Expected stormy weather has forced the cancellation of Patchogue’s much-anticipated third installment of the Midnight on Main St. New Year’s Eve countdown.
“It’s the winds, really,” said David Kennedy, the executive director of the Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce, which hosts the popular event.
The call to cancel was made shortly before 11 a.m. Monday after Kennedy and other chamber leaders met with police and public safety officers, Grucci Fireworks and Northstar Signs & Neon.
“It was the winds, really, that could create public safety issues,” said Kennedy. “And it’s an issue of putting all these public safety agencies and the money they might have to expend tonight, for something we might have had to pull the plug on around 9 p.m. anyway.”
The night is expected to bring sustained winds of 15 to 20 mph, with gusts up to 30, he said. And those numbers that could pose problems with the fireworks’ fallout zone and the LED-ball’s rigging.
The ball’s proximity to major power lines at the intersection was also of concern. The ball-rise and countdown was planned for 9 p.m. at West Main Street and West Avenue, near the new Blue Point Brewery
Kennedy said the chamber will still be pulling the winners of the big 30 Days of Dining in Patchogue raffle baskets later today. Follow the chamber on Facebook for that announcement.
2017 Midnight on Main St. photo by John Collins of Yellow House Images.
Scroll down for a video from 2017
Watch: GreaterPatchogue TV’s coverage from Midnight on Main St.
