Attending the sumptuous Portuguese breakfast at the center, I got to talk to Jackie Valente, Thomas and Marie O'Reilly, Frank Caetano, Ilidio Mendes, Dick and Marguerite O'Callaghan, John Pinnella, Doris Siraco, Donna Klein, Doris Nuzzi, Alice Linehan, Tom Forte, Gladys Forte, Rick and John Kanyuk, Rose Bernardo, Rita and Anne Bartscherer, Joseph and Barbara Malerba, James and Eileen Devaney, Sean and Marcia Devaney, Maria Aguas, Victoria Dovale, Rosa Ribeiro, Esmeralda Justino, Cidalia and Angelina Dovale, Arlene Soudmand and Barbara Walsh.

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Also among the 500 people there were Barbara Bilella, Connie Portesi, Denise Olsen, Nancy Kribs, Florence Beberman, Marie Daly, Jane Henehan Maryanne Johnson, Joseph Flood, John Caetano, Fernanda and Manuel Costa, Antonio Amindeira, Arlindo Pereira, Antonio Martins and John Macedo. Pancakes, sausages, eggs, bacon, French toast, donuts, bagels and coffee make the Portuguese annual breakfast a winner.

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It's here - the long-awaited 1906 caboose is in Memorial Park. It will be lit at night and is a real highlight of our Centennial celebration.

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Neil Walsh speaks Japanese and is going to that country in August to teach English. He is a graduate of Corpus Christi, MHS and St. John's. He earned his master's degree at the New School of Social Research. He lives with his parents, Dennis and Barbara Walsh of Albertson Place.

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Deputy Mayor Larry Werther thinks we need our own Mineola police deptartment He tells me that the Hometown Party is opposed to the idea. I asked him when the referendum would be held and he said he would like to see it put up for a vote before summer.

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Corpus Christi Pastor James Bowman is an ardent Met fan and is very happy with their fast start. "We've been waiting a long time for this," he said. Speaking of the church we did really great at 11:30 Mass. On Palm Sunday we had 650 people in attendance and on Easter 1,200.

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Another long-suffering Met fan is former city cop Tom Rudolph. He and his wife, Dorothy, like the baseball season so far. Tom has his own security firm and was part of the Mineola police study group.

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Our daughter, Sister Annmarie, does something special on Good Fridays. She joins a group of people in the city for the Stations of the Cross. The United Nations is the First Station; the library, the Second Station; Bryant Park, the Third and so on for the 14 stations. The trip up 42nd St.reet takes about four hours.

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At CJ Gifts, they are having fun this hockey playoff season. Maryanne Ferron is a big Ranger fan and her boss, Lou Citro, is a Devil fan. Lucky me. I'm an Islander fan and don't have to worry about things like post-season play.

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Margaret Fleming of Woodnut Place is a good patron of our library. She is a legal secretary with the county. Her late dad, John, was a golf pro and late brother, also John, was a devotee to tennis.

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Grace Jurek of the building department dined on Easter at the Seventh Street Café in Garden City with her parents, Jean and Sam Caruso.

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Rosemary Buckley, Elizabeth Ciaburri and Josephine Daly lunched at the Jericho Diner.

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Jayme Lancellotti works as a sales agent for DePinto Realty. She and her husband, Robert, live in Albertson. He is a steamfitter and a Vietnam vet.

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Larry and Luba Egan visited Australia and New Zealand. Their son, Robert, works for a computer software company in Sidney.

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Good seeing former neighbors, Pete and Karen Smith on Easter. Pete is an architect and Karen an interior designer. They live on Eldeberry Road and have two children, Connor and Nicole.

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Brian Santosus, son of former village trustee, Lou, owns the Mac Pest Control Co. He and his wife, Theresa, live on Nassau Boulevard.

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We hope for the quick recovery of Helen Hinck, mother of Bob, co-chairman of the Centennial Committee.

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Things don't change too much. Frank Lynch tells me that in 1978 both the Hometown Party and the Citizens Party cancelled their planned campaign motorcades because of the high price and shortage of gas. They rode bikes instead and, of course, it rained.