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A Day of Fun, a Day of
Gratitude
Pt. Lookout celebrates 71st 'Children's Day'
(Originally
published in the Neighbors Section of the Long Beach Herald,
Sept 12th Edition)
"We
are ready to get these games underway. This is our 71st year. We
wanted this to be a day of fun, a day of remembrance and a day
of gratitude."
Frank Ryan
President, Point Lookout Civic Association
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By KIMBERLY ACEVEDO
It was 1931 when Howard Meny was just a baby and began
competing in the egg toss. His brother Robert, he recalled, had
competed in the running races and his sister Marjorie wasn't even
born yet. Now, 71-years later, the Point Lookout resident stood on
the shore watching children of all ages participate in the 71st
Annual Point Lookout Civic Association Children's Day on Saturday,
August 31.
As Meny watched the children during the swimming races, he
said things are different from when he began competing.
"I've been coming every year," he said.
"There are more people, more traffic, but the kids are still
the same. What can I say, it's a great place."
With a slew of events, including running, boogie boarding
and swimming races, more than 200 residents turned out for the
festivities. Other activities included an egg toss, sand castle
building, a foul shooting contest and pony rides. Competition was
capped off with a tug-o-war contest that split the town in half.
"We are ready to get these games underway," Point
Lookout Civic Association President Frank Ryan said. "This is
our 71st year. We wanted this to be a day of fun, a day of
remembrance and a day of gratitude."
Town of Hempstead Supervisor Richard Guardino, himself a
resident, was on hand to watch the annual event and offer his
support.
"Congratulations to our Civic Association on the
fantastic job they have done," Town of Hempstead supervisor
Richard Guardino said. "Point Lookout is a very special place
and I am blessed that I have the opportunity to live here...good
luck, be safe and you are all winners."
For Rosemary Gallagher, who organized the event, it's been a
long summer. Planning and preparation for the events began in the
spring and has kept her quite busy. But it was worth it, Gallagher
said.
"It's a lot of work," she said. "We
started in the spring. It was time for my husband and I to give
back to the community. There is so much going on for the children
and families."
As the children competed in the events, and the adults
volunteered their time, food for the event was donated. As
residents worked up their appetites they had their choice between
ice cream, cotton candy and pizza.
The new pizzeria in town, Olive Oils, opened it's doors two
weeks ago and donated 30 pies for the events.
"We are happy to be here," Olive Oils' owner Tom
Corning said. "We were embraced by the town and we wanted to
show our thanks and appreciation."
Meanwhile, Marianne Craven said her daughters Pamela, 13,
and Valerie, 11, look forward to the games each year.
"It's just a tradition and it's fun to keep competing
against the kids," Pamela said as she got ready to enter the
swimming competition. Her sister Valerie said she likes the
competition but all in all the games "are good and fun."
He has watched four of his children compete in the games,
Kevin Hughes said. And now his youngest, Trevor, 17, is a
lifeguard for the events. Still, with his children grown, Hughes
said he still enjoys the events.
"I love to watch the kids faces because they look like
they have been preparing for this during the whole summer,"
Hughes said.
As the swimming race wrapped up, 9-year old Taylor Ryan ran
to the officials table to let them know that he "got
third." While the water was freezing cold, he said it
wouldn't stop him from entering the boogie board contest.
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Copyright @ 2001 by Julie
McTernan and Barb
Fiorillo
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