Huntington Celebrates With Unity Parade

Led by a combined band from two high schools, the fourth annual Huntington Awareness Day parade marched up New York Avenue Saturday in a theme of unity in the community.

Classic cars, a dog parade within the parade, various community organizations, a Marine honor guard, firefighters and others participated in the march which ended in a fair in the parking lot north of the Long Island Rail Road station. Political leaders, including U.S. Rep. Steve Israel, County legislators William Spencer and Lou D'Amaro and members of the Town Board, joined the parade.

The Whitman and Huntington high school bands marched together though alternated playing time. Leaders of both districts marched with the bands.

Several people who have contributed to the community were recognized for their efforts, including Alvin White, Dee Thompson, Alfred Sforza and Charles Gumbs.  Sforza, who is 99 years old, is a keeper of Huntington history and known as "Freddy the Shoemaker." Gumbs, 83, is a member of the Huntington Knights of Columbus who worked in the trucking industry and who, as a member of the armed forces stationed in the Middle East in the early 1950s, was a champion middleweight boxer.

Two men who died in the last year, State Rep. James Conte and Lawrence Kushnick, the chairman of the Huntington Township, were honored wtih a release of balloons in their name and a prayer led by the Rev. Larry Jennings.

As has happened in the past, a vintage car stalled trying to clear the LIRR station underpass as the marchers ahead of the cars came to a halt. This year, a 1940 Ford carrying Supervisor Frank Petrone was the victim; the car's owner said he had flooded the engine and the car's passengers left the car. The owner eventually got it started and drove it away.