06/17/2026
Tonight, at our final meeting before the summer, OHS invited a very special guest . . . . Our 2026 Scholarship Winner, Lily Crowe!!
Lily managed to squeeze us in - having just arrived home from the drive back from college orientation at Quinnipiac in Connecticut. She was able to meet the Scholarship Committee and read her essay about Oakdale to our membership as well.
We wish her all the best in her studies and in her future! Below is the essay portion of her application for you to enjoy as well. 🗝
"Oakdale, New York is more than a historic waterfront town on the South Shore of Long Island. It is the place that impacted my childhood and my everyday life. Its history has influenced where I played, what I learned, and the traditions that I still have today.
Some of my earliest adventures took place on the grounds of Dowling College, before the campus closed. i learned how to ride my bike there and I played hide-and-seek across lawns that once belonged to the historic Vanderbilt estate. I ran back and forth under the weeping tree in games of peek-a-boo. I walked the campus paths and exercised on the outdoor gym equipment, doing sit-ups, pull-ups, and whatever else my parents turned into a game.
During spring I always enjoyed watching the daffodils that popped up along the campus. They painted the walkways yellow and red and told me that winter was ending shortly. Down by the river, I loved watching the rowers practice, slicing through the water in perfect rhythm. There was wildlife everywhere. Every day I saw geese and ducks waddling across the grass or swimming, swans gliding by, and even the occasional osprey circling overhead searching for its prey. On my luckiest day I saw baby turtles making their way to the water. Those moments are some of the earliest ways I learned to appreciate nature.
Idle Hour Elementary was another world of its own. I spent countless hours on that playground, swinging from the monkey bars, hiding in the "fish belly", and playing "Monster" with my dad as my siblings and I ran back and forth across the bridge. Though both the Dowling campus and the Idle Hour playground have changed significantly over the years, the memories I made there remain a part of my story.
Tradition is part of Oakdale's history too, especially down in Idle Hour. Every Halloween, the whole neighborhood trick-or-treats on Edgewood. I started walking that route holding my parents' hands, then eventually with just my friends. Now I take my younger sister on the same streets, watching her repeat the very traditions that once meant everything to me. Halloween in Oakdale isn't just a holiday. It's the day that our community comes together to celebrate with each other.
Oakdale also gave us secret places that kids treasure. Our "secret beach" was where my friends and I searched for treasures that were washed up on the sand. We found everything from seashells to driftwood to mysterious objects we decided had magical powers. In middle school, my bike gave me freedom to explore the whole town. My friends and I would meet at the grass at the top of Van Bommel Boulevard and plan our adventures for the day. Our routes always seemed to include the same stops. We rode through the Artist Colony, stopped for pizza from Mama's, got candy and Gatorade from 7-Eleven, and ice cream from the Ice Palace. We were devastated when the Ice Palace was no longer allowed to sell soft-serve ice cream and somehow even more shocked that they still only accepted cash.
Another major part of my life in Oakdale was the Idle Hour Taxpayers Association, known to almost everyone simply as the Beach Club. I spent many long, sunny days there swimming in the pool and playing Sharks and Minnows until the lifeguards threw us out because of closing time. We caught crabs off the dock, ate endless slices of watermelon, plates of burgers, and kayaked in the river. On Biltmore Avenue, my siblings and I had a tradition of throwing sticks into the water on one side of the bridge, then racing to the other side to see which stick came out first. We often spotted baby swans and ducks along the river, and I still remember when red foxes used to roam the neighborhood, now replaced by wild turkeys that seem to think they own the place.
As I've gotten older, new places become part of my Oakdale story. The Wharf, where I now work, has been renovated. However, it still feels like home to those who have been walking through those same doors for decades. It is a place where families gather, where friends grab food, where I see my teachers with their families and where summertime feels alive. The annual boat parade and the Grucci fireworks on the Fourth of July bring the whole community together, lighting up the river and reminding everyone just how special it is to live in a waterfront town with deep traditions.
Oakdale's history is not just in its buildings or its waterways or what it says online. It is in the years of memories created along the river, on the playgrounds, and in the traditions passed from older siblings to younger ones. It's the neighborhood kids riding their bikes on familiar roads, in the flowers of spring, in the laughter on Halloween nights, and in all the places that shaped who I am.
Oakdale is my history. And no matter how much the town changes, the memories it gave me will always stay."
