Comedy set for manufacturers' tech forum

National Grid is sponsoring a daylong forum Thursday on advanced composites manufacturing. But those planning to attend -- willingly or unwillingly -- should take heart. There will be a comedian, Joey Koehler, doing stand-up comedy during the lunch hour.

"We wanted to lighten things up," said Philip Coniglio, a project director for the Long Island Forum for Technology, which helped organize the event, to be held at the Morrelly Homeland Security Center on the grounds of the Northrop Grumman Corp. complex in Bethpage. Composites are strong fiber materials used in the aerospace and engineering industries.

The event is free. Speakers include State Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre), Ken Daly, president of National Grid-New York, and Frank Otto, LIFT's president. They are unlikely to tell many jokes.