Huntington goes country at The Paramount

When country music nights starting popping up around the Island’s nightlife scene in 2011 -- after years of having Matty T’s Roadhouse in Deer Park as the sole source for a local honky-tonk – the idea of whether nights of line-dancing and live acts playing cowboy-styled stuff could possibly keep arriving was novel.

After all, Long Island only recently saw the arrival of WJVC-FM “My Country” 96.1 radio, the only station based anywhere in Nassau, Suffolk or New York City playing boot-scoot music, the notion that after years of no-country, Long Island would suddenly support the genre at multiple establishments on a weekly basis was definitely untested.

Well, it appears the movement is continuing to grow: The Paramount in Huntington has started a country night of its own.

Rolling out every Thursday starting at 7 p.m., a 21-and-over crowd can come to the concert hall and line dance (with Bellmore native Lauren Leggio serving as the on-site instructor) to both a band and a DJ. And to further inspire Islanders to feel an “achy-breaky” vibe, there is a mechanical bull at the ready to ride (however briefly). Tickets can be purchased through the Paramount website (expect a charge of $13, including online fees).