In honor of Levittown’s 70th anniversary, the Levittown School District proudly hosted a senior citizen luncheon on Sept. 27 at the Levittown Memorial Education Center. Partnered with Levittown’s anniversary committee, the afternoon was filled with history, music and food.
About 50 seniors from the Golden Age Club attended the special event where culinary students from the Gerald R. Claps Career Technical Center prepared and served lunch. Under the direction of Mark Martufi, the NYSSMA gold award-winning Division Avenue High School Chamber Orchestra provided the entertainment.
Assistant Superintendent of Instruction and member of the anniversary committee Todd Winch, kicked off the event by welcoming everyone to the celebration and reflecting on the strong history of the town.
“As we know, a community is not something made up of houses, roads and schools,” he said. “Levittown is the community it is today because of its people and today we celebrate 70 years of those very people.”
Town of Hempstead councilman Dennis Dunne and Father Ralph Sommer also spoke during the luncheon. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Tonie McDonald and Peggy Marenghi, board of education president, greeted those in attendance.
While thanking numerous sponsors, Louise Cassano of the anniversary committee informed community members of upcoming events to celebrate Levittown’s history and prepare for the next major celebration in 2022, the town’s 75th anniversary. Events that will be held this year include the Chamber of Commerce Fall Festival and the Anniversary Dinner Dance on Oct. 20. The Levittown Community Council Special Events Committee also held raffles and sold Levittown memorabilia during the luncheon to support the anniversary efforts.
A slideshow of old Levittown photos was featured on the back wall of the room and as the seniors mingled, they were encouraged to fill out a history sheet to test their knowledge of the town. Towards the end of the luncheon, Paul Manton of the Levittown Historical Society went over the sheet and provided the answers to the 12 questions about Levittown while seniors called out their answers.
To conclude the afternoon, the Levittown Historical Society offered a tour of the Levittown Museum and Winch offered a tour of the courtyard garden of the Levittown School District’s Learning Center.
—Submitted by the
Levittown School District
