On Friday, September 18, a capybara named Lily went into labor at the Long Island Game Farm after the gates had closed for the day. A caretaker heard what farm president Melinda Novak calls "puppy noises" and phoned her. By the time she got to Chapman Boulevard there were three pups, and by morning there were four, Newsday reported.
This is the second litter for Lily and her mate, Dilly. They had five pups last year. The farm is collecting name ideas on its Instagram and Facebook pages. A staff panel will choose the winners, and each winner gets a meet-and-greet with the pups.
The pups are the headline. The bigger change at 489 Chapman Blvd is that a 56-year-old family wildlife park now runs events well past summer. Its calendar stretches into December, with concerts, evening programs and holiday weekends. That calendar exists mostly because of a county grant written for Main Streets.
The Animal That Brings People In
The Novak family has owned the 26-acre farm for 56 years. Novak told Newsday they had gone many decades without capybaras before bringing them back. "It's kind of shocking how popular they are," she said, and she credits social media for the attention.
The ticket prices show how popular they are. General admission is $29.95 for adults and $20.95 for children ages 3 to 12. Children 2 and under get in free. A capybara Encounter Ticket costs $100. You go into the habitat with an education staffer, feed the animals lettuce, pet them and take photos. Capybara yoga costs $125. It's for ages 12 and up and includes general admission. Novak says the yoga classes fill up fast, so the farm keeps a capybara mailing list to announce new sessions.
A $125 yoga class is an unusual thing to sell at a children's zoo. The farm also sells evening concerts, storytelling nights and holiday pajama parties. The Game Farm built the spaces for those events with public money over the last two years.
A Grant Written for Main Streets
In December 2023, Suffolk County gave the Game Farm $568,000 through its JumpSMART Small Business Downtown Investment Program. LongIsland.com reported that County Executive Steve Bellone presented the check on December 15. Legislators James Mazzarella, Nick Caracappa and Jason Richberg joined him, along with two of the farm's goats.
According to the program description, the money supports downtown growth and helps local businesses and institutions stay economically competitive. The farm proposed two projects with it. One was renovating its amphitheater. The other was building a universal access trail.
Novak tied both to the farm's new nonprofit arm, the Foundation for Wildlife Sustainability. At the time, the foundation was building programs in three areas: culture, education and wellness. The foundation now describes its mission as connecting people with wildlife and nature, with special events added to those three areas.
So the grant did more than fix up the farm. It paid for a stage and a trail, and the nonprofit plans its programs around both.
The Stage Came First
East Bay Builders finished the amphitheater renovation. It opened with a ribbon cutting on Thursday, July 18, 2024, TBR News Media reported. The stage is named for Susan M. Novak, Melinda's sister, who worked in the family business, loved performing. The guest list showed how the community sees the farm. It included Jay Naurek, president of the Manorville Chamber of Commerce and chairman of the Manorville Fire Commissioners. Brookhaven Councilwoman Karen Dunne Kesnig, County Legislator Catherine Stark and Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio were there too.
Two summers later, the stage has a regular schedule. The foundation's 2026 Songbird Sessions ran from a May 16 kickoff through August 23, with songwriters-in-the-round, folk and roots acts, and an acoustic set by Inda Eaton and Nancy Atlas. The kickoff cost $10 a person. During the day, Nature Nick's Animal Adventures performs on what the farm's calendar calls the Main Stage, and those shows are included with admission.
The next show on the stage is a hometown band. Damaged Goods plays the Woodland Amphitheater on Saturday, October 17, from 4 to 6 p.m., with a rain date of Sunday, October 18. Founders Tom Provencher and Fred Raimondo are Port Jefferson natives who started as an acoustic duo in the 1980s. Keyboardist Paul "Broke" Brokaw joined soon after, and drummer Kevin Twigg came on in the 2010s. Their ticket listing describes a mix of folk, country rock and Americana. Seating is on open benches, with spaces for wheelchairs.
Then the Trail
The other half of the grant was finished in 2025. The Town of Brookhaven reported on June 18, 2025, that Councilwoman Dunne Kesnig, a longtime Manorville resident, attended the ribbon cutting for the renovated Woodland Trail. She also presented Melinda Novak with a proclamation honoring the farm's decades of service.
The trail is paved so wheelchairs and strollers can use it. Bicycles aren't allowed. Animal signs along the route set up what the farm calls "Animal Antic" challenges, and the trail page invites walking groups to come try it. The walk is included with paid admission. In 2026 the farm also opened the Wild Play Park, a new playground for visitors only.
The trail matters for this fall's calendar too. The November evening program described below starts with a walk along it.
The Fall Calendar, Date by Date
From October 1 through November 24, the farm's own calendar lists hours as Thursday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., weather permitting. The listing box under Newsday's September story says the farm is open daily. The farm's calendar lays out each season's schedule separately, so the dates below follow it, and a quick call to 631-878-6644 before a weekday visit will settle the question.
| Date | What's happening | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Thu. Oct. 8 and Fri. Oct. 9 | Discount days | $15 for one child plus one adult, $10 per extra adult, $5 per extra child over 2, $13 each for single adults or couples without children, all plus tax |
| Thu. Oct. 8 | Stroller Safari | 11 to 11:45 a.m. |
| Mon. Oct. 12 | Columbus / Indigenous Peoples Day | Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| Sat. Oct. 17 | Damaged Goods at the Woodland Amphitheater | 4 to 6 p.m., rain date Oct. 18 |
| Sat. Nov. 7 | Roots, Rhythms & Stories | 5:30 to 7 p.m., $25 adults, $15 children |
| Wed. Nov. 11 | Veterans Day special | Veterans with military ID plus three family members pay $15 each, plus tax |
| Thanksgiving Day | Closed | |
| Dec. 4 to 6 | Santa on the Farm | Run by the Foundation for Wildlife Sustainability |
| December weekends | Winter hours | Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., last day Sunday, Dec. 20 |
Season pass members get in free on the discount days.
Roots, Rhythms & Stories on November 7 brings the whole grant together in one evening. The program combines a walk on the Woodland Trail, Native American music and an art project to take home. The farm bills it as an interactive community event about the connection between people and nature. It starts at 5:30, after the farm's usual 4 p.m. closing.
Santa Closes the Year
The last event of the season is run by the foundation, not the zoo. The Santa on the Farm page lists a pajama party on Friday, December 4, followed by daytime Santa visits on Saturday and Sunday, December 5 and 6. Tickets cost $20 a person in advance or $28 at the gate, and children under two get in free. The daytime tickets cost the same and include Game Farm admission.
The foundation's programs go beyond the holidays. On May 2, 2025, it held a Wonder of Wings Day. That event dedicated a Motus wildlife-tracking tower at the farm and included activities about bird migration.
Put together, the dates show the change. A park built for summer visits now has a ticketed concert in mid-October, an evening program in November and a holiday weekend in December. The farm is open on weekends right up to December 20. And sometime before then, four capybara pups born on a September Friday night should have names.
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