an advertising agency where she met her husband, Bob. They moved to Bellport in 1946 and to Babylon in 1950. Pasch taught preschool children at the Christ Episcopal Church and later in her home. She attended Adelphi University to obtain her teaching certification and taught at the teaching preschool at Farmingdale State for 26 years. The Paschs have three children, six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. "And still counting," says Bob. Members of the awards committee are Betty Siegel, chairperson; Isabel Gallagher, Linn Rohl, Joy Torrey, Alice Zaruka, Charles Spencer, Joan and Bill Holmes, Aaron Stein, Eugene Turner and Mary Ellen Sullivan. Mayor Ralph Scordino is a non-voting ex-officio member. Stewart Aldrich, Rogers Howelll and John Rinklin are deceased members deceased and member Bob Pasch, Fran's husband, honorary chairperson, was absent from the discussion of and voting on the candidates this year.
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