A Word From Mayor John Watras

AAA 2013 Community Traffic Safety Awards Program: Last week I had the honor of representing the village along with Commissioner Jackson and other representatives from the Garden City Police Department, at the AAA Community Traffic Safety Awards Program. The Village of Garden City was one of only seven communities on Long Island to achieve the statewide Platinum Award, AAA’s highest award, for its commitment to traffic safety and for success in addressing local traffic safety issues. In addition, for the sixth consecutive year, Garden City received the AAA Pedestrian Safety Award. These awards are just one example which represents how fortunate we are in the village to have such a dedicated and efficient police department.

Annual Fall Festival Street Fair and Homecoming Parade: Next Saturday, Oct. 26, will be a very festive day in our village marked by the Chamber of Commerce’s 34th annual “Fall Festival Street Fair,” combined with the annual High School Homecoming Day Parade. There will be lots of activities for the children including two trackless kiddy trains carrying youngsters 12 years of age and younger up and down Seventh Street, an inflatable “bouncy” house, the ever popular money cube (kids catching flying money) and returning for 2013 to liven up the street will be “Fivestone,” a contemporary rock band. There will be face painters, young dancers from Broadway Bound of Garden City, sidewalk sales and lots of good food. I hope that you are planning to come to this fun day in the village and I hope to see you all there to enjoy the community spirit and fun.

The chamber's street fair on Seventh Street and Franklin Avenue is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. and will run through to 3 p.m. Seventh Street, between Franklin and Hilton avenues, will be closed to all traffic from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m.  For your convenience, please use the Hilton and Franklin Avenue entrances to Parking Field 7S and the Stewart Avenue entrances to Parking Field 7N. The High School's Homecoming Parade will step off promptly at 1 p.m. from the most easterly end of Seventh Street and proceed west along Seventh Street to Cathedral Avenue, north onto Stewart Avenue, west to Oxford Boulevard and north to the High School parking field. The Homecoming festivities and football game will follow the Parade at the Warren King Field.

Huddle Trailer to Visit Garden City Saturday, Oct. 26: For the first time the Super Bowl will be played on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014 at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. During the next few months an organization known as “The Super Bowl Host Committee” will be promoting the upcoming Super Bowl XLVIII by exhibiting a traveling “Join the Huddle” shuttle to communities throughout the metropolitan area.

The state-of-the-art trailer will be parked in the easterly end of Village Parking Field 7N from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26. It will feature a 10'x10' stage, flat screen monitor with video programming and an audio system.

While you are attending the Garden City Chamber of Commerce’s Street Fair, please stop by and join the activities.