SCHENECTADY — It was business as usual at Mike's Hot Dogs on Monday despite the mangled sign high atop the popular Schenectady business — evidence of the violence storm that tore through the Capital Region on Sunday afternoon, leaving behind downed power lines, wrecked rowing equipment and a doused casino patio.

Taking a break from the lunch rush at the Erie Boulevard eatery, Mike's owner John Mantas said Monday that the ruined sign has for decades been "an iconic symbol of Schenectady that's been shining brightly for 72 years."

He compared the sound of the sign being damaged to an explosion.

"We've had people try to donate to fix the sign," Mantas said of his loyal customers, adding they are working to have the sign fixed as soon as possible.

Thunderstorms with winds as high as 50 miles per hour slammed the Capital Region late Sunday afternoon, with Scotia, Schenectady, Niskayuna and Clifton Park reporting widespread damage. More than 10,000 people lost power and many were still in the dark Monday morning. The were no reported injuries.

Schenectady Assistant Chief Don Mareno said Monday that the storm lashed a "narrow area" of the Stockade and Goose Hill neighborhoods for about 15 minutes.

He said Monroe Street suffered some of the heaviest damage, and had live utility wires that were "energized for a long time" hanging perilously.

"We were really concerned with (the wires) arcing too close to the house and starting a house fire," said Mareno. The street was closed for several hours on Monday for the cleanup.

Al Roney, a spokesman for Rivers Casino & Resort, said Monday that the "short-lived" soaker flooded the outdoor patio after a drainpipe backed up.

Roney said a viral video of the water-logged area made it look worse that it actually was — especially if viewers don't realize that it depicted the outdoor patio.

The outside courtyard between the Landing Hotel and the event center sustained the most damage, Roney said. Powerful winds caused a large wedding tent to break free and crash into one of the hotel lobby's windows, which is boarded up awaiting repair. There was also damage to the granite fascia outside.

Through it all, Rivers remained open for business.

In nearby Niskayuna, a local middle school rowing program was less lucky: A tree toppled by the storm crushed a boat rack and destroyed all seven sculls in the school's fleet.

The boathouse owner called Stacey Apfelbaum, director of Niskayuna Rowing, Sunday evening to deliver the bad news. By Monday morning, Saratoga Small Craft Repair confirmed that none of the boats were salvageable. The replacement value is more than $100,000; the program is starting an online fundraiser.

What's Apfelbaum's message to the community?

"Help!" she joked, but added that "the real message is that this is a setback that affects us in a big way, but the rowing community is also a very strong community that works well together."

Apfelbaum said that Saratoga Rowing has already offered temporary use of their boats.

Rowing is a popular sport in the town, and the non-profit organization supports around 100 student athletes at Niskayuna High School.

Over 500 customers in Schenectady and Saratoga counties were still without power late Monday morning after thousands lost utility service in the storm. Repairs were expected to be completed by midafternoon.

Christina Speciale, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Albany, described Sunday's hot and muggy weather as "food for thunderstorms" that were the "right amount of ingredients" for the severe weather. Because the affected area is so populated, the damage was significant.

"Those winds had a lot of things to hit," Speciale said.

Steve Hughes contributed.