Village Offices will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 28, in observance of Thanksgiving Day. There will be no regular garbage collection on this day and no newspaper collection for this week. The holiday schedule is as follows:

* Monday & Tuesday, Nov. 25 & 26 -- Normal Collection

* Wednesday, Nov. 27 - Garbage Collection for Monday & Tuesday route and rubbish collection for the entire village

* Friday, Nov. 29 -- Normal Collection

The Recreation Department is in the process of decorating the Community Center for the upcoming holiday season. We are in need of five or six artificial Christmas trees for the stage. If you would like to donate your old tree, please call Marta or Anna at 746-2326 to make arrangements for pick-up.

If you have not received your senior citizen tax exemption application from the village, please contact the Tax Department during business hours at 746-0750 ext. 222.

The Village of Mineola will grant exemptions to seniors according to the following income schedule:

Annual Income Exempt from Taxation

Less than $20,500 50 per centum

More than $20,500 but less than $21,500 45 per centum

More than $21,500 but less than $22,500 40 per centum

More than $22,500 but less than $23,500 35 per centum

More than $23,500 but less than $24,400 30 per centum

More than $24, 400 but less than $25,300 25 per centum

More than $25,300 but less than $26,200 20 Per centum

More than $26,200 but less than $27,100 15 per centum

More than $27,100 but less than $28,000 10 Per centum

More than $28,000 but less than $28,900 5 per centum

In addition, those seniors whose income is between $20,500 and $28,900, may be eligible for an increase in their exemption if they submit proper evidence of their unreimbursed medical and unreimbursed prescription drug costs for the year 2001.

To qualify for this increase in your exemption please call the village hall and request a supplemental exemption form. If you have any questions concerning the application, an assessor will be available in the village office on the following Saturday mornings: Dec. 7 & 14 from 9 a.m. to noon.

If a completed application is not filed on or before Jan. 2, you will not be eligible for an exemption on the 2003-04 Village Tax Roll.

One's check register is revealing. Such as the same in 1897. A register for that year had some interesting entries:

February 200 cakes of ice @ 1 cent $3

March Lord & Taylor $12

April 9 cows $36.55

May Blacksmith $10.88

June Jordan Marsh & Co $4.20

November B.Altman & Co.-Dry Goods $9

A newspaper from the same decade likewise had interesting ads:

"Has shoes at $1 a foot - All Kinds of Foot-wear for Man, Woman and Child"

"$50 Reward- For evidence leading to the conviction of the person who cowardly entered the lawn... on the dark, rainy night of Saturday, Aug. 19, and maliciously cut down and destroyed the large Canna near the front gate. '...notice is hereby given that here after any such acts will be energetically prosecuted to the full vigor of the law.'"

"Wanted- A middle-aged as working housekeeper; one that thoroughly understands servants and making pastry and cake and willing to go south in the winter.'"

If you have a family history of cancer, are you at high risk for the disease? What can you do to safeguard your health? As part of its ongoing effort to educate the community, Winthrop-University Hospital's Advances in Cancer Care series will present a free lecture, "Understanding the Genetics of Cancer: Are You at Risk?" on Tuesday, Dec. 3. The program will address the potential risk for cancer based on the individual's family history and genetics. Participants are asked to arrive no later than 6:45 p.m. for the 7 p.m. lecture at the Winthrop Community Outreach Center, 101 Mineola Blvd. in Mineola, at the corner of Second Street, and to park in the rear of the building. Reservations can be made by calling 516-663-9370.

Jeffrey G. Schneider, MD, Division of Oncology/Hematology at Winthrop, will address the various risk factors associated with common cancers and how these risks can be modified. Emphasis will be placed on breast, ovarian and colorectal cancers.