Lou MIN 2/23 mg

Around Town With Lou
By Lou Sanders

Superbowl Sunday gives us not only a great football game but also the annual pancake breakfast of the County Seat Kiwanis - all you can eat  sausages, pancakes and donuts plus orange juice and coffee, all for charity. It's also a great time to hobnob with friends and neighbors. Some of the people we had a chance to talk with include: John and Alice Squeri, Arline Cavanaugh, Tom Vitaglione, Peg Patterson, Louis and Sue Citro, Nancy and Jim Heiss, Brendan and Timothy O'Connor, Joe and Maryann Esposito, Pete Owens, John DaVanzo, Peter Papagianakis, Robbin Valentine, Robert Seewaldt, Cathy Whitley, Paul Cusato, Maureen and James Gillick, Madeline Maffetore, Tony and Marion Bellissimo, Jim and Flore Rowe, Marian Kessler, Walter and Grace Crosby, Lillian Michalak, Tim McCue, Rae Valerio, Nancy Kelly, Rose Villani, Raymond and Virginia Leonhard, Nancy Portoghese, Amy Thompson, Herta Tscherne, Harry Peters, John Carroll, Sal Cataldo, Gus and Dottie Calandrello, Rick and Joanne Ueland, Firmino and Maria Fernandes, Rick and Dr. Ann Forte, Robert Windorf, Paul May, Robert Rosenthal and Scott Fairgrieve.
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"A Taste of Mineola," sponsored by the Mineola Chamber of Commerce, will be held March 29 at the Jericho Terrace. Davenport Restaurant, Eleanor Rigbys, Churrasqueira, Piccola Bussola, Slates, Kuck's Deli, DiCarlos, Souvakis, Jericho Diner, the Mineola Coffee Shop, Massaros, The Recovery Room, and many others will be providing their favorite dishes. All in all some 30 restaurants and delis will be participating. Admission will be $45 at the door, $40 in advanced sale and just $35 for senior citizens. There will also be a number of vineyards participating with a large array of wines. Music will play for the entire three hours, 6 to 9 p.m. All restaurants are local. This is a chance to see what the village offers in a wide selection of cuisines.
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O'Donnell's Irish Pub raised some $1,100 for the Tsunami victims.
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Msgr. Edward Tarrant of Corpus Christi Church gave a moving homily on the death of former priest of the parish, the Rev. James Meade. A war hero, he was shot down over North Africa in WWII and spent years in a German prison camp. He was awarded the Distinguished Flyers Medal. He served for many years as a missionary priest in Africa before coming to Mineola. A fine man he was.
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Martha Teixeria who works for the village enjoyed breakfast at the Jericho Diner.
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Edgar Schultz has a lot of faith in Dr. John Lanzone who has monitored his heart for several years. Ed and his wife Marie live on Arlington Street.
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You may soon see Dan Flynn of Kenilworth Road riding around in a Rolls Royce. Dan says he really thinks he can hit it big as he buys his lotto tickets from Maryann Fearon at C and J Gifts (Precious Gifts).
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Good news and bad news. The good part is that a devoted public servant John DaVanzo is returning to public life as he runs for village trustee. A former board member, deputy mayor, town councilman and clerk of the Town of North Hempstead, John has been in public life for 50 years. He is also a leading volunteer at St. Francis Hospital and is chairperson of the 100th anniversary committee. And he also works in the real estate business. The bad news is that another fine gentleman is leaving the Mineola village board. Lou Santosus is retiring after 17 years. He was a board member from 1983 to 1989 and then came back and served a second time from 1994 to 2005. When I asked him if he may come back yet again he said, "Who can tell?"
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Talking to Catherine Torito at the Corpus Christi Outreach office she thought of two other priests I didn't mention in a recent column. There was Father Sala Severino, the Italian-born priest who served us for several years. Then there was the Rev. Tim Valentine who left to join the Jesuits. I understand that he has volunteered to serve in Iraq.
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The local St. Patrick's parade will again have a local person as the grand marshal. Last year it was Jack Whelan of Wardwell Road and this year it will be Betty O'Sullivan. Both are very active in the Irish-American Society. The parade will be Sunday, March 6 starting at noon.
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Evelyn Atanas, president of the Williston Chamber of Commerce, had lunch at our favorite diner.
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Welcome to a new waitress at the Jericho Diner, Tina Vacchio. She comes with over seven years of experience. Tina lives in nearby Carle Place with John Morrison and her daughters, Danielle and Shannon.
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Good to see Mary McGregor up and around following her recent serious operation
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A correction needs to be made for what was written about Ziegfelds in this column in our Jan. 26 issue. George Camarda was the sole proprietor of Ziegfelds. Josephine Alongi was not an owner. She was a manager. Our apologies for the error.