Dear Editor:
On behalf of the members of the North Hudson Firefighters and Fire Officers Association, I would like to sincerely thank all the government agencies and individuals who made our 5th Annual Christmas Parade a huge success. With the support of the management of the North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue and the tremendous cooperation of the communities of North Bergen, Guttenberg, West New York, Union City and Weehawken, the firefighters of North Hudson distributed over 10,000 coloring books, donated by Hudson City News, and 10,000 candy canes and candy, donated by Ampesil of North Bergen.
As in the past, we also would like to honor the generosity of Bobby Tsakarakis, the owner of P & L Burger Pit of Union City whose contributions of gifts and the use of his business is greatly appreciated, along with the tremendous efforts of over 100 firefighters who volunteered their time to make the parade a complete success. We would like to express our gratitude to Emerson High School and Union Hill High School for their participation and to the Port Authority of NY/NJ color guard, McGuire Air Force Base, Marines, Army and the Emerson Jr. R.O.T.C., and Perfect Party of West New York for donating over 20 costumes, our many float sponsors, and Royal Printing Services for donating over 25,000 flyers.
A special thanks to the Police Departments of North Bergen, Guttenberg, West New York and Union City whose cooperation and professionalism insured a safe parade for the thousands of residents and participants who watched the parade route along Bergenline Avenue throughout North Hudson. The firefighters of North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue hope to build on the spirit of cooperation this year, to put together an ever bigger and better parade for Christmas 2004.
William Renner
Parade Chairman
North Hudson Firefighters Association