Prospect Street Dedicated To Argentine

Following the Memorial Day ceremonies on May 27, the Village of Farmingdale held a special ceremony, dedicating Prospect Street, adjacent to the Village Hall, in honor of Farmingdale native, Marine Lance Corporal James D. Argentine.

Lance Corporal Argentine was killed, along with two fellow Marines, on Aug. 6, 2009, by a roadside bomb while supporting combat operations of Operation Enduring Freedom, in Farah Province, Afghanistan. Argentine was 22 years old.

Mayor Ralph Ekstrand said, “This is a fitting tribute to James and will permanently serve as a reminder of the sacrifice that has been made by the members of our military, who protect our freedom.”

Diaz Belmont Stakes Run

Farmingdale superstar Franklin Diaz made it look easy at the 2nd annual Belmont Stakes Blue Ribbon 5 Kilometer Run for Prostate Cancer on the evening of June 2, crossing the finish line in 16:46, 36 seconds in front of runner-up Ricardo Cuahuizo, with 17-year-old Travis Wooten a strong third.  

It was Diaz’s second race of the day, following up on a second overall finish at the New Hyde Park 8 Kilometer Run in the morning.

Alleged 'Johns' Made Public

Handful of local residents caught up in DA’s dragnet

Across Nassau County, residents are reacting with mixed emotions to the Nassau County District Attorney’s recent arrests of more than 100 men for soliciting prostitutes, including three from Hicksville, four from Levittown, eight from Wantagh and East Meadow, and one from Bethpage. The DA’s office not only arrested the men, but made public their names and photographs.

But for as shocking as these very public revelations may be, some local residents seem nonplussed by the whole incident.

A Time To Play

On Monday, June 10 join Farmingdale resident, Doreen L. Guma, MA, FACHE, CPC, CLC, at the book launch party for her new book, If I knew Then What I Know Now: Our Quest for Quality of Life.

Guma, who runs a non-profit called A Time To Play, focuses on providing resources for a better life. “We are everyday people helping people enjoy life by learning how to be happy, healthy, have money, have a work life balance and quality of life,” said Guma.

Farmingdale Honors War Dead

Airpower Museum Honors War Dead

The American Airpower Museum in East Farmingdale played host to its annual Memorial Weekend events, in coordination with the Jones Beach Air Show. Hundreds of guests visited the museum for events and ceremonies honoring the war dead and paying tribute to those men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice—their lives—in order to protect the freedoms of the United States.

Alice Lovejoy Remembered

This Memorial Day the American Airpower Museum (AAM) hosted a memorial tribute service to Women Air Service Pilot (WASP) Alice Lovejoy, one of 38 WASP who died in service to country during WWII. The seasoned pilot, originally from Westchester, was killed on Sept. 13, 1944 following in a mid-air collision over Texas. The American military establishment of that era was indifferent to the sacrifices of these women and WASP Lovejoy was not eligible for a military ceremony at her funeral nor was her family permitted to display the Gold Star when she was buried in Westchester County.

To finally pay tribute to this woman who died for our country the American Airpower Museum will unveil a bronze memorial tribute that will be placed on permanent display adjacent to its WASP exhibit during Memorial Day ceremonies. The person behind the effort is Julia Lauria Blum who came across Lovejoy’s tombstone when visiting the grave of her mother and responded with a personal campaign to pay honors to this woman and all WASPs.

Farmingdale Women’s Club Art Winners

Farmingdale High School art students recently participated on both the local and state level in Cultural Arts Day sponsored by the Farmingdale Women’s Club and Junior League. While many local school districts participated, Farmingdale art students placed first, second and third in most categories.

On the New York State level Ashley Pabon and Kaitlyn Russo won First Place and Diana Wilson won Second Place! Farmingdale Art Teachers Mr. Buchholz, Mrs. Germaine, Ms. McEnery, Ms. Palermo and Ms. Nicholas were truly impressed with the overwhelmingly large number of Farmingdale students who were awarded ribbons in this contest.

Bonsai Takes Over East Meadow

Memorial Day weekend is always filled with backyard barbecues, family gatherings, block parties and more, but if you are looking for something different to do during the long weekend, look no farther than the East Meadow Farm. 

District Holds Final Meeting Before Vote

The Farmingdale School Board held its final public hearing last Tuesday, a week before the scheduled budget vote. The 2013-14 proposed budget was outlined by the schools’ business administrator, Paul Defendini.

 

“The 2013-14 proposed budget is $153,384,118, with a tax levy increase of 2.35 percent,” said Defendini. “This represents a dollar increase of $2,816,958 compared to the 2012-13 budget, which was a total of $150,567,160.”