Rubbish will be collected on Friday, Dec. 27, for the entire village.

New Year's Eve: Tuesday, Dec. 31 - Village offices will be closed a half day. There will be regular garbage and recycling collection on this day.

New Year's Day: Wednesday, Jan. 1 - Village offices will be closed. There will be no rubbish collection on this day. All refuse collection schedules will remain the same for this week.

Rubbish will be collected on Friday, Jan. 3, for the entire Village.

EPIC is a state sponsored prescription plan for seniors. Over 300,000 New York State Seniors belong and are saving monies on the cost of their medicines.

You are eligible if you are age 65 or older and have an annual income of $35,000 or less if single or $50,000 or less if married.

If you would like more information please call from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday to 1-800-332-3742.

Many will receive bicycles this holiday season. The New York State Department of Health advises that on average, in excess of 50 New Yorkers are killed in bicycle crashes. In excess of 2,000 require hospitalization and "children, ages 5-19, are most at risk for being hospitalized for a bicycle-related injury."

Bicycle injuries can be prevented by the use of helmets and by following the "Rules" of the road.

New York State requires that all children aged 1 through 13 wear helmets when operating their bikes.

Some of the "Rules of the Road" are:

* Wear a properly fitting, approved bicycle helmet

* Make sure your bike is in good working order

* Ride one person to a bike

* Always ride with the traffic

* Keep to the right

* Obey all traffic lights and signs

* Signal all turns

* Use a horn or bell

For nighttime riding, wear reflective clothing, and make sure the bicycle has reflectors, a headlight and a taillight.

Holiday Recipe

Mini Pumpkin Cranberry Breads

3 cups flour

2 tsp. baking soda

3 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1/2 cup orange juice or water

1 tbsp. + 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 1/2 tsp. Salt

1 can (15 oz.) pure pumpkin

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup cranberries (fresh, dried or frozen)

Combine flour, spice, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Combine sugar, pumpkin, eggs, oil and juice in a small mixer bowl, beat until just blended. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture, stir just until moistened. Fold in cranberries.

Spoon batter into 5 greased and floured 5 x 3 inch disposable loaf pans.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 50 - 55 minutes or until wooden tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, remove to wire racks to cool.

During the holiday season kitchen helpers abound. For some, their involvement in food preparation is at best infrequent. Therefore, you may wish to acquaint the "helpers" with rules of safely preparing food in the home.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suggest the following:

Bacteria can spread throughout the kitchen and get into cutting boards, utensils, sponges and counter tops. Here is how to fight bacteria:

- Wash your hands with hot soapy water before handling food and after using the bathroom, changing diapers and handling pets.

- Wash your cutting boards, dishes, utensils and counter tops with hot soapy water after preparing each food item and before you go on to the next food.

- Use plastic or other non-porous cutting boards. These boards should be run through the dishwasher - or washed in hot soapy water - after use.

- Consider using paper towels to clean up kitchen surfaces. If you use cloth towels, wash them often in the hot cycle of your washing machine.

The FDA further advises to thoroughly cook foods with internal temperatures as noted below:

Ground Products:

Hamburger - 160 degrees

Beef, veal, lamb, pork - 160 degrees

Chicken, turkey - 165 degrees

Roasts & Steaks:

Medium - rare - 145 degrees

Medium - 160 degrees

Well - done - 170 degrees

Pork:

Chops, roast, ribs

Medium - 160 degrees

Well - done - 170 degrees

Ham, fresh - 160 degrees

Sausage, fresh - 160 degrees

Poultry:

Chicken, whole & pieces - 180 degrees

Duck - 180 degrees

Turkey (unstuffed) - 180 degrees

Whole - 180 degrees

Breast - 170 degrees

Dark meat - 180 degrees

Stuffing (separately) - 165 degrees

Eggs, etc:

Fried, poached - till yolk and whites are firm

Casseroles - 160 degrees

Sauces, custards - 160 degrees