It will soon be President’s Week and many of you will find yourselves looking for something to do with your Grandchildren. Do I have something new, different, educational, but above all - FUN. And that goes for both of you. There are several programs at Jones Beach for Children with an adult that sound like a lot of fun for both. Wednesday, Feb. 22 10:30 to Noon - Giants of The Sea, Thursday, Feb. 23rd to 3 p.m. - Sea Otters In The Kelp Forest, and Friday, Feb. 24th 1:30 to 3 p.m. - Manatees Not Mermaids. On Saturday, Feb. 18th and 25th there are Winter Seal Walks, and finally on Sunday, Feb. 19th you and the Grandkids can make a Dream catcher. These three are all 1:30-3 p.m. Call 516-679-7254 for Reservations and make them 2 weeks before. The fee is $3 per person so what could be better? For more information - call the same number. The program is sponsored by the Theodore Roosevelt Nature Center.

Some of our Theater loving ladies attended a recent performance of a Neil Simon play at Hofstra University and said they had a fine time. Included in the group were Carol Countryman, Regina Dowling, Sheila Birkenstock, and Martha Widner. Dinner seemed to be on their minds as they exited laughing and remembering bits of the play’s action. Broadway is lots of fun, but this is so close and reasonable that it is truly a quicker picker upper!

Taking a flower arranging class drew the attention of Betty Pupke’s daughter-in-law to be. She loved the style and colors in the arrangement and thought that maybe Betty could do the flowers for the wedding reception. Betty was flattered, but said this couldn’t really work. The teacher had indeed helped her with some of the placement. An honest lady!

The Mid-Winter Bridge sponsored by the Community Club of Garden City brought out a wonderful crowd of people - all of whom remembered their bridge from last year. The number of prizes, their variety, and no prize under $25, really caught their eye. A nice touch was that they had a Table Prize for the one with the highest score and a Boobbie Prize for the one with the least. Everyone else forgets the low scorer. Among those who enjoyed the afternoon were Marcia O’Brien, Linda Burdi, Rose Forgione, Doris Stewart, Amy Small, Marilyn O’Brien, Valerie Lemkul, and Janet Littlejohn. I bet they can’t wait for next year’s Bridge.

Happy Birthday wishes go to Margaret Maguire who celebrates her very special day on the 10th of February, and to Irene Christie (and her twin Brother) who will celebrate their’s on the 13th of this month. A special lady and a special Birthday is Alice Mara, who will celebrate her Birthday on St. Valentine’s Day and it will be a truly special one as she will turn 80 years young on that date. May they all have a wonderful day and a great year in which to enjoy health and happiness and many more years to come.

Dr. Douglas Dieterich was named Doctor of The Year recently by his fellow Doctors in the field of Liver disease. His family was especially proud of him as were his parents - Florence and Al Dieterich. They are all residents of Garden City. Congratulations Doctor - you earned it.

February has just arrived, but March will not be far behind. March is the time that brings in Women’s History Month and The League of Women Voters in Nassau County will honor the Work of Women on March 21st from 4 to 7 p.m. at The Westbury Manor with a Buffet-Reception. Kathleen Rice, Nassau County District Attorney will be the speaker and among the organizations being honored is the Nassau County Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Garden City resident Muriel Urban is a Director on that organization’s Board and they are a member group of the Community Fund of Garden City.

Today is also a big day for Lauren Fiorentino, Public policy Chairlady of the Garden City Branch of A.A.U.W. She will receive special recognition from UNICEF for her TV production based on their 2005 Conference, “World Out of Balance.” It will be presented to Lauren at this year’s Conference at the UN today. Congrats are surely in order.

So many ladies in the Garden City Branch of A.A.U.W. also do their part in many ways to help on both a local and national and International level that we can all be very proud of them. Among them are Sally Richmond, Mary Jane Gearns, Georgene Harrison, Jean Schmutz, and Susan Cioni and of course Lauren Fiorentino. We are proud of you all.

See you all next week and don’t forget to get that someone special a card on the 14th.