Time and again recently we have read, in editorials and in letters to the editor and in op-ed pieces in daily newspapers, that Americans have forgotten the meaning of Memorial Day, that it has become a day for shopping, for going to the beach with never a thought to its true meaning. Welcome to Manhasset. In our town Memorial Day is the favorite day of many people. The parade in which so many of us participate, from the youngest to the oldest, is small town America at its best as grandparents and parents watch their children march with teams or Scout troops and children watch their parents and grandparents march with civic groups, fire departments or, best of all, the sponsoring American Legion Post #304. And then there is the Memorial ceremony at Memorial Field where, with genuine respect and reverence, the entire community remembers those for whom the day was established. The sun shone on us this year, making the day perfect, but rain or shine, Manhasset has reason to be proud of the way Memorial Day is celebrated and we owe the legionnaires a vote of thanks.

E.F.B.