Beautification efforts are well under way in Floral Park as the Centennial Gardens Wildflower Meadow and Bird Sanctuary becomes reality. The village took over the 13-acre site, an active storm water retention basin formerly maintained by Nassau County, years ago. Ideas for a centennial garden surfaced back in 1997. The lot, bordered by Raff Avenue, Floral Parkway and Carnation Avenue is currently under construction and getting a much- needed facelift, according to members of Floral Park's Conservation Society (FPCS). FULL STORY

Sometime between 2 and 4 a.m. Sunday morning, July 8, vandals trashed Floral Park's newly erected Heritage Park, a respite built entirely from residential contributions and dedicated volunteerism. FULL STORY

Supervisor Rich Guardino and the Town of Hempstead invite youngsters from 6 to 12 to compete in a mini tournament and a skills challenge during the "2001 Rockin' Soccer Festival" at Speno Park, East Meadow Avenue, East Meadow, on Saturday, July 14 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sponsored by "Stop & Shop," the Soccer Festival is touring the Northeast to promote the popularity of youth soccer. FULL STORY

Hempstead Town Supervisor Rich Guardino has announced that the Empire State Masters Swim Club will hold its Fourth Annual One Mile Ocean Swim at Town Park Point Lookout on Saturday, July 14. The supervisor said, "An estimated 200 contestants, in three age categories, are to compete in this open water championship. The event is sanctioned by United States Masters Swimming, an organization with 37,000 members nationally. This is the first year the competition is part of the Colonies Zone Masters Swim Series, making it open to swimmers from Maine to Virginia. It is also the final part of three open water meets in the Colonies Zone series that started in Massachusetts." FULL STORY