Comedy Show To Raise Funds For Southampton Fire Department's Antique Trucks

When comedian Jeff Nichols first learned that the Southampton Fire Department owned a handful of antique fire trucks, he knew he wanted to do something to help preserve them.

And the first time he saw the five trucks, he explained, he was “blown away.”

“These trucks are a treasure,” he said.

With support from the department, Mr. Nichols is hosting and emceeing a comedy show Saturday, March 5, at 8 p.m. at the firehouse on Hampton Road in Southampton Village to help raise funds to restore and refurbish the five antique trucks, one of which dates back to 1912. The show will feature Dan Naturman, once a finalist on “America’s Got Talent,” as well as Lynne Koplitz, who has appeared on “Comedy Central Presents,” and Sandy Marks, a New York City-based comedian who has appeared on “The King of Queens” and HBO’s “Comedy in the Park.”

Mr. Raynor said that because the department competes in a number of antique fire truck shows throughout the year, including a national muster hosted by the Society for the Preservation and Appreciation of Antique Motor Fire Apparatus of America, it is important to keep the vehicles in tip-top shape. Right now, many of them either need new paint jobs, new windshields, or new brass and copper finishings—roughly $15,000 worth of work per truck.

“It’s important to connect with your past,” Mr. Raynor said. “I’m happy that there’s a lot of people willing to support it.”

The long-term vision of the department, he added, is to eventually open up a museum for the trucks, but for now they are located at one of the department’s garages on Flying Point Road. “It is a long-range goal, but it’s not a focus at this time.”

Tickets for the show are $40 and can be purchased at the door, or in advance at Corwin’s Jewelers on Main Street in Southampton. Tickets can also be purchased by calling Craig Raynor, the president of the fire department’s antique truck committee, at (631) 905-4634.

There will be a spaghetti dinner prior to the show at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $50 and include beer, wine and soda, plus admission to the show.