Planning for Lynbrook's 100th Anniversary

Twenty or so members of the Lynbrook Centennial Committee squeezed into Mayor Bill Hendrick's office on Tuesday evening, making sure everything was ready to go for this Saturday's Centennial Dinner Dance at the Elks Lodge.

These Lynbrook residents, many of them living here their whole lives, are the brains behind the massive operation of planning for the village's 100th anniversary of incorporation, a celebration that began last September and will continue into the summer. This Saturday's dance is one of the premiere events planned by the committee.

It is these people who sat in dozens of meetings, made countless phone calls, distributed fliers and put their time and effort behind every minor detail that went into planning for all of the events residents have enjoyed over the past six months.

So how does a village plan for its 100th birthday?

"We all went out, put an ad in the local paper that anyone who wanted to participate in the 100th anniversary was to call Village Hall," said Carol Burak, a member of the Centennial Committee. "I had volunteered to help with the [Centennial] journal and before I knew it, the mayor's secretary was calling me, giving me names of all the people who wanted to get involved.

"We met, and it just snowballed," Burak said.

Peg Smith, a member of the Centennial Committee, said she wanted to get involved because she's been a resident of Lynbrook since 1969. A member of the Doe Club at the Elks Lodge, Smith said she's held many dances, and also has a passion for being active in the community.

"It's going to be beautiful," Smith said of this Saturday's event.

For a community as close-knit as Lynbrook, the village probably could have planned a fitting commemoration with one or two centennial events. But the Centennial Committee wasn't content with that, choosing instead to have a series of centennial-themed events to bring the community together several times over the past six months.

"We tried to do something every month," Burak said. "So basically, in some cases it was feasible, in some cases it wasn't."

The celebration began in September 2010 with the , a gathering of residents, local clubs and organizations, and businesses on a beautiful day at Greis Park. In October, Atlantic Avenue was shut down and given a spooky makeover for , with children and their parents dressed in costumes and enjoying Halloween treats. In December, Atlantic Avenue was transformed into a winter wonderland for the . Hundreds of Lynbrook residents braved the bitter cold to meet Santa, watch Christmas movies, purchase different holiday treats and check out the petting zoo.

In January, Lynbrook historian Art Mattson took residents back in time with "." Mattson showed residents the history of music, theater, movies, and television shows that had some connection to Lynbrook. He even had a barbershop quartet sing the village song, "Lynbrook, U.S.A." And in February, a centennial-themed for Lynbrook's senior citizens was held at the Lynbrook Recreation Center.

This Saturday is the Centennial Dinner Dance, which includes a great selection of food, dancing, speeches from local elected officials, and even a birthday cake for Lynbrook. Tickets are still available for this event. They are $100 each and can be purchased at the Lynbrook Recreation Center. Call Pat McDermott at (516) 599-8000 for details.

So after months of planning, the Centennial Dinner Dance is finally just a couple of days away. When asked if everything was ready to go, Burak chuckled, "I guess we're as prepared as we will be."