Wine Fairy's 100th 'Dusting' On North Fork Spotlights 1 Winner

NORTH FORK, NY — One member of the North Fork Wine/Treats Dust Fairies Facebook page has kept busy during the pandemic, spreading magic as he "dusts" happy recipients —and this weekend, Jesse Springer celebrated the group's 100th "dusting" by picking one lucky winner to receive the special goodies.

But the joy of spreading kindness during the pandemic has been a joyful experience for both those being gifted with treats, and those sprinkling the surprises across the community, all agree.

The words "I've been dusted!" have been spreading across Facebook posts faster than a fairy can fly as hundreds of individuals have come together with a new and creative way to spread acts of kindness during the pandemic.

"Dusting" is what's done by groups of "wine fairies" who belong to Facebook groups and go out into the community, leaving surprise bags of wine, champagne, chocolate, popcorn, cookies, scratch-off tickets, flip flops, flowers, and other treats on doorsteps.

Christine Springer, one of the moderators of the "North Fork Wine/Treats Dust Fairies" group, along with the group's creators Debbie Doka and Charlotte Smilovich, said she loves dusting with her son Jesse. "It's fun, thinking of a theme and spreading the joy."

Jesse, who is a big part of every dusting she sets out on, dresses up each week as the NOFO Fairy, depending on the week's theme.

One week, for example, there was a special dusting to honor families of North Fork police officers, with the theme, "We back the blue!"

Jesse dressed up in uniform and said he would never miss the dusting. "Heroes don't skip," he said.

To celebrate the group's 100th dusting, a contest was held, with names submitted and a wheel spun.

"Our 100th dusting went to — drumroll, please — Cori Pearsall," Springer said.

But when it was time for the actual dusting, Springer said: "The element of surprise was a little put on the back burner because as we pulled up, Cori, an RN, and her husband, an EMT, were in the process of tending to an injured person. That made this dusting even more special. We're so happy it was Cori who received this special dusting. It really impacted us."

Pearsall, she said, was dusted by Jesse, who was dressed up as a 100-year old man and wearing a shirt designed by Laraine Huber Henry of Personalized Gifts and Treasures in Southold, who also created a personalized tumbler and car decals for the lucky winner.

Other "treasures" in the dusting included an ice crystal bracelet from Valerie DeFio of Val's Touchstone Jewelry by Swarovski, gift cards from the Love Lane Sweet Shoppe in Mattituck and Andy's in Greenport, champagne, spirits, and lottery tickets, "sealed with the love from our family to hers," Springer said.

Jesse was thrilled to mark the 100th outing.

"I really loved doing all 100 dustings and I can’t wait to get to my 200th dusting," he said.

Pearsall couldn't have been happier to win.

"Christine Springer, Jesse, Savanna and Bob Bopp, I cannot thank you enough for the most amazing dusting!" Pearsall said. "I’m in awe of all the cheer you’ve spread around the North Fork This truly was such a wonderful surprise and you absolutely made our night. Thank you for being such a special part of the North Fork and so sorry to keep you waiting. What are the odds we would be bandaging the neighbor when you pulled up?"

The North Fork Wine/Treats Dust Fairies group has also created T-shirts to help with fundraising.

Jesse, along with his mom, sister Savanna and friend Bopp have been dusting the North Fork with cheer weekly, Springer said. Each week the family thinks of a new theme and Jesse dresses up in character to dust the community.

"A fairy duster is not meant to get caught leaving their treats on doorsteps, but Jesse has become so popular in the group, from his themes to his costumes, that the rest of the group waits in anticipation to see what he’s come up with— with recipients hoping to catch a glimpse and take photos with him," Springer said.

The whole Springer family tries to support the community by purchasing custom items made by other local businesses and artists to include in the dustings. The group organized a special dusting to support local businesses on the North Fork, with the theme of “The North Fork Fairy Duster."

Jesse has done an array of themed dustings, including the "Firefighter Fairy," when female firefighters and EMTs were honored, as well as with themes including "Wonka," "Carnival," "Luau," "4th of July," "Birthday," "Pink Flamingo," and more.

Each week, the Springer family chooses recipients by creating a post in the group listing what the theme will be and the necessary criteria. For some themes Jesse dresses up in character and does a Facebook Live event to pick his names from a wheel.

"His carnival theme was a fun one — he dressed up as a clown, named himself 'Northy The North Fork Fairy Clown' and did a Facebook Live," Springer said. But she was the one in for a big surprise: Before spinning the wheel, Jesse had a cream pie in the face for his mom.

Dusting has been a "tremendous escape" during the pandemic for her family and for Jesse, who grapples with a disability, most of all, Springer said.

"It has helped Jesse socially and emotionally as well as taken his fear away of leaving the house. During the pandemic, Jesse’s day habilitation program had to shut its doors to participants," Springer said.

