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My wife Sonia and I recently attended Belmont Racetrack where they featured the annual "Floral Park Handicap." For those who were never at Belmont Park I would highly recommend a visit. Belmont is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year and the grounds adorning the park are strikingly beautiful. As we stood by the grandstands at the edge of the track we are overwhelmed by the vast expanse of land. Standing in the great wide-open space of the park one gets a palpable sense of the littleness of men and the immensity of the Earth.

I'm not a gambler but I thought I would have a little fun and bet on the Floral Park Handicap. I pondered deeply on the horse I would bet on. Perusing the racing form I studied it intently, pronouncing the names of each horse to see if any sounded like a winner. Becoming more analytical I reviewed the odds that were placed on the racing board trying to discern their particular meaning for each horse and the race as a whole. Happily, Sonia and I were able to obtain access to the stables to get an up close and personal look at the magnificent animals that would be running in our race.

Having been raised on a farm this was a special treat for Sonia who feels a close connection and natural affinity to animals of all sorts. On a farm, one becomes more naturally attuned to the rhythms of nature where the endless cycle of birth and death is much more commonplace and where life is never taken for granted.

After judging the muscle tone of each of the horses I then began to speak to some of the handlers who had been around the racetrack for years to ask questions and assess opinions. For inspiration I went to see the statue of the immortal Secretariat, that fabulous horse that won the Triple Crown by more than 31 lengths at Belmont Racetrack back in the summer of 1973. The famed sportswriter Grantland Rice colorfully called the racehorse "Man of War" the "Mostest of horses" and a review of that thoroughbred's achievements one can readily understand why. But in 1973, in this "Sport of Kings" no horse ever ran more regally than Secretariat.

One final look at the athleticism of the respective jockeys as they mounted their rides and warmed up their horses. Putting everything I learned together I made my pick and raced up to the cashier. Win-place-or show? Well, I must say, I was feeling pretty confident about my studied performance and put my money on "Gilded Gold" to win!

Soon the horses were in the gate and they were off ... but more on that later.

At the village board meeting Sept. 28 we featured the unveiling of two mayoral portraits. These portraits of Steve Corbett and Ann Corbett, who are unrelated except in their common devotion to serve the residents of our village, were added to the courtroom gallery of former mayors and presidents who presided over our village.

I say "presidents" because in the early years after our incorporation in 1908, the government of Floral Park had presidents and not mayors. Our founder, John Lewis Childs, was the first president of Floral Park. In 1928, Clifford Oldacker became our first mayor. Why the change? It resulted from a law passed by Congress that the United States should have only one president and that is the president of the United States. Every other head of elected government would have to be known by another designation.

We are indebted to former Mayor Ann Corbett and Village Historian Walter Gosden for their efforts in locating the photographs of these "presidents of Floral Park." I would also like to thank from 4 Village Studio, Jim Green, for the hanging of the portraits on the walls of our courtroom where village board meetings are still held. I encourage all our residents to visit village hall and take a walk up to the courtroom and visit our gallery and see those who made history in our village. Remember, village hall is your home --- it is and will always be the People's house.

I'm very pleased to acknowledge that the public referendum to change the service award to raise the allowable contribution for each volunteer in our fire department passed overwhelmingly. We congratulate the fire department and hope that its passage will encourage more volunteers to join this great organization.

A couple of weeks back Trustees Tom Tweedy and Jim Rhatigan and myself attended the inauguration of officers in the American Legion Floral Park Post. The ceremony was very moving, reverently done and respectfully observed. I firmly believe that no organization more fully understands or deeply feels it sacred debt than those who serve in the American Legion. They know that the United States was the first nation in history to be designed from the writ of man into the world's first and freest democracy. And just as importantly they understand the incalculable price to keep it so.

When old Ben Franklin stepped out of the Philadelphia Statehouse after the ratification of the United States Constitution a woman asked, "What have you men given us?" Franklin replied: "A Republic madam - if you can keep it." That statement threw down the gauntlet for every succeeding generation of Americans. No group has more proudly accepted that challenge to keep this nation a free Republic, whether here on our own shores or on battlefields across the globe than the American Legion. We salute them.

On Sunday, Oct. 1, I attended, along with Deputy Mayor Kevin Greene and Trustees Tweedy, Rhatigan and Bambrick, Breast Cancer Awareness Day at our recreation center. This event is inspired by the memory of Liz McFarland, a beautiful young woman who succumbed to the dreaded disease five years ago. I'm always deeply touched by the dedication and commitment of these women to bring the good out of the bad. Some of these volunteers are women struggling with the disease themselves but who still march bravely on raising funds for research and treatment.

Last year I heard a story about a young woman who left her dying mother's bedside to work at Breast Cancer Awareness Day. Now, in a terminal descent from the ravages of breast cancer both knew that the mother had only a couple of days to live and yet both understood where the daughter needed to be that day. One cannot be human and be unaffected by such nobility.

Though not untouched with sad remembrances, the mood expressed the courage, compassion and optimism it's going to take to win this battle. Under the warm afternoon sunlight, rustling amid the play of a gentle breeze, one could feel the grandeur of the human spirit. It was a spirit that filled the heart and defined the day.

Earlier I spoke about the littleness of men when measured against all creation. But I was wrong. There is nothing small or little about the aspiration I witnessed on Liz's day. I came to realize, more slowly than I should, that no awe-inspiring mountain range, no mighty ocean nor even the eternal heavens above, could ever equal the majesty of just one solitary soul who courageously faces down desperation, overcomes adversity or seeks, even in its own heartache, to help another soul in need. It was more than a privilege to be part of the festivities on Liz's Day - it was a triumph.

Oh, I almost forgot about the Floral Park Handicap. Well, watching my horse from the grandstands I was reminded of an old joke: There are two men talking in a bar one night and one says to the other: "You know I once bet on a horse at twenty to one." "Really?" said the other fellow, "so what happened?" "Well, unfortunately," said the first fellow, "all the other horses left at 12:30."

That about sums it up as I watched Jockey John R. Valasquez ride Smokey Glacken across the finish line for the win. The horse I bet on finished so far behind the rest of the field it seemed he actually left the starting gate 10 minutes late. For all my analysis my "Gilded Gold" proved to be fool's gold. So in time-honored fashion I tore up my ticket and cast it to the winds. Hand in hand with Sonia we left the great park a little poorer but very happy.