Few things go as well together as Sunday afternoons and pasta dinners. On Sunday, Feb. 4, members of the Mineola Junior Fire Department as well as members of the Mineola Fire Department got together to throw a pasta dinner that was enjoyed by hundreds of members of the community.

La Parma Restaurant on Willis Avenue in Williston Park donated the pasta, the meatballs and the sauce and for just $8 for adults and $5 for seniors and children under 10, residents could have as much pasta, as many meatballs and as many cannolis as they desired with proceeds going to support the junior fire department.

Among those dignitaries who attended the dinner, which took place from noon to 5 p.m., were Village of Mineola Mayor John P. Colbert, Deputy Mayor Lou Santosus, trustees Elizabeth Conlon, Maryanne Warnecke and Linda Fairgrieve as well as New York State Senator Michael Balboni, Assemblywoman Maureen O'Connell, Nassau County Legislator Richard Nicolello and the Mineola Fire Department Chiefs Jack Gayson, Mike DeStefano and Scott Strauss.

Deputy Mayor Santosus kept busy selling raffle tickets and ex-Chief Richard Kotowski acted as the master of ceremonies, playing Italian songs. Junior Fire Department advisors Bill Gresalfi, Gary Mazur and Rob Connolly made sure the afternoon was a success and the Mineola Junior Fire Department, comprised of 34 members, once again proved the value of the organization.

The months of planning that went into the pasta dinner paid off. On Sunday, there was certainly a lot of Italy in Mineola. Mayor Colbert expressed his gratitude to the members of the junior fire department and the fire department for bringing the community together.