From Saturday Night's Fire on New York Avenue

Photos by Steve Silverman.  See more photos here.

The fire broke out in the building housing the Village Artist, Red restaurant, a law firm and other businesses. It was brought under control within three hours, with crews remaining on the scene dousing hot spots through the night until about noon on Sunday. 

Multiple fire departments--Huntington, Huntington Manor, Halesite, Cold Spring Harbor, Centerport, Greenlawn, East Northport, Syosset, Huntington Community First Aid Squad with Melville, Commack and Oyster Bay on standby --responded Saturday night. About 70 patrons of Red were evacuated, leaving meals on the tables that were still there on Sunday afternoon as fire officials nailed condemnation signs on several storefronts. 

Suffolk County Legis. William "Doc" Spencer was on the scene, as were Town Councilwoman Tracey Edwards and  Suffolk County Water Authority Chairman Jim Gaughran to assist the firefighters with water issues.

Huntington Fire Chief Robert Berry was in command, with Operations Chiefs Jesse Cukro, Robert Conroy and Brian Keane.  Approximately 150 firefighters on the scene with 20 trucks.  The Suffolk Police Arson Squad and Huntington Fire Marshal are investigating. Suffolk Fire-Rescue Coordinators were also on the scene providing assistance. 

Help at the Hydrants

As more snow heads for Huntington, here's a reminder from the Huntington Manor Fire Department about keeping hydrants clear.

A drive around a few business parking lots Saturday made clear that plenty of snow remains stacked at corners, making navigation and sightlines difficult.

So, too, the edges of many properties remain covered by snow.

Let's give the guys a hand.

Aviva Drescher Coming to the Book Revue

Book Revue will host Real Housewives of New York star Aviva Drescher Tuesday.


She'll be speaking about and signing her new memoir, Leggy Blonde.  Aviva tells the story of how she lost her foot in a barn accident at the age of six and the numerous—sometimes bizarre— attempts to reattach it. 

After a trip to India to be “cured” by a famous mystic, young Aviva learned to use fashion and style to draw attention away from her prosthesis. She fled to Paris in her early twenties, where she transformed herself into a wild club chick and danced on tables with the crème de la crème of the big-hair supermodel era.

The event is set for 7 p.m.

Blaze Destroys Businesses on New York Avenue

Photo by Steve Silverman

A big fire broke out Saturday night at a building housing an art store and other businesses on New York Avenue.

Andre Sorrentino, owner of PAS Auto Body and Sorrentino Trucking, said the fire broke out first in the art store next door to Red Restaurant. 

Sorrentino, who helped the Tilden Brakes owners stay in business after their fire in July, shared photos posted by Rookies. 

No injuries have been reported. Sirens could be heard around town as departments responded to the blaze.

About three hours before the fire was reported, the restaurant posted  "Whether it's dinner and dancing you're after or just a few cocktails with friends, Red has everything you need this Saturday night!!"

Snow? Yes, More on the Way

Are we ready for this? More snow is on the way. We advise using weather.gov, not the storm-naming folks at The Weather Channel, to keep on top of things.

Also, Newsday's weather reporting is pretty good, too.

UPDATE 4:24 p.m. Saturday:

• Snow likely, mainly after 3pm. Cloudy, with a high near 34. West wind 5 to 8 mph becoming north in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
• Sunday NightSnow. Low around 21. North wind 7 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches possible.
• MondaySnow, mainly before 3pm. High near 23. North wind 13 to 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

St. Pat's Parade Set for March 9

The 80th annual Huntington St. Patrick's Day Parade will kick off at 2 p.m. Sunday March 9. 

Marchers will head go from just north of the LIRR station to Main Street, turn west and end at St. Patrick's Church.

Grand marshall is Dominick Feeney, the fourth member of his family to lead the huge Ancient Order of Hibernians parade. 

AOH Treasurer, Rich McGrath adds, "many residents mistakenly think the Town sponsors the parade each year, but in truth it's actually the Hibernians who organize, promote, run and raise the money needed to pay for all the expenses associated with putting on this spectacular parade. Each year, the Hibernians go door to door soliciting donations from local businesses for advertisements which appear in this special St. Patrick's Day Parade edition of the Long Islander and Record. It is these generous ad sponsors that enable us to run the parade, so we hope folks support their businesses."

Civil War Roundtable to Meet

Dr. Timothy Sedore will discuss his book, An Illustrated Guide to Virginia's Confederate Monuments, which enumerates the more than 350 memorials marking the bloody battles in Virginia, at the March 6 meeting of the North Shore Civil War Roundtable.

The group meets at 7 p.m. at the South Huntington Library and is open to all with an interest in the Civil War.