Memorial Day 2013 finds me sore from tennis, broke from Tanger, full from lobster rolls, relaxed from three days off, muddy from planting and grateful for the men and women who have served and who are currently serving our country.
The annual parade and service at the Eastport Elementary School took place on Monday under the dappled sunlight of the school’s maple trees. It never fails to move me when “Taps” is played so beautifully and everyone bows their heads in prayer. The Eastport South Manor High School Marching Band, dressed in khaki pants and navy blue polo shirts this year, played just about every patriotic song there is with vigor, and the men and women of the Eastport Fire Department and the local American Legion were decked out in their finest, with their brass buttons shined up, their uniforms ironed to perfection and hats resting just so on their heads.
The red, white and blue wreath that was placed by the monument at the school will remain there for a few weeks to remind us to be thankful and grateful for our freedom. Thank you to the members of the Eastport community who plan and participate in the annual Memorial Day ceremony. And to all veterans: Thank you for serving.
Congratulations to local scholar Victoria Burns who graduated from SUNY College at Oneonta on Saturday, May 18, with a bachelor’s degree in biology. Victoria is a 2010 graduate of Eastport South Manor High School and plans to pursue a career in the medical field. She graduated from college in three years!
Air Force Airman 1st Class Robert F. Black graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, recently. Robert completed an eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness and basic warfare principles and skills.
He is the son of Jill Rignola of Manorville and a 2010 graduate of Eastport South Manor High School. Congratulations to him.
An event to honor the memory of Anthony Parlato will take place on Saturday, June 8, in the form of a 5K Run/Walk. Anthony was the co-director of the Moriches Community Center. He passed away suddenly recently but about three months prior to that the Parlato family lost nearly all of their belongings in a house fire. The event will take place in Center Moriches.
Funds raised will help the family and also keep alive programs at the Moriches Community Center. For more information on this event and others being planned to help out the family, visit www.morichescommunitycenter.org or e-mail them at info@morichescommunitycenter.org.
Volunteers are needed to help sell tickets for a “Golf Ball Drop,” a special fund-raiser sponsored by the Eastport South Manor Community for the Arts. The Golf Ball Drop will take place during the group’s golf outing in the fall.
Tickets for this will be sold at the King Kullen in Manorville during the months of June and July, and student and parent volunteers are needed to man the ticket table. For more information about the golf outing, the Golf Ball Drop and dates to sell tickets, please visit www.esmca.org or e-mail them at info@esmca.org.
Staff Writer on May 27, 2013