By JOSEPH KELLARD
From holding breakfast with Santa Claus to attending one of his parades, the firefighters were quite active during the holiday season.
Hundreds of children, from toddlers to teens, showed up to eat breakfast with Santa at the IPFD firehouse throughout the morning of Sunday, Dec. 15, an event the department has held annually for nearly a decade.
Firefighters and others from the Island Park community arrived at the house at 7:30 a.m. to set up the tables and cook and prepare the breakfast. The meal consisted of pancakes, sausages, bacon, bagels, rolls, orange juice, and chocolate milk, all of which were donated from various stores in Island Park, Oceanside and Long Beach.
Santa, a.k.a., Duke Langdon, ex-Captain of Engine Co., took the children's requests and gave each of them a teddy bear or stuffed reindeer. Other firefighters dressed in cartoonish costumes, including Barney, Tony the Tiger and Winnie the Pooh, interacted with the kids.
On the morning of Saturday, Dec. 21, the firefighters made their rounds at the children's wards of local hospitals: South Nassau Communities, Mercy, and the Medical Center in East Meadow. Led by Rich Colon, captain of Hook & Ladder Co., Santa and a small group of firefighters handed the bed-ridden children candy canes and extra stuffed animals from the Santa breakfast.
The hospitals visits are a relatively new activity for the department.
"We do it to give the kids an extra cheer during the holidays," said. Asst. Chief James Varrichio, who coordinates the IPFD's holiday events.
That afternoon, firefighters drove the department's fire trucks in the Village Parade with Santa. The parade route stretched along Long Beach Rd. from the Department of Public Works at North Nassau Ln. to Village Hall at Warwick Rd., where hundreds of parents and children waited for Santa's arrival.
Santa, Mayor Jacqueline Papatsos and village trustees were pulled in a carriage by a white horse, and when Santa arrived at Village Hall he sat in a big chair and handed out various gifts to the kids.
Through the holiday season, the IPFD conducted for the first time a Toys for Tots drive in conjunction with its sponsor, the US Marines. Barrels for donations were distributed throughout the community, including the post office, firehouse, village hall and churches. Residents donated unwrapped toys for children nationwide, which the Marine Corps picked up at the firehouse on Monday.
The department concluded its festive holiday events with its a Christmas party at the Bridgview Yacht Club on Friday, Dec. 20, and its annual eggnog party at the firehouse on Sunday, Dec. 22.
"The children in the community appreciate all that we do," Varrichio said. "You can clearly see that from their smiles."
