The annual St. Patrick's Day Parade on Long Island, organized by the Irish-American Society of Nassau, Suffolk and Queens, Inc., will be held in Garden City on Sunday, March 7.

The parade will assemble at 12 p.m. in the parking field opposite Ninth Street and will step off at 1 p.m. proceeding north on Franklin Avenue. The parade route will be from Ninth Street, north on Franklin Avenue to Old Country Road, east on Old Country Road to County Seat Drive, south on County Seat Drive where the parade will disband. The reviewing stand will be on Old Country Road in front of the Nassau County Office Building.

With the safety of our pedestrians in mind, I caution our residents to utilize the signal push buttons when crossing at major intersections. The system is designed to extend the light phase once the button is pressed to allow the pedestrian sufficient time to cross safely.

It is important that parents stress this safety precaution with their children, as a major portion of them cross main intersections daily en route to and from school and to play areas.

Absentee ballot applications to be used in conjunction with the general village election March 16 are available at village hall, 351 Stewart Avenue. The village clerk must receive the applications by March 9 if the ballot is to be mailed. For personal application, the deadline is March 15.