Park Avenue

Eat, shop and rock on Park Avenue

North and South Park avenues combine to be another one of the village’s unofficial downtown areas. In what has become a yearly occurrence, the Chamber of Commerce put on the Eat, Shop, Rock event in October 2021. Another vibrant area of village businesses and activities, the streets saw thousands of guests browse what each store has to offer.

The outing included 75 vendors, 50 food trucks, 28 sponsors and 18 live bands on Park Avenue between Sunrise Highway and Lincoln Avenue. Local businesses opened pop-up shops; bands from the School of Rock and other musicians performed; there were also carnival games and rides sponsored by the Rockville Centre Lions Club, and tents featuring local organizations, including American Legion Post 303.

Tom Carrozza/Herald Top photo: The Rockville Centre Chamber of Commerce hosted Eat, Shop, Rock again on Park Avenue in October 2021 to support local businesses.

This year the event will take place on Oct. 16 from noon to 5 p.m., on Park avenue. Once again along with the shoppin and there is live entertainment and amusements for children, including face painting Just around the corner, North Centre Avenue saw one of the finest moments from the Rockville Centre Fire Department in recent memory. In the early morning on Feb. 16, 2022 a gasoline tanker carrying 9,200 gallons of fuel crashed into the vacant La-Z-Boy building on Sunrise Highway. Firefighters responded immediately and quelled the flames. Some 25 fire departments from surrounding communities rushed to the scene, along with the village fire department, police department, Department of Public Works and Office of Emergency Management. The state Environmental Conservation and Transportation departments and the Coast Guard were also on the scene. “We are thankful to the surrounding fire departments who came out and supported us,” village spokeswoman Julie Grilli said. “We’re proud of the Rockville Centre Fire Department, the largest all-volunteer department in the state, and thankful for our village employees, as well as help from the county and state agencies.”

— Tom Carrozza

Courtesy Jay Belsky Photo RVC Firefighters battle the blaze in the aftermath of the tanker truck crash in February 2022.