Guns drawn, five robbers smashed into the Seacrest Diner 26 years ago. A night of terror followed as the thugs raped and stripped the patrons of all their possessions. After hours of torture they finally left. Quick police work led to their apprehension soon after. The five were sentenced to 25 years to life. Some have been paroled and others remain behind bars. At that time the diner had opaque walls, while today it has wide windows making it easier to see what's going on inside. The owner Nick and most of the cooks still remember that night of terror.

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District Attorney Kathleen Rice will be the guest speaker at the Chamber of Commerce meeting of June 17 at the Piccola Bussola.

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Grace and I visited Cedarmere, the home of the poet and editor, William Cullen Bryant, in Roslyn. We were greeted by "Bryant," himself, as faithfully portrayed by the actor Frank Henricks. He looks and talks exactly as Bryant would and gave us a tour of the mansion and told us about Bryant's career as the editor of the Evening Post, which he used to attack the institution of slavery and to advocate the election of Abraham Lincoln. The 7-acre estate overlooks Roslyn Harbor and is free to explore weekends from 1 to 5 p.m. Bryant was the editor of the Post from 1829 to his death at the age of 84 in 1878. By the way, Henricks and his wife, Millie, once lived in Mineola on Third Avenue. While there you can also see the Gothic mill pond spanned by a stone bridge and the formal garden.

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Our daughter, Sister Annmarie, got a chance to see the Pope during his visit. The History of American Nuns exhibit, which she is working on, has a number of museums interested in taking the exhibit, including one in Pasadena where she visited last week.

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Joe and Marge Wood of Mineola have opened a branch of Monica's house called Pete's House in Uniondale. Here they can house and help some 21 recovering drug addicts.

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Bud Miller of Mineola enjoyed dinner at Eleanor Rigby's.

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Grace Crosby is a weekly customer of the Cuttin Club.

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Spiro and Buffy of the Williston Town House have returned from a trip to the Greek Isles.

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"Under the Weather" was an expression used by early seamen. When the wind howled and the ship was tossed violently by huge waves many would take refuge in the hole thus the expression Under the Weather.

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Looking for a good handyman? Call Mark Hoag, he can be reached at Albertson Hardware. He lives in Mineola and is a chief of the Ambulance Corps.

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Joe Carvalho has worked at the IHOP in Williston Park for the past 37 years. He is the cousin of Manny Carvalho, who owns that wonderful restaurant Churrasqueira on Jericho Turnpike.

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John and Alice Fitzgerald have lived on Lewis Place for 23 years. Their son, Daniel, is a graduate of Chaminade and will start NYU in the fall. Their daughter, Julia, goes to Sacred Heart Academy. John is an oil trader on the mercantile exchange - NYMEX.

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Diane and Ken Williams and daughter, Ava, age 7, took in the Nassau County Museum. He is the custodian at the Willis Avenue School and was formerly with Christie's Auction House, hence the interest in art. The family lives in Andrews Road. The Pop Art exhibit at the museum is sponsored by Anton Community Newspapers.

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Noel McPartland and daughter, Kristi, had breakfast at the Station Diner. Noel and his wife, Tillie and daughter, Kelly, own the Irish Pub "The Recovery Room."

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Marcel and Cathy Chaillol also had breakfast at the Station Diner. Marcel is a past Grand Knight of the Corpus Christi Council and an usher at church.

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Tom Hayden has lived at Bradley Ct. for the past 31 years. He is a retired elevator technician.