Observer_1987-04-08; East Rockaway/Lynbrook Observer

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Newspaper
Inc Village
School District
Inc Village
"THE GOOD NEIGHBOR NEWSPAPER "
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VOL. 34 NO. 14 Wednesday, April 8,1987 30^ PER COPY
Fire Destroys
Sleep Shop
FIRE DESTROYS VITALITY SLEEP SHOP. A major
fire devastated the row of stores located on the corner of
Atlantic Avenue and Sunrise Highway in Lynbrook last
week, with more than 6 communities responding to help
fight the blaze. (Photos by John Cribbin).
Firemen take a break courtesy of some helpful residents.
^^jtAitooA
Lynbrook Public Library
Bus Trips:
Friday, May 8 - Hershey
Chocolate Factoiy Tour,
Hershey, PA. $44 for lunch
and round trip bus.
Monday, May 18 - Statue
of Liberty tour with lunch in
Chinatown. $35.00 includes
lunch and round trip bus.
Call 599-8630 for details.
Adult Movie - Thursday,
April 16, 7:30 p.m.
Twice in a Lifetime - with
Gene Hackman, Ann Mar-garet
and Ellen Burstyn.
Children's Department
Saturday Movies - at
11:00 a.m.
April 18 - The Boy Who
Never Was
Saturday, April 25 at 2:30
Rhythm 'Robics - Bring
energy for fun with exercises
and creative movement
using bean bags, imagina-
Last Chance For Alumni Dance
tion, scarves and rhythm
instruments. For children
ages 3 to 5. Registration
required - sign up at Child-ren's
Desk.
The East Rockaway
L i b r a r y is pleased to
a n n o u n c e its s p r i n g / -
summer Tot Time With
Mom program. Toddlers,
2'/2-3'/2 years old can enjoy
s t o r i e s , games, songs
puppets and films in a group
setting. Classes will be held
Fridays, May 1-June 12
from 10:15-10:45 or 11:00-
11:30. A parent must attend
with each child but outside
care is required for siblings—
they cannot be admitted to
the room. The registration
fee is five dollars. In person
registration begins Friday,
April 24th at 10:00 am.
Proof of age is required.
East Rockaway cardholders
will be given preference.
Come on Rocks! Tickets
can be purchased at the door
forthe East Rockaway High
School Alumni Associa-tion's
Spring Fundraising
Cocktail Party on Saturday,
April 11, 1981 from 8 p.m.
to midnight at the American
Legion's Colonial Room on
Main Street in East Rocka-way.
But please call Paula
DePietro to let her know
you are coming (599-8475)!
This Spring 1987 Alumni
event has a "Fabulous Fif-ties"
theme which will be
evident in the room decor as
well as in the clothing worn
by those who dare to dress
the part (poodle skirts? peg
pants?).
Whether or not you "wea-thered"
the era, "Chances
Are" you will have a won-derfuhime
joining alumni
from all the decades as the
Rocks prove once again that
they; know how to party.
The cost is $ 18.00 per per-son
andiaclude&a hot buffet
and a DJ to provide music to
"Rock Around the Clock".'
There will be a cash bar and
a raffle with cash prizes.
It is hoped that the Com-mittee
of Class Rerpresenta-
On October 26, 1912,
young William Woolsey of
Lynbrook heard that there
was a fire in the Old Sand
Hole Church in "Near"
Rockaway. William was in
possession of a new folding,
"Autograph" Kodak (a
small panel at the back of
the camera could be opened
in order to write dates and
locations on the film). Wil-liam
dashed to the scene and
proudly snapped this and
other fine photos, which he
donated to the Grist Mill
Museum some tvyenty years
ago.
"I thought I could make a
fortune with my pictures of
the fire," William told ye his-torian,
"but 1 didn't!"
Well, we in the Museum,
certainly think they are most
valuable and may be seen by
many visitors.
