40 years in the making

To the editor: The party to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Smith's Clove Park was a year in the planning. That it was such a great success is due to a large number of people, some who were on board from the beginning and others who stepped up days or even minutes before. They are listed here for recognition of their commitment to help their community when called. To Town Supervisor Sandy Leonard and Village Mayor Joe Mancuso, who brought a dignified and touching tribute to the day, reminding us why the park means so much. To the wonderful Ken Cashman, fresh off the heels from the Cheese Festival, who gave a rousing performance and handled the MC task with professionalism and fun. To the cooks: Frank Beams and his crew from the Sons of the American Legion Post 488. To Mike Phipps and the boy scouts from Pack 440. Jim Nelson from the Monroe Historical Society and Rebecca Lynn, children's librarian from the Monroe Free Library. To teens, Kayla, Liz, Matt, Michael and Michele. To local parents Lisa Garvey, Ira Wasserman and Tina Skarkas. To volunteers from the Little League, Hockey League, Racquetball and Paddleball groups and the Orange County Bulldogs. To the Monroe Ambulance Department, Mombasha Fire Department, Monroe Police Department and Monroe Highway Department. Next, many thanks go out to Paul Truax, the park maintenance director and his staff, Jamie, Cliff and Anthony. They went above and beyond to provide a clean and well organized event. They do a great job all year, and much of it behind the scenes. To Dan DiMeglio and Lily Marcotte for running many events throughout the day. And to Brownie Troop #333 for their beautiful signs that were used throughout the park. And to DJ George, who played the tunes, kept the crowd pumped, and made announcements, practically from sun up, to well after sun down, filling in the gap heroically and wonderfully due to the last minute and n disappointing n cancellation by the Allegro Orchestra. The fireworks were magnificent, with a terrific background musical score, courtesy of DJ George Carney. The 40th anniversary of Smith's Clove Park was an extremely successful event, due in large part to the generous donations from local businesses. We'd like to thank Wal-Mart for the fireworks; BJ's for water; Bagel World for bagels for the Fun Run; ShopRite for their donation of hotdogs, snacks and water; and Fran's Hallmark for balloons. Other businesses made a money donation, and for that we'd like to thank them as well. Those companies were Hudson United Bank, M&T Bank, and Orange & Rockland Utilities. The following shops donated prizes for the raffle: Captain's Table, TGI Friday's, Chili's, Stop & Shop and Museum Village. And, to the Photo News for their coverage of park events, and for their generous space in printing this extremely long "thank you" note. We thank you all for stepping up and contributing to help mark an important milestone in Smith's Clove Park history. Sincerely, Monroe Joint Park Recreation Commission Smith's Clove Park n Community Events