By Nyssa Francis
Referring to the president of the East Meadow Chamber of Commerce, former town supervisor and resident Gregory Peterson opened the event by joking, "Alan Hodish demanded sun and he got it."
When Hodish took to the podium, he reiterated Peterson's words of thanks offered to all who contributed to the town square project, ending his speech by passionately proclaiming to the residents of East Meadow, "This one's for you."
Along with the official ribbon cutting on the 21-foot-wide gazebo, the event also featured the presentation of two monuments commemorating the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Three personalized bricks, embedded in the square's concrete path, were unveiled in memory of Thomas DeAngelis, Carlos Dominguez and Ann McGovern, the three local residents who died in the attacks.
The East Meadow Kiwanis Club also presented a marble monument with a plaque that reads, "In the name of freedom to those who lost their lives. September 11, 2001."
"I had pictured in my mind what I wanted for this tribute, and was obsessed with seeing it through to its completion," said Sal Napolitano, the Kiwanis Club member who headed the monument project. "The project was a year and a half in the making."
On the event's lighter side, the local band Daisyhead provided the music, and a clown made animal-shaped balloons for the children. At a booth run by local talk radio station WLIE, East Meadow residents played a "spin the wheel" game, trying to win a WLIE T-shirt. Rita's Italian Ices was also on hand to provide refreshments.
It was 1996 Chamber of Commerce President Patrick Curry who first envisioned creating a town square. According to Curry, the idea was inspired by the rich history of the grounds at East Meadow and Prospect avenues.
Currently the site of Veterans Memorial Park, the plot was originally the property of the heavily visited Noon Inn in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Curry said that there was a deep desire to make the area the center of East Meadow activity once again.
Initially, he said, even though the idea was warmly embraced, there were concerns about raising money to build a town square. The Chamber of Commerce alone was able to raise $50,000 for the project. There were several other sources of funding, including a New York State grant. According to Curry, the town square represented a "great partnership" between government and community.
Now open for over a year, the square will play host to myriad events in the future, including a July 18 concert.
While last year's was snowed out, another Christmas tree and menorah lighting ceremony is slated for this December.
Residents are invited to visit the town square anytime during Veterans Memorial Park's normal hours.
