King Charles' Coronation Is 'A Cause For Celebration' In Long Island Village

PATCHOGUE, NY — For Penelope Grippo, Saturday's coronation has been a lifetime in the making.
The United Kingdom native witnessed the death of King George, followed by the succession of his daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1952, and finally her death last year after a 70-year reign.

Grippo, raised in Bedfordshire, England, and a Patchogue resident for 39 years, devised the idea of a celebration to mark the historic coronation of King Charles with a series of events in Patchogue Village.

The events kicked off with a live screening of "Othello" from London's West End on Thursday at the Plaza MAC.

And while everyone is expected to be home on Saturday morning watching the pageantry of the coronation live from Westminster Abbey in London, of course, she planned for a screening of the coronation at the village's official coronation headquarters, the Elks Lodge, with a British Royal-themed recap party.

The lodge will be decorated with Union Jacks, and visitors will be handed a small one as a souvenir to bring home.

Grippo wanted much more pageantry, though.

"I wanted more flags, but that wasn't to be," she revealed.

She admits it will be nothing like the atmosphere in London, adding, "It's absolutely crazy."

"It's wonderful, and I hope that people come out and celebrate," she said.

The Elks Lodge's bar will be offering drink specials like the King Charles Martini and the Queen Consort Camilla Gin and Tonic, in honor of the couple's favorite libations.

"They can eat, drink, and be merry," she said. "They can grab a flag and sit down and have a chat. There will be good music piped in."

The party will start at 12 p.m.

Grippo proposed the event to the Patchogue Cultural Heritage Committee's chair Tom Keegan, a local business owner, earlier this year, and he thought it was a worthy idea given the historical significance.

"In light of the fact that there has not been the crowning of a British monarch in 70 years, we thought it was appropriate that the Greater Patchogue Foundation's Cultural Heritage Committee recognize it," he said.

Keegan said visitors will be welcome in all the participating bars and restaurants, which will have the British flag displayed.

"You will be able to see them by their proudly-flying Union Jacks," said Keegan, playfully disputing the assertion that the British flag is only a Union Jack when it is hoisted over a ship.

The cultural heritage committee also oversees other events in the village, such as the wildly popular (After) St. Patrick's Day Parade celebrating Irish-American culture and the St. Liberata Festival celebrating Italian-American culture. The committee hosted its first Hispanic heritage parade last fall, and next month, there will be the first Pride Parade to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community's contributions to the village.

It's to recognize that people of British descent are welcome to the village, too.

"It's a legitimate part of our assignment to make sure that we are spreading the wealth, so to speak," Keegan said. "I hope that people come down and see the action at the Elks Lodge."

Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce Executive Director David Kennedy said it's important that the day is recognized because of its historical impact. He noted that although the U.S. broke free from the British Empire, there are still strong ties in that our government was influenced by Britain and the European country is still our strongest ally.

The coronation is something that "the world will have an eye on," he said.

Having lived through the pageantry of a historical event before, Grippo knows this.

Grippo remembers stories of "the Americans" swooping in to "save" Bedfordshire, where jeeps were manufactured, and the place where she and her family lived, impoverished and cut off from supplies. She remembers not having food and the day that the American troops arrived and how her father, an injured World War II hero, encouraged all of his children to stand in a line and salute the troops when they walked by.

"I would not be here if it was not for the Americans," she said.

As a teen, she had another brush with history.

Grippo was released from school early so that she could go to work as a receptionist for British Telecom. At 16 years old, she was one of the youngest workers, and that was cause for her to learn how to curtsy for a week before Queen Elizabeth II visited for the opening of the dial-out operations.

"She was so very kind to me," she said, recalling quite a good chat with her.

The youngster was picked out by the young monarch, who questioned why she was working so young. So she told her how her father was a hero who was wounded, and she had to work to help bring food home for her younger brothers.

The queen instead told her that she was a hero also for going to work to support "the babies."

Grippo remembers telling the Queen that she liked her "frock," meaning her dress, and broke royal protocol by touching it. The Queen did not mind, but Grippo's supervisors did.

"I got into a lot of trouble for that," she recalled with a laugh.

Her daughter later had a brush with King Charles when she was a guide in England.

Similar to her own experience, the future king singled her out for a talk.

Grippo, a naturalized citizen who immigrated to the U.S. in 1980, and a proud American, said there is a local history angle to be seen for the younger generation as history is made on Saturday.

Grippo said she has the hope that the crowning of King Charles might bring "peace and joy to the world."

"I just want everyone to realize that it's history," she said. "It would be great for the children to see.