‘Three days after graduating from Plainedge High School, I went to California to try my luck at becoming a movie star.’

North Massapequa

“I moved to Massapequa from Flushing when I was 7 with my mom, dad and two sisters. It was a record heat day when we got there — so hot that my parents dropped us off with a friend who actually had an air conditioner! My father painted the house on Wyoming Avenue on that first day, and it was an incredible start to my childhood there.

“I loved growing up in Massapequa. We had neighbors who were like aunts and uncles. My parents gave me such freedom and a great education. Everything I ever needed to learn in the adult world I learned at the kitchen table. I was a Newsday courier, I worked at Bethpage golf course as a caddy, and at Bethpage stables as a hike walker and trail guy. In the summer, I’d bicycle to Sagamore Hill, one of my favorite places, up 107 into Oyster Bay. Three days after graduating from Plainedge High School, I went to California to try my luck at becoming a movie star. My father said if in two weeks nothing happened, I was coming home. I agreed, and within two weeks I got a KFC commercial, and my career began!

“Now I’m back on Long Island at Bay Street Theater [in Sag Harbor] with ‘Tales from the Guttenberg Bible,’ a funny, meaningful play about Hollywood ambition and family. I started writing it eight years ago and finished it a few years ago while at my dad’s bedside. He hadn’t been well and passed away in July. The most challenging part of writing was being able to do it fast enough, because the stories from my childhood and career just flew in. I’ve been very fortunate.

“Growing up in a Jewish household, our values were intact: the importance of education, and caring about family, neighbors and colleagues. Show up on time. Stay late. Finish your work. Have a good attitude. Be resilient. When you get knocked down, getting off the mat is a sign of a true champion. Working on ‘Bible,’ I remembered my parents sitting me down at the kitchen table and telling me, I’ve just got to keep showing up. As I wrote I was able to wrestle with these lessons and laugh and cry over them. It has made me a better person to relive it all. I love seeing old family and friends at Bay Street, and it means a lot that at every show there will be somebody I know in the audience.”

Interviewed by Iris Wiener

‘There is something magical about being able to be a part of something as big as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.’

North Massapequa

“When Macy’s was recruiting for volunteers at my college to help out at its Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2007, I signed up immediately, and it was a great decision! We make people happy!

“I love doing this as an adult, but actually, I was first involved in the parade as a child when I was growing up in Massapequa.

I hope to remain a part of it for as long as I can!

“My mom worked for ‘Sesame Street’ as the talent producer in charge of the adult cast and the Muppet performers, and I was on the show when I was a baby.

“Being a single mom, she wanted to make sure I could take part so she could be with me on Thanksgiving. I went to all the rehearsals, learned the songs and choreography, and performed alongside the ‘Sesame Street’ cast when the float got to Herald Square. It was fun and exciting because my friends and family also got to watch us live on TV as well.

“Another memorable time, it was raining and we had ponchos on for most of the parade route. Once we reached Herald Square in front of Macy’s, we threw our ponchos off and did our live performance in the downpour. We were soaked, but, hey, the show must go on!

“Today, I am part of the inflation team for the balloons as well as the vehicle management team. I help inflate the balloons, big and small, that you see going down the parade route. Under each balloon is a small tractor that is used to aid in anchoring the balloon alongside the team of balloon handlers as well as [to] measure how high the balloon is flying.

“There is something magical about being able to be a part of something as big as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Our work begins the day before on what we call Inflation Day. Parents and young kids stop by and are entranced by their favorite characters, such as the larger-than-life Snoopy or SpongeBob SquarePants.

“Since we have to get up early the next morning — around 4 a.m. — Macy’s houses us. But not at a hotel; we sleep nearby at the Hayden Planetarium inside the Museum of Natural History! This lets us stay close to the balloons.

“The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade is a fantastic annual tradition for New York and the millions of people who watch. I hope to remain a part of it for as long as I can!”