Her son, Springer said, began to regress, both in terms of his independence and social well-being.

"The group has given Jesse something to focus on. He helps with the planning, bagging, selecting names and choosing his costumes," Springer said. "It keeps him moving by going to each doorstep to drop off the goodies. It shifts his focus on something positive and he enjoys making people smile. Dusting others has made Jesse feel important and doing good for others."

Choosing themes representative of everyone in the community teaches him that all are equally important, Springer said. "It creates awareness for him. It’s his way of giving back to the community."

While for most, normalcy means just getting up and dressed, eating breakfast and going on with the day, for Jesse, there are challenges, Springer said. Without a routine, he forgets tasks that need to be done and could let the day slip by, she said.

"But with dusting, Jesse knows he needs to help think of a theme, utilize the times of day and make him aware of what time it is, get dressed up in costume, eat his meal before he goes," she said..

Dusting has also been a bright spot for hundreds during the months of coronavirus quarantine.

Here's how it works: After joining a Facebook group, a person tells the members that she'll be going out "dusting" in the next day or so, and asks whoever would like a chance to be dusted to leave their address. Then, she heads out on her magical mission, leaving gifts outside and doing her best to hurry off before the lucky recipient can get a glimpse. Usually, the "fairy" gets a sprinkle of "Drinkerbell" magic back, as the many she's gifted fly over to leave surprises on her steps, too.

And it's not all about wine: There are "dustings" for those who don't drink, for children, for graduation high school seniors, and even for dads and guys in the group.

According to Doka, who created the North Fork Wine/Treats Dust Fairies Facebook page — which has brought more than 700 North Fork women together in a new kind of sisterhood — "dusting" meant everything during the coronavirus crisis.

An RN, Doka works in the emergency room at Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital in Greenport and full-time at St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson.

"During the COVID-19 pandemic, it was a horrible, horrible time," she said. "On my days off I would just cry all day. But just about every day, someone would do something to brighten my day. I'd come home and there would be a bottle of wine on my porch, plants, meals, flowers. It truly got me through those two to three months. It meant everything to me," she said.

Doka had friends in a "wine fairy" group, but all the dustings were in western Suffolk and Nassau County. "I wanted to bring some of that good feeling to the North Fork, because I know what it meant to me," she said.

Also, Doka said, "dustings" helped women who've been struggling with the isolation sparked by the pandemic.

"I thought this was a great way to see people — while socially distancing — and just say 'hello'. It just feels right."

Group administrator Smilovich, who lives in Mattituck, was in the group "up-island" and dusted her, Doka said.

"I knew she'd be a great partner.There's not a lot rules, just one huge one — no drama. This is meant to be a feel-good, no stress thing," Doka said.

The rules can be found on the group's Facebook page, Doka said.

"The response has been overwhelming and just makes us so happy to see how much everyone is enjoying it," Doka said. "It's so much fun to give back and dust — and fun to be dusted. I do think 'dusting' bought the community together at a time when we have been so isolated."

Smilovich said a few members who belonged to a Long Island fairy group realized that no one was dusting on the North fork.

"I invited all my North Fork friends and quite a few joined. That's when I went dusting on the North Fork," Smilovich said. "Debbie Doka was the first on my list. Then it was a trickle effect. Now hundreds of ladies are coming home each week with surprise dustings on their front porches. That first night Debbie got dusted she started the group. And we are so glad she did. It is bringing the North Fork woman together in such a beautiful way. It's making us even stronger."

Doka and Smilovich designed the "dusting" T-shirts; 100 percent of the proceeds of T-shirt sales is donated back to women in need in the community.

"We know things happen in life and when they do, we will be there for each other," Smilovich said. "The woman will receive a special dusting to help them through the hard times."

Smilovich said she has a message for all the ladies who've turned to dusting to lift spirits: "Here's a true fact: Happens to me all the time. I can spot them miles away. You can see a sort of sparkle in their eyes. Then their eyes meet yours, and you kind of just smile at each other. Then one of you can't help but to ask the very obvious question. 'You're a fairy, right?' You'll see them in the dollar store, the liquor store, Target, your local supermarket. And you'll just know. You'll smile because it's a very good possibility that fairy has either dusted you or you dusted her. The feeling is amazing and peaceful during these crazy times we are living in. So dust on, ladies. Earn your wings. Smile at each other and sparkle on."

Donna Goldense of Southold said the group adds joy to difficult coronavirus days. "This is a lovely group of ladies who lift others up," she said. "It's nice to come home, after a rough day, and find a little something on your steps. The goodies are put together with lots of love, a little bit of fun and just a touch of magic."

Kids are loving the dustings, too: Beth Zilnicki started Little Fairies of the North Fork. "And she is doing an amazing job getting all the children in the group dusted, too," Smilovich said.

This article originally appeared on the North Fork Patch