Celebrating a Year of Patch in Three Village

There's a song stuck in my head: the one usually reserved for parties and musical greeting cards, accompanied by cakes and candles.

Three Village Patch is officially a year old.

And what a year it has been: fun, funny, difficult, and intriguing on so many levels. Let's a quick look back at some of our biggest stories:

Our first few weeks started out in dramatic fashion, with the unveiling of a new home built by Alure Home Improvements for the Lutz family via ABC's show in June. Not long after that, a man dressed in a Darth Vader mask and cape , prompting national headlines such as "The Empire Strikes Bank."

In the fall, we covered a community effort to prevent a from moving in near Gelinas Junior High in an historic area of Stony Brook. We were there when to the State Assembly. We were there when Stony Brook University Medical Center dedicated the ALS Center for Excellence in honor of , and we were there when a Stony Brook University forum addressed in Long Island school districts. 

Since then, some of our most popular stories have included the story of an and an increase in at Stony Brook University. We were there when the Three Village district addressed the issues of in the schools. We brought you the story of a in the national Siemens Westinghouse science competition, and followed the story of a tough which ultimately yielded a passing vote for the Three Village Central School District's budget.

Some local athletes also found themselves the focus of our attention. The made headlines when it narrowly missed its first NCAA tournament appearance. The and dominated on Long Island, and found herself competing on the national level, but the found itself leaving the playoffs earlier than they'd hoped.

I'd like to take the time to thank a few people in the Patch organization: regional editor Henry Powderly, one of the best mentors I've ever had; regional sports editor Chris R. Vaccaro and West Islip Patch editor A.J. Voelpel for helping me catch lacrosse fever; my fellow northern and eastern Suffolk Patch editors, especially my neighboring Patch editors, Lon Cohen of Port Jefferson Patch and Peter Verry of Smithtown Patch; and all of our talented reporters.

Outside of Patch, sincere thanks are due to the Three Village Chamber of Commerce, the administration and Board of Education of the Three Village Central School District, the Civic Association of the Setaukets and Stony Brook, and the hardworking public information officers of the Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County Police, and Stony Brook University. Thanks are also due to my family, who are so understanding when I sometimes have to .

Most importantly, I'd like to thank the many kind and thoughtful business owners and residents of Three Village who have made this community a wonderful place to work.

So wonderful, in fact, that I decided to .

Happy birthday, Three Village Patch! Tonight I'll toast you with my daily cup of green tea, smile and say "Here's to many more."