East Williston hosted a Reminiscing Breakfast on Saturday, Feb. 28, with senior residents and historians as part of the village’s centennial celebration.
Held in the village hall, the event featured speeches from members of the East Williston Historic Committee and community members with longstanding ties, who shared childhood memories and described how the village has changed and also remained steady over its 100 years.
Residents, event organizers, and village officials shared breakfast and viewed historic documents, photos, and news clippings of pivotal events in village history.
Mayor Bonnie Parente thanked the village residents for being there, highlighting one former resident who grew up in East Williston and traveled from her current home in California just for the event.
Parente said she is looking forward to future centennial events, including the LIRR historical event on March 14, the centennial gala on April 23 and the time capsule burial on April 25.
“These events are coming together so nicely over the last couple of weeks,” Parente said.
“I love hearing the history, you guys are a phenomenal community,” County Legislator Scott Strauss said. “I’m glad to see that you’re all still here and that your families are still here.”
Chris Siciliano, chairman of the Historic Committee, told residents about the Fire Department’s history and some of the fires it has fought in the village.
He talked about historical fires, including those at the Northside School and the Wheatley Hills County Club. Siciliano showed old commendation ribbons, photos of fires and firefighters and remembered past chiefs and firefighters who could not make it to the celebration.
Carla Strauss, a former teacher and school board member in the village, shared her history and career in local schools with residents.
“We live in one of the best places we could ever live in,” she said. “So take interest in the schools, the library, the village programs… we have the best village we could ask for.”
Pat Hurleigh, a member of the historic society, told stories of her summers growing up in East Williston. She shared a handwritten program from a play that she, her sister and their friends put on in 1957.
The play was “Cinderella,” and other cast members from the time were in the audience. Together they reminisced about casting each other in roles, practicing in a small backyard shaft at a friend’s house and the five-cent tickets they sold to neighborhood adults.
“Each time we said goodbye, we knew we would meet again,” Hurleigh said, “and that was our childhood.”
