Poetry path in Northport to be dedicated this weekend

“The Man in the Moon isn’t made of cheese, as young children like to believe. It’s much more magical than that.”

So begins Tara Lamberti’s poem “Growing Up Grumman,” one of 12 works featured in Northport’s new Poetry Path, believed to be the first on Long Island. The path was installed in May in the village park along Bayview Avenue, and will be formally dedicated this Sunday at 1 p.m.

Lamberti’s poem speaks to the history of the Grumman aircraft manufacturing corporation, where both her father and grandfather worked. “Growing up I always knew my grandfather worked on the LEM (the lunar landing module),” said Lamberti, 45, of Mastic. “I wanted to convey what an honor it was to grow up knowing my father and grandfather had a hand in making history.”

Whether on a quiet weekday or one of those bustling weekends when parking spaces are hard to come by, the Poetry Path is the perfect place for a stroll — a place where visitors can wander the gently winding walkway while contemplating works like “Widow,” on the pain of losing a husband, or “A Singular Spectator,” an ode to a dandelion.

The poems are “all over the place,” said Amy Connor, executive director of the Northport Arts Coalition. “Some are very specific, Long Island-centric,” she said. “Some are just poems.”

The idea for the path began when the group’s poetry director, Linda Dickman, first saw one in Bellingham, Washington, Connor said. Several years later, Connor saw another poetry path at her alma mater, Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. “I thought it was the coolest thing,” said Connor.

Connor secured $6,000 in grant funding from PSEG Long Island, the NY State Council on the Arts and the Huntington Arts Council, and launched a contest to select the poems that would line the path. More than 60 entries were received, she said, with all the winners from Long Island and half from Northport.

Once the winners were chosen, Connor said local artists were selected to create artwork to accompany the poems.

“Collaboration has always been really important to me,” she said. “When we do things, I try to have at least two different arts working together.”

The path winds from the park’s flagpole to the steps at Bayview Avenue. There’s also a companion book, “Poetry Path: A Walk in the Park,” featuring all the poems and artwork, along with three honorable mentions ($30, amazon.com)

Connor’s greatest hope is that a visit to the Poetry Path will inspire a new group of poets, since the current poems will be replaced next year with 12 new pieces.

Lamberti said she feels “overwhelmed with joy” on being included this year. “It’s kind of surreal,” she said. “The world,” she said, “needs more art.”