Thursday, October 1, 2026
Rockville Centre bar owners have agreed to requests from the RVC Police Department to close earlier for the village’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 24.
For the parade, which takes place on a Saturday, the owners agreed to close their bars to new patrons at 1 a.m. and to empty the bars out by 2 a.m.
More than 10 Rockville Centre bar owners met with RVCPD Commissioner Charles Gennario and top brass to discuss safety and security policies relating to the parade.
The three main problems that arise, Gennario told the owners, is overcrowding, over-serving and underage drinking.
Gennario said that the Fire Marshal, an entity separate from the police force, handles the overcrowding issues and that fines for those violations can be extremely steep.
Underage drinking, Gennario said, is one of the main violations that his officers are on the lookout for.
“I get beat up all year long about underage drinking,” Gennario said. “They get in there fraudulently, or they know the bouncer, and they spend the rest of the year bragging to their parents how they got into your place.”
Gennario explained that there are three forms of ID that the State Liquor Authority (SLA) accepts; a driver’s license, a passport and a military ID card.
ID cards are forged more easily now than in the past, Gennario acknowledged, and suggested that the bar owners requested for another form of identification if there is ever any doubt.
Gennario had first requested that the owners close their bars at midnight, but was rebuffed.
“We’ve got to make money, too,” said Jim Fleming, owner of Cannon’s Blackthorne. “We lost money last year closing at two. We have bills to pay as well.”
Though it will still be a difficult day for the RVCPD, Gennario said he was pleased with the cooperation from the owners.
“I think the meeting went well,” Gennario said. “I think we came to a fair resolution.”
Of the approximately 27 bars in Rockville Centre, approximately 10 owners showed up for the meeting with the commissioner. Gennario said that the highlights of the meeting have been sent to the owners who did not make it, and added that he expects they will comply with the plan.
The RVCPD also issued an announcement that it will pursue a zero tolerance enforcement of alcohol-related offenses during and after the parade. Any drinking along the parade route or at tailgate parties could result in arrests.
“It’s an all-hands event for us that day. Around 10,000 people come in to see the parade,” Gennario said. “Not all those people leave and then you have your regular busy night. Our goal is a safe event for the residents, the participants and the onlookers.”
