Saturday, April 8, marked the opening of the 2006 Little League baseball/softball season. With the opening of Little League, parents are especially encouraged to pay particular attention to driving safely in the area of village athletic fields. As youngsters are on their way to and from their scheduled games, many of them will dart between parked cars and will fail to look while crossing the street. Let's make this season not only a happy one but also a safe one in our village.

I would like to take this time to congratulate the Garden City Athletic Association on their 51st year and thank their officers, directors, managers, coaches and all that are involved in such a wonderful organization. Not only do they touch the lives of so many youngsters, they have been a valuable asset to our community.

Residents are reminded that village offices will close at noon Friday, April 14, in observance of Good Friday and will reopen Monday, April 17. Correspondence may be dropped in the letter slot at the front of village hall. The annual Easter festival and antique car parade, sponsored by the Garden City Chamber of Commerce, is scheduled for 1 p.m. Easter Sunday, April 16. The parade will step off from Parking Field 9E and will proceed south on Franklin Avenue to Seventh Street, west to Hilton Avenue. Easter bunnies will be on Seventh Street during the parade. Please take time from your busy day and bring the family down to see a great Garden City event.

With the arrival of spring, it is great to see increased pedestrian activity along Seventh Street and New Hyde Park Road. It brings into focus just how great a place our business community is and raises expectations over how great our village will be this summer with the spring plantings and the beginning of our outdoor dining (which began April 1).

Please show your support for our merchants and continue to shop in Garden City. Let the business owners know how they can better serve your needs. You will be pleasantly surprised with how quickly they will accommodate.

All residents are asked to assist in the task of cleaning up our community to make it look like a beautiful "Garden City." We can do that by picking up paper, cans, bottles and other debris, which may have been deposited on the streets and other public areas near our homes. A few minutes of cooperative effort by all of us can make our village look 100 percent better.

Residents are also reminded that rubbish should not be placed on the curb before the evening prior to the collection day. It is a detraction from the aesthetics of the village and poor treatment of one's neighbors to ignore the village law which specifies that rubbish should not be deposited at curbside before the evening prior to collection.

Pet owners are asked to please be considerate of those who are working to keep our community beautiful and those who are using park areas, by cleaning up after their dog and by disposing of the waste at curbside on Wednesdays.

The police department is issuing summonses for these violations, which are answerable in the Village Justice Court and can result in a fine for each offense.