A great day on the lake for Rockville Centre residents

It was a perfect day for the Rockville Centre Conservancy’s June 23 kayak outing on Hempstead Lake and about 60 residents, including Mayor Francis Murray and Deputy Mayor Nancy Howard, enjoyed being on the water. Volunteers from Floodlight Rescue Company, under the direction of Captain John Hennig, launched the RVC Fire Department’s rescue boat to watch over the kayakers.

The event was designed to encourage outdoor activities in the village and to attract participation in the conservancy, according to event organizer Mary Beth Croutier.

“People know about the Skelos Sport Complex,” she said, “but right next to it is a fabulous walking trail. We want to see that these areas are used and maintained,” she said.

She said that a runner stopping to watch the kayaks being put into the lake on Sunday said he had driven four hours to Pennsylvania to kayak the weekend before. “I could have come here!” she quoted him as saying before he phoned his wife and son to come join the outing.

The conservancy is sponsoring a number of local outdoor projects, including a community garden, and invites interested residents to visit its website at www.rvcconservancy.org to volunteer or to offer ideas.