IN ITS SECOND ANNUAL CORNHOLE SHOWDOWN, THIS NEIGHBORHOOD WATERING HOLE BROUGHT ITS COMMUNITY TOGETHER FOR GAMES AND REVELRY TO RAISE FUNDS FOR THE FDNY AND STATEN ISLAND UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL’S BURN UNIT

BY AMANDA McCOY • PHOTOS BY AMESSE PHOTOGRAPHY

A stroll down Fremont Avenue in the small residential enclave of Grant City will ultimately pass by Grant City Tavern, a neighborhood fixture for denizens of the tight-knit community. Run by born-and-raised Staten Islanders, the no-frills bar boasts a certain Cheers element; regulars flow in and out, catching up on the day’s events over ice-cold drinks. Game days are packed, and live bands and DJs regularly bring down the house.

“You’re not going to find a Grant City Tavern anywhere else,” noted Doreen Reddy, who owns the bar along with her husband, Nick Primiano. “Everyone knows each other and wants to help each other out. If a bartender needs a bucket of ice, one of our regulars will run downstairs to grab it.”

The tavern was a lifelong dream of John Bergin, who purchased the space in 2001 with Primiano. Both Staten Island firefighters, the partners envisioned a gathering hub for members of their community, a welcoming, laid-back haunt where friends old and new could sling stories over lagers and sports. That same year, on September 11, Grant City Tavern was just two weeks away from completing its final renovations when Bergin responded to an emergency call to the World Trade Center. Tragically, he never returned home.

More than two decades later, Bergin’s legacy still permeates from the walls of the tavern. He was an active member of the local community (Bergin grew up in New Dorp, the neighborhood just south of Grant City), and today the tavern regularly hosts fundraising events to support local groups, from the FDNY and NYPD to high school sports teams. As Reddy explained, members of the community show up in droves for concerts, karaoke nights, 5Ks, and competitions to support service members, veterans, and neighbors in need. “Everybody here wants to help and get involved,” she said.

In 2023, Reddy recalled she and her husband were approached by their close friend Frank Morisano, a fellow former firefighter and senior director of Staten Island University Hospital’s Community Health program, about teaming up on a fundraiser to support SIUH’s Regional Burn Center. At the center, patients with burn injuries have access to 24-hour medical care along with therapeutic services for rehabilitation. Morisano explained that firefighters are the Burn Center’s largest patient group.

“When kicking around ideas for how to raise money for the burn unit, you have to go to the firefighters,” said Morisano, who grew up across the street from Primiano and maintained a friendship with him throughout their careers as firefighters.

Together, the friends brainstormed ideas before ultimately settling on the lawn game cornhole.

“We didn’t want to do anything too high-end,” noted Morisano. “We wanted something casual and fun, and cornhole was perfect. People get really into it; some even showed up with their own bags.”

“We’ve hosted cornhole tournaments before, and they were always a hit,” noted Danny Keane, the tavern’s longtime bartender and close friends of the owners. “We have a big concrete parking lot outside, so there’s a ton of space to host a lot of people.”

Last September saw the inaugural Cornhole Tournament Fundraiser for the FDNY and SIUH Regional Burn Unit. Approximately 150 people showed up many with their own bags in tow – to battle it out for first place. “We followed a single elimination diagram with about seven sets of cornhole boards,” said Keane. “People started signing up the month leading up the tournament, but we also saw a rush of people on the day of.”

Following the success of last year’s event, the team hosted the second annual Cornhole Tournament this September 25. Again, 150 eager participants descended upon the Grant City Tavern parking lot to compete. The owners also sold tickets for raffle boxes with items from local businesses to support the cause. When the dust from the flying bean bags settled at the end of the day, the owners proudly wrote a check to the Burn Unit for $6,000.

“We want to do this event every year,” noted Reddy. “It’s incredible to have this opportunity to support the fire department and the hospital, but what’s even more incredible is that we can always count on the community to show up to support the cause. That’s what is so special about Staten Island.”

Grant City Tavern

132 Fremont Avenue / 718.980.1509

If interested in donating to the Burn Unit at Staten Island University Hospital, reach out to Jamie Lynn

Homan, Major Gifts Officer, at Jhoman2@northwell.edu