As Funds Are Being Raised for Expansion of a Popular Local Public Library, the Shana Kay Statue is Stolen

The Commack Public Library is a place where people go to read books, use the Internet and attend meetings. This local institution, has become popular enough that a building expansion is necessary to fill the needs of the public. Many activities take place at the Commack Library, such as Kids' Day, which will be held October 4th, as well as the annual yard sale, which will be happening on October 18th. Several local companies will be donating goods for sale, and a raffle will be held for a special gift to be won by a lucky patron. Please visit these events and help support your local public library, the Commack Public Library.

Library patrons are able to borrow books, videos, and even local museum passes, which are useful money-savers for those interested in arts and culture. The well-stocked book sale, which is part library discards and part patron donations, is a year-round fund raiser and money-saver, which has enabled myself as well as many other individuals in the community a way of obtaining books, music, videos and even computer software at incredibly low prices. The book sale is fantastic for those of us whose lives are so full of activity or travel that taking out books from the library for a two-week period of time is not a good idea.

The downstairs area of the Commack Public Library contains marvelous collection of some of the nation and the world's finest periodicals, magazines, literary journals, as well as other publications that are enjoyable as well as educational reading material. Unfortunately, not all is well at the Commack Public Library.

Now in Long Island news, as well as world art news is the fact that a memorial statue dedicated to Shana Kay has apparently been stolen from the Commack public library. Some of us had been hoping that it was merely misplaced, amongst construction materials, and would be recovered. However, this statue has of this writing, yet to be recovered, and returned to its rightful place at the front of the library. This bronze statue has disappeared from the entrance area to the Commack Public Library, and has made metropolitan-area wide news, including a story on News 12, as well as NBC television as of October 1st. This was a feature that graced the library, that many people in the community liked and would pose for photographs near, which was dedicated to the memory of book lover Shana Kay, a Commack resident who died suddenly during the Fourth of July weekend a few years ago. This is a life-sized statue of a child sitting on a bench, that had become a minor tourist attraction for visitors who took a few photos daily of their child sitting on the bench next to the statue of Shana Kay.

News like this is not happy news, especially at a time when the Commack Public Library is trying to raise enough funds for a necessary library expansion that is necessary due to the Commack Public Library's popularity among local residents as well as visitors from nearby community and even travelers who frequent this haven of books and other learning materials. We hope for the return of the statue, and the local police department is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to its recovery.