The longtime commander of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Second Precinct will be the grand marshal and honors will be bestowed on a police officer wounded in the line of duty, a 101-year-old wartime aircraft worker, a volunteer chaplain at the VA medical center and two families with longtime contributions to the community as the Sixth Annual Huntington Awareness Day parade kicks off on Saturday, September 12.
First held in 2010, Huntington Awareness Day has become an annual tradition, with thousands of people turning out to celebrate the community’s unity, diversity and solidarity.
As in previous years, bands, floats, vintage cars, service groups and local merchants will join the march down New York Avenue through Huntington Station from West Hills Road to the municipal parking lot between Railroad and Church Streets. The parking lot will also be the location of the annual Awareness Day fair, which will include performances by local artists and booths offering crafts and services. The parade will begin at 11 a.m. and the fair will remain open until 5 p.m.
Leading the parade as grand marshal will be Insp. Edward Brady, who retired last month after serving almost six years as commanding officer of the Second Precinct, which covers Huntington. Insp. Brady’s Suffolk County Police Department police career spanned 36 years, 14 of which were spent in various Second Precinct assignments.
Also being honored from the SCPD is Officer Mark Collins. In March, Collins, a 12-year veteran of the force, was shot in the neck and hip a while chasing a suspected gang member who had fled after a traffic stop in Huntington Station. The suspect accused of shooting Collins is awaiting trial. Collins, who in 2008 was named Second Precinct officer of the year and who previously had received a medal for helping save a man’s life during a house fire, has recovered from his injuries.
The other honorees include:
-- Sophie Sarro, a 101-year-old Huntington Station native who while trained as a seamstress worked during World War II helping to manufacture airplanes for Grumman Aircraft. She later worked in the machine shop at Republic Aviation, where she met her husband, Sal. A mother and grandmother, she is still active in Town senior clubs and in sewing robes and other items she donates to charitable organizations.
-- Frank LaBarbara, a Korean War veteran and retired owner of an engineering and manufacturing company. He has volunteered for many years as a Eucharistic minister at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Northport. He has also co-chaired the employment network program at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs church for more than 20 years.
-- the Harris family, whose patriarch, Rufus Harris, an accomplished mechanic, overcame segregation in South Carolina, moved to Huntington and founded an automobile repair shop, Rufus & Sons, which was one of the first African-American owned businesses in Huntington. The shop included two generations of the Harris family and was in business for 40 years.
-- the Sorrentino family, who have been fixtures on the Huntington business scene for many years. Andrea Sorrentino has operated a shoe repair shop in Huntington village for 35 years. His sons, Pasquale and Andre, own an auto body shop. The have been active in civic and charitable affairs, as well as in the Huntington Fire Department, where Andre Sorrentino is a commissioner. For each of the past five Thanksgivings, the family has given away 300 turkeys to needy families.
“Every year, we celebrate the progress we have made as a community and single out some of the many worthy residents who have helped us get to where we are,” Supervisor Frank P. Petrone said. “This year’s honorees touch a broad range of areas, from running successful businesses to volunteering to help others to working to keep us all safe. I hope that everyone will join us at the parade to show our appreciation for their contributions.”
“We hope that people will come to the parade and stay for the festival, which thanks to the generosity of our sponsors remains a great day of entertainment, free activities for children and a chance to learn about the many organizations offering services to help the community,”
said parade founder Dolores Thompson, who co-chairs the event with Supervisor Petrone and Huntington Station Business Improvement District president Keith Barrett.
“We work hard all year to make the community better, and it’s important to step back once a year and celebrate what we have done,” Barrett said.
Persons can obtain details about sponsorship or parade participation and download the forms at the website www.huntingtonawareness.org, They can also obtain updates about the parade and festival by “liking” the Unity in the Community-Huntington Awareness Day Facebook page (www.facebook.com/HACPHuntingtonAwarenessDay) or by following @HuntingtonDay on Twitter.
Those interested in becoming a parade sponsor, entering a float in the parade or reserving vendor space can also contact Dolores Thompson at 631-470-0636 or by sending an email to huntsec1@aol.com.