A flag that once flew over the United States Capitol is now flying over the new Massapequa Park sign on Sunrise Highway just west of Park Blvd. Members of the Kiwanis Club of the Massapequas, Congressman Peter King, Post 7763 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Lions Club and a host of local officials were on hand for the dedication of what is now referred to as the Massapequa Park Plaza on Sept. 20. After months of work, the Kiwanis Club recently put the finishing touches on the plaza that clearly identifies Massapequa Park for drivers on Sunrise Highway.

According to Mayor George Nussbaum, the project was started by the Village about two years ago. The Village had to get approval from the Long Island Railroad, Nassau County and the state to begin the construction of the new sign, said Nussbaum. Once a good spot for the sign was determined and it was approved by all three parties, the Village began by building the berm or hill on which the sign was mounted. But the plan to construct it stalled until last summer when it was picked up again by the Kiwanis Club.

The job seemed perfectly suited for the Kiwanis Club of the Massapequas, an organization known for its community service projects. While the project was a cooperative effort with the Village providing material funds and Tim's Florist contributing money as well, Kiwanis took over the labor and engineering task involved.

Some may still remember the Massapequa Park sign which used to wrap around the corner of Sunrise and Park Blvd. decades ago. In 1961, the sign was dismantled to accommodate the expansion of Sunrise Highway. The original letters were stored until last year when they were dug up from their hiding place and dusted off. The plan was to use the original letters for the new sign, but unfortunately when Kiwanis members began work on the sign, they found the decades-old letters could not be recycled. But the club, undeterred, went on to create a brand new sign and plaza which will be maintained by the Village.

Nussbaum credits community organizations such as Kiwanis and Lions for a great deal of positive change that occurs in the Village.

"It was a caterpillar and today it's a butterfly," said Nussbaum about the plaza which was once just a tree-less, grassy plot of land. "Kiwanis made it happen."