In honor of the first day of summer, Newsday chronicled what a day in the life of Long Island looked like. We traveled across Nassau and Suffolk, from Elmont to Montauk, capturing the scenes of the day and speaking with Long Islanders. Scroll down to see updates spanning the entire day from our journalists, influential Instagram users and people all over LI. For more photos, click here. For a video of the day’s events, click here.
12:30 p.m.
From dock to dish Reporter Daysi Calavia-Robertson is at Navy Beach in Montauk as owner Franklin Ferguson and chef Randy Santos prepare a “just caught” blue fish.
12 p.m.
Meet Clifford the giraffe We’re at the Long Island Game Farm in Manorville.
Volunteer Joe DeRiso's LI roots run deep!: "I was born and raised here; my family goes back to my immigrant grandparents." #DayInTheLifeLI pic.twitter.com/6i2bJLlpuG
— Taylor Swaak (@tswaak27) June 21, 2017
11:30 a.m.
Grace Industries construction workers labor over the Barnum Bridge in Island Park at 11:07 a.m., readying for summer on Long Island during the longest day of the year, the summer solstice, on Wednesday, June 21, 2017. (Credit: Johnny Milano)
11 a.m.
Former Amy Sgt. Michael Hutchinson fought in the 2003 Iraq War invasion as a Blackhawk helicopter crew chief. Now he digs graves for fellow veterans at Calverton National Cemetery, where 225,000 headstones mark the departed, and where there are some 42 more burials on an average day.
“It’s a very special mission. This is the final resting place for the greatest group of people in the United States,” said Hutchinson, 41, of Bayport. “Sometimes I get choked up doing this, especially when you see the families crying. I expect to be buried here when my time comes.” Credit: Martin C. Evans
10:40 a.m.
First catch Reporter Daysi Calavia-Robertson, aboard Charterboat OH Brother Montauk, catches her first fish.