What a great Centennial Ball it was. A few of the people we had a chance to talk to included Father Tomaz Gomide, Grace and Walter Crosby, Frank and Joan Nedelka, John and Mrs. O'Shea, Dick and Margherita O'Callaghan, Diane and Rob Connolly, Avelino and Helena Ruivo, Custodio and Mrs. Cerquera, Theresa Richards, Candia and Jack Maia, Dorothy Campbell, Peter and Karen Smith, Bill Henley, Martin O''Donnell, Kyle Teemsma, Antonio and Maria Santos, Charlie and Sally Patterson, Marge Irace, Walter and Joan Hobbs, Arline Cavanaugh and Ed and Lillian Barnola. All enjoyed the dancing, the dinner and the brief ceremony. Just under 500 people attended, making it a complete sellout.

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Joyce Salt lives in the suburbs of London and often reads the online edition of this column because of her friendship with Molly Azzolini of Mineola. Molly, who was born in England, likes to keep up with her old pal. Tom Azzolini worked for Chase Bank in the branch near the UN. He often got to see many famous people.

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What's next for Assemblyman Tom DiNapoli? One of the most popular politicians in the state, he would make a good candidate for Nassau County Executive.

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Dolores Collins and Bertha Morawski breakfast almost every day at the Hudson Diner.

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Jerry Garrido and Christine Duggan lunched at the Jericho Diner. Jerry is a longtime member of the Mineola Ambulance Corps.

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At the same diner, but on a different day, were Anthony and Loretta Sciavarassi. He is an electrician and she is a teacher at the Meadow Drive School.

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Vera Barrick and Teddy McCormack enjoyed breakfast at the Jericho.

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Francesa Ciccone, age 3, won the "Princess on Ice" contest at the children's section of the Mineola Library. Gabe Gonzalez, 11, was the winner of the "Candy Cane" contest. The three winners of the contest to promote reading were Ava Williams, 5, Hadley Potter, 5 and Alysian Wallace, 10.

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Attending Mass at Corpus Christi is always a chance to greet many old friends like Betty Cash and Virginia Santisi of Birchwood Court, Lorraine Bulkland of the President Apts., Helen Alfiere, Marge and Joe Wood, Terry Connors, Maria Auriemma, Maureen Pfeiffer, George and Helena Sommer, Annette Marks, Eddie Hanlon, Jim Kelly, Bob Mondello, and Mike Vezzi among others.

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Corpus Christi and St. Aidans schools will sponsor a "Night on the Town" at the Jericho Terrace on Jan. 18. Some 25 restaurants will be participating. Music will be by Ed de Corsia's "N.Y. Most Dangerous" band. All proceeds go to the two schools.

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David Borysowski of Andrews Road has a collection of some beautiful classic cars that he has restored and all are in running condition. Dave works for King Bear and is the manager of its mechanical dept.

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Terence and Dorothy Timlin dined at Cugini's. He works for a lighting company and Dorothy cares for their three children Ryan, Eric and Shannon.

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Met Paul and Peggy May at the big parade. Paul is a leading figure in the Republican Party and Peggy is active in the Democratic Party. Go figure! But it seems to work for them.

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Lou Santosus said he is sorry that the police battle seemed to generate so much bitterness between the two sides. It often pitted neighbor against neighbor.

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Vinnie Lupinacci of McKinley Parkway fixes American flags whenever he sees one twisted, torn or tattered. He tries to get the owners to give the flag the respect that it merits.

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What's with the Roslyn Grist Mill? Built in 1730, the sign says that it's closed for restoration. But in two years no work has been done. The Mill is a valuable part of our history and I hope it is preserved.