This past Wednesday night the Village of Farmingdale held its 16th annual holiday lighting of the Village's Tri-centennial Tree. Our village and the Farmingdale-Bethpage Historical Society sponsored this year's event in cooperation with the Farmingdale Chamber of Commerce and the Kiwanis Club of Farmingdale. It was very fitting that on our village's 100th anniversary, we started a new tradition, holding the festivities at our recently completed gazebo. The gazebo was beautifully decorated with lights and garland earlier in the week by Deputy Mayor Joe Rachielle, Village Attorney Gregory W. Carman, Jr., and his son, Gregory, III, DPW Superintendent Fred Zamparelle and village residents Olga and Bob Romano and Paul Leo. Many thanks to them for giving up their time on the weekend to help add that special holiday touch to the gazebo.

Our Village Historian, Bill Johnston did a masterful job of organizing and emceeing the program and of course, adding a little history lesson along the way. Thank you, Bill. As always the South Shore Brass Ensemble entertained us with a variety of holiday music. Each year, my personal favorite part of the ceremony, is the performance by our local elementary school chorus. This year, the fifth-grade chorus from Albany Avenue School performed wonderfully under the direction of Catherine Martin. Deputy Mayor Rachielle, with help from the choir, was able to yell loud enough (for Santa to hear the signal!) to light the tree in the Village Green. I would like to thank the Kiwanis Club of Farmingdale for supplying the very welcome and much needed hot chocolate and donuts after the event.

Also deserving special thanks are the Farmingdale Chamber of Commerce and its President Pete Yovine and Executive Vice President Ralph Ekstrand, for not only sponsoring the event, but for the donation of the new candy cane lights now hanging throughout the village. Their efforts have certainly added some more cheer to our village streets. Our final thanks have to go to The Farmingdale-Bethpage Historical Society and Larry Jorgenson, their president, for their continued support of the Gazebo project and their tradition of giving back to the community.