Sunny's Bar Raises Almost $20K for Repairs, Via Kickstarter

Sunny’s Bar in Red Hook sustained considerable damage due to Hurricane Sandy, and now the bar owners are turning to a Kickstarter page to crowd source funds for repairs (hat tip to Gothamist).

With 22 days still left to go, the bar is only a few hundred dollars short of their $20,000 goal, which will be used to replace mechanical equipment and stock lost during the storm.

According to the bar’s Kickstarter page: 

“Water filled the entire basement that houses all of the mechanical systems for the building. We will need to replace the boiler, water heater, compressor, refrigerator and ice machine. We will need all new electrical panels and wiring. We will need to replace a large percentage of our existing stock. Water also came into the 1st floor of the bar and rose 2 feet, causing buckled floors and ruining many musical instruments and a lot of our sound equipment.”

The bar’s owners say on the site that they are “ready to go forward and re-open stronger than ever!” 

Big ticket donors to the bar get exclusive prizes like a dinner date with owner Sunny Balzano himself, an exact replica of Sunny’s neon bar sign, and a private party at the re-opened bar.

According to Gothamist, the bar was opened in 1890 by Balzano’s great grandfather.