Special thanks to the William Bradford Turner Post of the American Legion of Garden City for conducting the annual Veterans Day ceremony on Nov. 11. We appreciate all that they do to honor and remember those men and women who have served in our armed forces in support of our country. At the Thanksgiving holiday, I feel that it is appropriate to pause for a few minutes and to reflect upon those things that we may take for granted and how fortunate we are to live in this wonderful community. In doing so, I quickly acknowledge the many employees of the police, fire and public works departments who will work around the clock on Thanksgiving to assure the safety and comfort of our families. I also want to acknowledge the members of the volunteer fire department who remain ready to leave their homes to come to our aid. I also would like to thank the special police for their efforts in helping out in the annual Turkey Trot. Thank you to each of these fine people for the sacrifice they make in leaving their families during this holiday time to attend to the welfare of our residents. The board of trustees and I extend sincere Thanksgiving wishes to all of our residents and their families.

Village offices will be closed this Thursday, Nov. 24, in observance of Thanksgiving Day. For your convenience, correspondence for the village may be placed in the "letter" drop slot at the front door.

Residents are reminded that there will be no garbage or recycling pickup on Thanksgiving Day. Those scheduled for recycling on Thursday are asked to put their recyclables out Thursday, Dec. 1. Garbage collection for the Thanksgiving week will be: western half Monday and Friday; eastern half Tuesday and Saturday. Rubbish collection for the entire village will remain on Wednesday.

The Turkey Trot Committee of Garden City, Inc. will conduct its 28th annual Merrill Lynch Turkey Trot Thanksgiving morning, Nov. 24. Mail-in registration is now closed, but you can still register this Wednesday, Nov. 23 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., with late registration on race day from 8 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.

The race will form at the St. Paul's School with the 1.4-mile run beginning at 9:30 a.m. and the 5-mile run scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. The route of the 5-mile race is as follows: starting on Stewart Avenue in front of St. Paul's, east to Cherry Valley Avenue, continuing south on Rockaway Avenue, west onto First Street onto Cambridge Avenue, north on Whitehall Boulevard, continuing south onto North Avenue to Cherry Valley Avenue, back to Stewart Avenue, then west onto Stewart Avenue, past St. Paul's and north on Hampton Road. The final lap will be continuing south on Rockaway to the finishing line at St. Paul's.