Taste North Fork A 'Great' Boon for Business, Jitney Exec Says

Day Two of "Taste North Fork," the promotion planned to bring tourists to wine country over the three-day Veterans Day weekend, was deemed a big success Sunday by Andrew Lynch, vice president of the Hampton Jitney.

The event was meant to bring visitors out to the North Fork during the "shoulder season," via train and Hampton Jitney buses on two loops running from Riverhead to Matttuck and then out to Orient, with a string of stops along the way.

Over 20 wineries and scores of businesses participated in the event, which runs through Veterans Day on Monday.

"The turnout has been great," Lynch said, adding that he had almost-full buses on Saturday and a crowd of visitors arriving by train in Mattituck, despite chilly temps. Sunday, he said, was a beautiful day, with even more visitors arriving.

"The wineries have been very busy," Lynch said, adding that crowds picked up even more significantly during the later hours of the day to taste the local wines at participating wineries. Visitors were getting on and off the buses at all of the stops, he said, including Tanger in Riverhead.

Angela Radziszewski and Robert Caruso traveled from West Hartford, CT on the Cross Sound Ferry to Orient Point, where they caught a Jitney to Greenport.

"The ferry was just right for us," she said, adding that walking the village on foot helped them to enjoy all businesses had to offer even more fully, and she enjoyed not driving and leaving the car behind.

Others who turned out in Greenport Sunday for the tastings, music and other attractions were locals who came for the fun and festivities.

"Everyone has been very nice," said Kent Hovercamp of Aquebogue.