This past weekend our annual Columbus Day Fair was once again held. The unseasonably warm weather helped make this year's fair one of the best attended ever. I hope you had time to walk through town on Saturday and Sunday and experience the remarkable array of craft and clothing vendors. I was very pleased to see many of our local Main Street merchants also out in front of their establishments with displays, specials and my favorite, samples of their food. The Fire Department parade is the most enjoyable part of the weekend for me. As I have done for the past four years I always get down to the parade staging area early so I can walk the various streets and talk with the marchers. It is very rewarding to see the wonderful traditions continue in our town. The parade brings young and old together: the Cub/Boy Scouts, Brownies, and Girl Scouts mixing in with the Columbus Lodge and Veterans from the VFW. The High School marching band and Dalerettes practicing alongside the Fire and Police Department bands and bagpipers. This year, thanks to the Nassau County Police Department, the parade was led by the Nassau County Police Mounted Unit. As I marched behind them, carefully watching my step, I was very pleased to see the big smiles and the excitement on the children's faces along the parade route. As I came to the end of the parade I could not wait to take my spot by Village Hall to enjoy the many bands that were still marching down Main Street. The bagpipers and marching bands sounded great. The excitement and energy of the marching fire departments was at a level that I have never seen. The evening culminated with another entertaining fireworks show. The Farmingdale Fire Department once again outdid themselves this year. I want to personally thank them for their hard work in making this weekend happen each year. I would be remiss if I also did not thank the Nassau County Police Department and the Auxiliary Police for their extra efforts during the extended weekend. Thanks also go to Fred Zamparelle and his DPW crew for their support and efforts the whole week of the fair. The many "little" things that they do largely go unnoticed by the general public, but without them the fair could not go on so smoothly. The parade was terrific; the fireworks were wonderful and once again the collective efforts of our community showed all Long Island just how unique Farmingdale is.