With a magnifying glass
you can make out a tall:
monument in the upper
rigl\t of the picture. Still
there, it was erected in
memory of those who per-ished
in the years 1836-37
when two ships the "Mex-ico"
and the "Bristol"
enroute from England sank
during storms off our shore.
The smoke was still rising
from the remains of the old
church when William took
tives for each of the fifty
graduating classes from East
Rockaway High School,
which is currently being put
together, will be completed
and, announced at the April
11 affair. The "Fossilized
Rocks", an alumni so-called
vocal group, will present a
few numbers.
Do not be left out. Call to
say you will be paying at the
door, or forward your check
or money order, made pay-able
to the East Rockaway
High School Alumni Asso-ciation
in the amount of
$18.00 per person to Paula
De Pietro, 15 Denton
Avenue, East Rockaway,
New York 11518 (599-8475)
Becker Appointed
Assemblyman Gregory R.
Becker (R-C, Lynbrook)has
been appointed to serve on
the state Assembly Sub-committee
on Long Island
Highways by Assembly
Republican Leader C.D.
"Rapp" Rappleyea.
"1 am pleased to be
selected to serve on the Sub-committee
on Long Island
Highways," stated Assem-blyman
Becker. "Many
pressing issues regarding
Long Island roadways must
be addressed both swiftly
and adequately, and I wel-come
the. opportunity to
pairtlcipateln this process."
. According to Becker, the
Subcommittee on Long
Island Highways deals with
legislation affecting the
maintenance and improve-ment
of highways through-out
Long Island.
"As we all know," said
Becker, "Long Island roads
are vital to our daily routine.
Thousands of commuters
utilize our highways every
day. This factor, combined
with the natural elements of
weatherization and long-term
decay, have caused
many of our roads to fall
into a state of disrepair.
"My primary goal," con-tinued
Becker, "as a member
of the Subcommittee on
Long Island Highways, will
be to review various aspects
of cost-effective road main-tenance
and improvement.
Such action will provide
Long Island commuters
with safe and efficient
roadways."
The a s s e m b l y m an
expressed his enthusiasm
about his new position.
"1 certainly look forward
to working with the other
members of this subcommit-tee
to analyze the special
concerns that will further
enchance Long Island high-ways,"
stated Assemblyman
Becker.
" T h e plan that we
a d o p t e d , " c o n t i n u ed
Becker, "established an
MTA special assistance
fund, including a transit
account and commuter rail-road
account which will
receive funding from exist-ing
mortgage recording tax
receipts. A corporate trans-portation
account will
receive MTA mortgage
recording tax receipts result-ing
from the elimination of
the state tax credit to lenders
(Continued on Page 12)
Turning Back The Clock
by Mildred Roemer
the picture of the spectators
gathered about.
The Methodist Sand Hole
Church was built in 1790. It
had been rebuilt after two
previous fires, but the 1912
fire ended its important
function as a place of Wor-ship
for all surrounding
communities. Present-day
churches that owe their her-itage
to Sand Hole include
St. .lames. United Metho-dist,
Lynbrook; Oceanside
M e t h o d i s t ; The "Old
Church" on fienton Avenue
Lynbrook, which was
formed in 1912. The Wind-sor
Avenue Bible Church,
Oceanside; the Church of
the Nazarene, East Rockaway,
and Hendrickson Avenue
Bible Church in Lynbrook.
If one were to search for
many of the old tombstones
that are pictured they would
not be found. The present
owners of the cemetery state
that in 1945 vandals des-troyed
and scattered most of
them and fire destroyed the
map giving the location of
the family plots.
These facts were told to ye
historian by Miss Charlotte
Denton of the well-known
East Rockaway family when
she was researching her
ancestry. Miss Denton
said that, along with the
members of her immediate
family, Peggy Woodpile, a
young black girl, daughter
of one of their domestics and
member of Bethany Con-gregational
Church had also
been buried in their plot
with a brown headstone.