Welcome Fall. Farmingdale and our surrounding communities are wrought with traditions and events that mark this special time of year. The traditional kick-off of the Farmingdale Fall season is our annual Columbus Day Fair. As my previous column detailed, this year's fair was one of the best ever. As Halloween approaches, another wonderful tradition, the Ragamuffin parades take place. Our Kiwanis Club will once again host the annual parade down Main Street on Oct. 28, rain or shine. The parade will begin at Northside at 1 p.m. and continue down Main St. to the Village Green. Our North Massapequa neighbors are also hosting their 32nd annual Children's RagaMuffin Costume parade on Sunday, Oct. 29. Hosted by the North Massapequa Fire Department, the parade starts at noon at North Nassau Ave. and North Broadway in North Massapequa. I hope that you can attend one or both of these events. The children have a great time and the more cheering spectators along the parade route, the more fun the children will have.

This time of year is also Fire Safety month. Our local fire departments host their annual open house and present programs on home fire safety, offer blood pressure screening and demonstrate their skills, equipment and services. I hope you were able to attend the Farmingdale Fire Departments open house this past Sunday. They provided very valuable life saving information and very informative exhibits. I thank them for providing this important service. If you are interested, you can still attend the South Farmingdale Fire Department's open house later this month.

This month also marked the end of daylight savings time. The Farmingdale Fire Department and I want to remind you to check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to make sure they are functioning properly and that the batteries are charged. As always please enjoy all the season has to offer and remember to drive carefully and watch for children playing.