Year In Review: A Look Back At The Community’s Biggest Stories

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In early March, K’s Auto Repair caught fire—ultimately destroying the entire building.

The year 2017 brought many highs and lows through Mineola and its surrounding communities.

In early March, K’s Auto Repair went up in flames. More than 200 firefighters from six different fire departments responded to the fire which ultimately destroyed owner Kevin Thomas’ business, 23 of Thomas’ personal cars and his dog.

Kevin Thomas in front of his new shop at 263 Jericho Tpke.

However in April, like a phoenix—K’s Auto Repair rose from the ashes. Thomas managed to re-open his business to the delight of many Mineola residents and customers. Although, K’s Auto Repair is in a new smaller location, Thomas definitely feels less pressured and stressed from the previous larger space of K’s Auto Repair.

This year, Night on the Town broke records in raising money for the Lukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Also in April, Night on the Town broke records. Mineola Chamber of Commerce president, Tony Lubrano got significantly closer to his goal of raising $1 million for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS), raking in more than $142,000 for the evening. Since launching Night on the Town along with his friend, Harry Zapiti, in 2011, Lubrano has raised $763,000 for LLS. The night was filled with great fun and food from 30 restaurants across Long Island and New York City.

Jouranlist Lou Sanders, Mineola icon and founder of the Mineola American passed away late this year.

Fast forward to September when journalist and Mineola American founder, Lou Sanders passed away at the age of 94. The Mineola icon left an indelible impact on the community he dedicated his life to. Even after his retirement from Anton Media Group in 2013 at the age of 90, Lou’s famous “Around Town with Lou” column remained a popular feature of the paper, highlighting the residents, businesses and goings-on of Mineola.

A couple of months later, the popular biennial event, Taste and Style returned to Mineola in November. Approximately 18 different Mineola food establishments participated while local clothing shops strutted down the runway for the highly anticipated fashion show. Mineola native Lauren Scala from

Taste and Style returned this year and served great food and fashion with NBC 4 New York’s Lauren Scala as emcee.

NBC 4 New York was the emcee for the evening. Money that was raised for Taste and Style went to all local Mineola organizations.

The Martin Scorsese film, The Irishman, filmed scenes around Mineola and surrounding area.

Finally in late November, Hollywood came to town. The Irishman, a Martin Scorsese film, filmed scenes at the Biscuits and Barbeque restaurant and surrounding area.

Cheers to 2017 and here’s to more local success stories in 2018.

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