All birthdays are special, but my birthday in 1959 left me with several enduring memories. The celebration at home included the usual greeting cards and gifts. To top it off, my mom honored the family custom of preparing a meal that included many of my favorites: shrimp cocktail, lobster bisque, fried shrimp, French fried potatoes and birthday cake. In their hit recording released just one year prior, The Crests sang, “Sixteen candles make a lovely light.” Indeed, in addition to the regular festivities, this particular birthday featured two major milestones in my life. At age 16, I qualified f ..read more

Mineola Board of Education Trustee Cheryl Lampasona is re-running for her seat. The Nassau Illustrated reached out to her to talk about her candidacy, goals and what makes her a good fit for the board. Nassau Illustrated: What inspired you to run and re-run? Lampasona: When my son oldest son, now eighth grade, entered pre-k, which at the time was only three half-days a week, I knew I wanted to be involved in his school journey. I joined the Hampton Street PTA and became an active volunteer. After two years, I became co-PTA president at Hampton Street. It was the first time I saw all the wonder ..read more

With over 100 years of scouting, Troop 45 has been going on trips. (Photo courtesy Rich Bongiorno) Troop 45, which celebrated 100 years of excellence in 2020, has returned to its full schedule of activities for year 101. The scouting year aligns with the school calendar, and in the fall, the troop resumed its weekly meetings and monthly scouting events. In September, the troop kicked off the scouting year with a Family Picnic at Wantagh State Park. For October, there was a weekend trip to Valley Forge. November and December were our traditional hiking and Klondike Prep trips. Speaking of Klond ..read more

It was a dizzying morning at the Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building in Mineola. State Sen. Anna Kaplan, joined by state and county officials, as well as concerned residents, call on Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman to cut the county gas tax. (Photo by Jennifer Corr) At 10:30 a.m. on April 11, State Senators Anna Kaplan, Jim Gaughran and John Brooks, State Assemblymember Chuck Lavine, as well as members of the Nassau County Legislature were joined by fed-up drivers to call on Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman to cut the county gas tax. The press conference followed ..read more

The rules of bingo here are simple, but Harmonica Sunbeam adds joy and laughter to the classic game. Sunbeam, a drag queen performer, event hostess and wedding officiant, has been entertaining audiences for 27 years with their sense of fashion and humor. On April 5, Sunbeam graced Black Sheep Ale House in Mineola to host six games of bingo, complete with prizes of wine and gift cards. Participants played six games of bingo while enjoying Black Sheep Ale House’s wide-array of beer, liquor and wine offerings. (Photo by Jennifer Corr) “First game is regular bingo, regular bingo,” Sunbeam said, be ..read more

The Nassau County Legislative Majority joined County Executive Bruce Blakeman on March 30 to announce that the county is creating a program to provide grants for veterans’ halls and facilities. The grant funds will come from federal American Rescue and Recovery Act (ARPA) monies. The program is intended to help veterans’ halls and facilities, which sustained financial losses as they were not able to rent the facilities for catered events during the COVID lockdowns. “As a retired U.S. Army Lt. Colonel, I have always made veterans a priority and it was clear that they deserved to be included in ..read more

  Former Mayor Scott Strauss had his last day on April 4. (Anton Media Group File Photo)Former Mayor Scott Strauss Starts New Chapter Much has changed on the Mineola Village Board since the March 15 election. Deputy Mayor Paul Pereira has just moved to the mayoral seat as former Mayor Scott Strauss will have his last day on April 4. Trustee Janine Sartori, who was officially elected after being appointed, and trustee Jeffrey Clark are settling into their seats and soon there will be another seat once Pereira chooses someone to finish out his term. Strauss was happy to see the team that Pe ..read more

Staff, students and families of Meadow Drive School in the Mineola Union Free School District donated children’s pajamas and warm socks to send to an orphanage in Poland that is helping Ukrainian refugee children. The drive was hosted by the Manessis Family, who has a connection to the orphanage and wanted to do something to help. Thanks to the community’s support, Meadow Drive was able to contribute 369 pairs of pajamas and 112 packages of socks, as well as a few other toiletries, to children in need. —Submitted by the Mineola Union Free School District ..read more

Learn about the history of the Mineola Memorial Library on nassaulibrary.info. (Photo by Jennifer Corr) New for the month of March, the Mineola Memorial Library released a new library scrapbook, a collection of photos, news stories and other documents between the 1950s and the 1960s by Edwin Merara Jr., the library’s circulation clerk. It can be found on the website under the “local history” menu by clicking “Library Scrapbook: 1950s-1970s.” Located in the heart of Mineola, this library has held a special place in the hearts of many people over the years, and it continues to do so. Many memori ..read more

An archived photo of the old Lutheran Church of Our Savior. (From Mineola American Courtesy Lutheran Church of Our Savior) The Lutheran Church of Our Saviour will celebrate its 101st anniversary on March 27. In 1921, Mineola was mostly farm country. Houses of worship also served as social centers of the village. As the village blossomed, so did the Lutheran Church of Our Saviour. The small group of Lutherans that worshipped in the home of Katherine Ebehard grew and soon needed its own chapel. The wooden building that served both as a chapel and parsonage was built by Adam Haab, a local contrac ..read more