As a community there is a thread of common character, a likeness, a shared sense of values that bind us together in comity and fellowship. Here, as it should be for everyone where they live, is the hub of the solar system. Here we are at home in the world and it shows. Everyone seeks to make beautiful what they love so it should not surprise us to see the loveliness of our gardens and parks nor the adornment of our avenues and streets. If one looks about one might just find that the richest discoveries are right in our own backyards; that the excitement, the joy that really counts for the most in our lives is here and not elsewhere.

We see it in the people who live here, our very neighbors who volunteer for a host of charitable and community causes, we see it in the goodwill of our fraternities and institutions, the spiritual resources of our churches, the good citizenship of our civic associations, our educators who teach our children and the coaches who provide them with a wholesome environment in which to play. All of this, and more, touches our deepest philosophy about how we live and should strive to live. Being a community means we cheer for one another, celebrate one another and when the need comes comfort one another.

Being a community means that we cannot live alone or apart; that we are by the eternal constitution of things intimately bound by shared triumphs and shared tears. Recently in our village there has been an abundance of both, that I express with the mingled emotions of joy and sorrow:

I want to thank Terry Whalen, president of the Substance Prevention Education Council, for her extraordinary efforts in putting together Substance Abuse and Alcohol Awareness Day at Floral Park Memorial High School involving not only students of the high school but children from John Lewis Childs and Floral Park Bellerose School. By any measure, the program that evening was a remarkable success as there was scarcely a seat in the auditorium unoccupied.

The highlight of the evening was when a group of students, all skilled thespians, put on skits that depicted real life situations regarding the use of drugs and alcohol. A panel of experts would weigh in with their own observations after being asked questions by the students.

It was an evening where we learned more about the profound affliction of drug and alcohol abuse that affects all communities, including Floral Park. It was also an event that launched a crusade to combine all of our resources so that our educators and law enforcement can partner with parents and caring adults to exert a strong, positive and enduring influence on young people about the scourge of substance abuse and how its insidious influence can destroy families and lives.

I also want to commend Terry Whalen in her role as president of the Floral Park Chamber of Commerce, who, in cooperation with the village, organized the Belmont Stakes Street Fair. It was another smashing success as people lined Tulip Avenue from curb to curb to enjoy the music, the food and each other. The entrepreneurial spirit of our business community flourished in the festive atmosphere. Even the rain threatening us all evening long withheld its mighty descent until coincidentally, perhaps providentially, at the very hour of closing the heavens unburdened themselves with a thunderous downpour that soaked the earth and its inhabitants below. It was truly time to pack it in and go home but even as we scattered from the streets for shelter the joy of this remarkably successful evening seemed to grow rather than diminish. On Saturday, June 10, the Louis DiGregorio Run was a great success. Over 200 runners had pre-registered and many more spontaneously showed up that morning to take part in the race. So much good has come from the creation of this foundation in Louis' memory. Tens of thousands of dollars have been donated to fund research in the detection and treatment of aneurisms, to promote organ donations and the creation of the Louis V. DiGregorio Memorial Fund as well as bringing together so many people for such a good and worthwhile cause. It was truly a "run to remember." Last Saturday was also the opening of the pool and while the temperature was hardly ripe for a swim a few lusty young souls dove right in. "Bully for them," as Teddy Roosevelt, another lusty soul, might say. Last summer was the warmest in nearly 40 years and our pool seemed like an oasis in a desert for many, especially our seniors, who sought relief from the oppressive heat. It was then off to the Friends of the Library Book Sale that was held at Centennial Hall. The sale, which for the first time was held on both Saturday and Sunday, was another triumph. Centennial Hall, once again, proved to be a great venue for a book sale for people who, like myself, enjoy rummaging and buying old books. Kudos to the Friends of the Library, another group of civic minded residents who, as one resident told me, make Floral Park - Floral Park. The Floral Park Memorial High School Awards Night was truly memorable. The Class of 2006 has ascended to the summit of becoming the most celebrated class in the history of that educational institution, now just a year shy of one-half century old. Whether it was in academics or on the athletic fields, Scouting, community service or volunteerism, no student body has so distinguished itself in so many fields of endeavors. As I gave the Mayor's Citizen Award to Alyssa Knoerzer and Derek O'Haire, I felt that the future could not be brighter or more filled with opportunities. Life was good in Floral Park but life is also capricious and I suppose that there is no sense living if you don't know the world will break your heart once in a while.

At 1:30 a.m. June 14, I was awakened by the Floral Park Police Department informing me of a terrible car accident on Plainfield Avenue that involved four fatalities; all the victims very young. Numbed by the news,

I dressed hurriedly and arrived at a scene of eerie stillness, red lights flashing soundlessly in the blackness of the early morning hours, our voices hushed with a depressing sadness. The night seemed to engulf all of us with a terrible hardness and abandon.

I learned the next day that one of the four victims was 17-year-old Kevin McArthur, a student of Floral Park Memorial Class of 2006. A day or so later, while still reeling from the dimensions of the tragedy, a newly inducted member of our Rescue Department who had assisted at the accident scene, died in his sleep. His name was Bobby Getschel, a student of Floral Park Memorial Class of 2006.

Since then we haven't been quite the same. How could we be, five deaths in 48 hours all between the ages of 16 and 20? We must work together to pick up the pieces and renew ourselves to the great work ahead of us. Tragedy is the point where things are left up to God; it is now up to us to be deepened by what we all experienced.

Our grief is fixed very deeply and it is especially so for our kids; the mirth of youth has turned into a mournful silence. At Memorial Park candles quietly flicker, bathing the night as it burns fitfully upon a newly made altar of light. Mementos of lives lived and lost grace its confines giving new meaning to the preciousness of the world. There are some things you can't teach but can only, through life's experiences, discover in yourself.

I see signs of that everywhere, especially among our young who knew Kevin and Bobby best. Kevin, I'm told, was an infectiously likable young man whose genius of personality won friends easily and who intuitively understood that a smile was the shortest distance between two people. Bobby, who seemed to volunteer for every good cause, knew adversity. Open-heart surgery gave him an appreciation for life and his struggle became a call of mercy for all those who shared the breath of life with him. Their examples instruct and inspire all of us, both young and old.

So on behalf of this village let me offer my heartfelt condolences to the families and, yes, to the Class of 2006 as they approach their graduation. Death always catches the young most unaware. True wisdom is always touched with a drop of sadness and now you, the best and the brightest have, through the tempest of tragedy, become wise. I assure you that the years teach things the days never know, and you will, in God's good time, place it all in its proper place.

The poet William Wordsworth wrote: "Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive/But to be young was very heaven." In penning those timeless lines, Wordsworth wrote for every generation. No matter when you are born, it is always wonderful to be alive and yes, it is truly glorious to be young as you are now. Remember as you go forward in steadfast faith that you have been the most accomplished class, the most successful class, the class of Bobby Getschel and Kevin McArthur. Remember we are rooting for you as we wish you, all of you, the Class of 2006 - Godspeed.