One of my very favorite quotes is the one I heard attributed to Claire Booth Luce, the wife of Henry Luce, the publisher of Time Magazine. The comment "No good turn goes unpunished," was made by her when she was ambassador to Italy.
That seems to go double for the Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce and the Oyster Festival.
Somehow, no matter how much good they do for the community, they get criticized. Well, I have another favorite quote, but the original is in Spanish and I learned it from my college friend who is a lawyer. It says, "People only throw stones at trees that bear fruit."
Put them together in this wonderful season of holiday kindness, and please send a letter of appreciation to the Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce.
I was thinking about doing something like that in this newspaper when the Oyster Festival was taking place. Maybe now is the time to remember them and give them a pat on the back.
Just think of how the chamber has tried to eliminate any negatives from the festival. Consider that the chair is always a local business person. They are not looking to generate a bad image with the public as they volunteer hours upon hours of work including the stress and worry that goes along with running a major event like the Oyster Festival.
After the untold hours of trying to work out how to do it right, they still get pans instead of pats. Luckily they keep stepping out and doing the job and trying to do it better each year.
Let's not forget how wonderful the words thank you sound.
And, while I'm saying that, I want to thank all the wonderful people who helped make the tree lighting a success: Kathy Wilson, Louis Costidis, the Third Grade Chorus, Emily Monem, the young people from the P.A.C.E. Torch Club and F.L.Y. Keystone Club, Greg Koke, Madeline Bonasia, Bob Whaley, John Venditto, the parents and their wonderfully behaved joyous children, the Oyster Bay Fire Company No. 1 and, oh, dear, who am I forgetting.
That's the one scary thing about thank yous - you might forget the one person you want to thank the most!
Oh, and one more thing: Seasonal Splendor continues in Oyster Bay. Please check the calendar of events for more information about what different groups in the town are offering you for this holiday season. - DFK
