Many years ago, while thinking about the origins of the Village, Mayor Emil Pavlik realized that the then-future centennial year would be a fine time to make people aware of Amityville’s rich heritage and how it could be build upon in continuing to make Amityville a first rate place in which to live and work.

Three years ago Mayor Pavlik asked me to head a committee to plan a celebratory year of events and positive publicity. He suggested a number of possible committee members, and I began making phone calls. I was encouraged when the willingness to participate was almost unanimous.

The Committee adopted a firm philosophy from the start: enhance what already exists, rather than creating "new" symbols and events. For example, the Centennial logo is a derivation of the Village logo, and our motto is "Echoes of the past...visions of the future."

The Committee took on three main goals: to celebrate and commemorate this major anniversary of the Village’s incorporation; to enhance the image of Amityville; and to strengthen our sense of Amityville’s history and document it.

The executive committee of ten developed sub-committees, expanding direct involvement to over 40 people. Those 40 brought in scores more as they took ideas and plans back to their families and organizations. Soon, the 1994 calendar was full of Centennial-themed events (updated calendar atttached), and even though we’ve reached 1994, more events still are being scheduled. The entire community, residential, organizational, religious, and business, has become caught up in the Centennial mood.

Two lasting commemorations which the committee foresees are a Village flag and a monument in the form of a mini-park. The flag is in the design stage, and the park, though a solid plan, is in discussion. The committee has made Centennial T-shirts and pins available, and in March, photographs of old Amityville will be for sale. In addition, I understand that several business people are ordering Centennial items to be sold throughout the year.

In order to acclaim Amityville to the "outside" world, the committee has sought publicity from a number of sources. Several of the Centennial events have been accepted for inclusion on the LI Tourism commission’s Long Island is a Fall Festival calendar, therefore those events will receive national advertisement. WALK Radio has agreed to be Amityville’s official Centennial radio station, and we can expect to see their mobile unit at a few of our major events. Also, having our own Amityville Centennial postmark through the month of March has given us more national exposure, and Postmaster Bill Jeffrey tells us that he’s been receiving inquiries from across the nation for months. In addition, we have received word that Amityville will be spotlighted municipality in the September issue of NY Conference of Mayors’ (NYCOM) bi-monthly magazine which is mailed to every municipal official throughout New York State.

As we proceed into this milestone year of our Village history, I encourage people to continue contributing ideas and suggestions to the Centennial Committee. It is our hope to end 1994 with an enhanced appreciation of Amityville and its heritage, and strong hopes for its future.