Vincent Grucci, Launched Patchogue's Alive After Five, Dies

PATCHOGUE, NY — Longtime Patchogue businessman, Vincent Grucci, a former chamber of commerce president who launched the popular Alive After Five street festival, helping spur economic development and revitalize the village, died Sunday.

Grucci, a Bellport resident, operated an investment business in Patchogue, but devoted his spare time to the chamber and launched Alive After Five in 2001 after attending a similar festival while out-of-town, said David Kennedy, executive director of the chamber of commerce.

"Main Street was totally different," he said. "There was no scene in Patchogue on a Friday night, and that was the idea, the concept."

The Brickhouse Brewery and Blue Point Brewery had opened, and some nightlife had percolated in the village, so Grucci suggested starting the event to spur some more action.

"There was this little synergy and Vinny captured on it," Kennedy said. "He said, 'Hey, let's do this. We'll have music on Main Street. We'll close the street; have a few vendors; have people serve a few of the craft beers they are making.'"

The first couple of years, it drew about 100 people and it was a "very small event," Kennedy recalled.

Alive After Five has evolved to include not only craft beer tastings, music, and a few vendors, but street dining, food trucks, and activities for families and amusements. It runs over several weeks, drawing thousands of people to Patchogue each summer, and has inspired community leaders in other areas, like Riverhead, which hosts Alive on 25, to hold their own street festivals.

"When you talk about what turned this community around, Alive After Five certainly stands out," Kennedy said. "It exposed our community to so many people from the outside. So many restaurant owners will say that coming to Alive After Five inspired them to invest in our town. Vinny deserves all the credit for making that event happen."

Grucci also launched the Greater Patchogue Foundation, which is the charitable arm of the chamber that collects funds to help with the betterment of the community. The foundation helps fund beautification projects, the maintenance of the village's historic Lakeview Cemetery, and cultural heritage events, like the St. Patrick's Day Parade and St. Liberata Festival, throughout the year.

"The foundation is a huge part of this community, as well," Kennedy said.

He described Grucci as a very hands-on chamber president and was very much the face of the chamber in the first years of Alive After Five.

"He was always out and about, and was one of the most recognizable figures in the community," Kennedy said.

Grucci, who was in his 50s, had moved to Fort Launderdale, FL, about 10 years ago and died while on vacation in South America, according to Kennedy. He did not have any details, other than that the Grucci family would be transporting his remains back to Long Island for funeral services and burial. The chamber will release details about Grucci's services as they become available, according to Kennedy.

Grucci was a scion of the world-famous fireworks family whose father, James, worked to run Grucci Fireworks, along with his uncle, Felix, who later became Brookhaven Town supervisor and U.S. congressman. He died the same day as his father, James, who was killed in a tragic explosion at Grucci Fireworks in Bellport in 1983, Kennedy said.

The chamber will also be discussing ways to honor and remember Grucci, who was "such an important person," Kennedy said, adding, "We will be discussing certain ways that we can make sure that his legacy continues and it's remembered."