Dear Mr. Patti, 

I am writing to tell you that I have enjoyed viewing your Howard Beach web site many times. As a former resident, and having grown up there during the early 60's through the 1977, it brings back a lot of pleasant memories. While reading  comments by guests who have signed in, I find repeated mention of "The Big Bow Wow"; I lived two blocks down from that "local landmark"(my family moved there in late 1963), when there weren't many homes and Howard Beach was relatively undeveloped; quite different from today's landscape, at that time there were more empty sandy lots than homes!

Shortly after moving there, my father, Anthony DiNorcia, Sr., began what later evolved into a local annual attraction and a family tradition; he would decorate our house for the Christmas holiday, the lights of which were visible from as far away as Cross Bay Blvd! As word spread, many families would venture from near and far each year to enjoy our display and share holiday wishes and blessings; although it pales by comparison to today's more elaborate and technically sophisticated undertakings, back then, it was quite an attraction and definitely a novelty for it's time! One of your guests also wrote to recount his memories of our house's decorations and the many thousands of lights that were needed to create them; for many years thereafter, photographs of which appeared in the Parade Magazine section of New York's  Sunday Daily News and The Long Island Press  newspaper, as well! I am forwarding these pictures for your hopeful enjoyment, and in the hopes that you may deem them worthy of inclusion on your site as I'm confident that many "old time" Howard Beach residents will remember the corner "Christmas House" at 9018 163 rd Avenue. Also included here is a news article regarding the  Energy Crisis of 1973, and its unfortunate  consequence, as evidenced by my father's photograph in front of a darkened house; it most definitely dampened our Christmas spirit as well as that of the many visitors we had come to know. By the mid-late 70's, my father's efforts had paid off in that it served to inspire many other area resident "copy cats", in a positive way, however; their designs, aided by newer technology and in many cases, a much heftier budget, began to far surpass our "original", but I take pride in the knowledge that it all began with my father's efforts and consider it his legacy to Howard Beach; sadly, he passed away in 1986.

I'm quite confident that my family's story and photos will elicit some pleasant, and in many cases, long forgotten memories of those early years in Howard Beach; your website is the vehicle that has the capacity to deliver this bit of Howard Beach memorabilia to not only its current residents, but the many who may have moved on to other parts of the country. I am quite excited to bring you my family's story and will be anxiously awaiting your response/reaction; I also hope that you see fit to include it on your website. To that end, I am happy and honored to field any questions or cooperate in any manner.

Best regards for a Happy Holiday Season and a prosperous New Year,

Anthony R. DiNorcia, Jr.  & Richard DiNorcia, West Palm Beach, FL