Joining Riverhead's Jackhammer Symphony

I love music.

I really love music.

From the Allman Brothers to Zappa and the hundreds of musical artists in between that I enjoy, I am always moved by the sounds of a song, whether it be the vocals, the rhythm, the melodies, the harmonies or the message behind a particular sound.

Conversely I, at times, get agitated by invasive sounds , like a garbage truck rumbling through a neighborhood at wee hours of the morning or hearing a super squeaky, over-the-top voice in  a bar, one that would make Fran Drescher of "The Nanny" sound like Lauren Bacall.

Which brings me to the symphony of jackhammers I am hearing around Riverhead.

I had a nice, quiet dinner in a local downtown Riverhead steakhouse this past Sunday where I walked out into the street and basically got blasted in the face with the sound of a roaring jackhammer, which was working across the street for a new restaurant being constructed at the old Chemical Bank/Chase building which is scheduled to open later this month.

And instead of frowning by being smacked in the face with this brutally loud sound, I stopped, thought about it - and smiled.

I smiled at the premise that this particular restaurant is run by the group who owns Greenport's "Frisky Oyster", personally my favorite restaurant in Greenport.

Just down the road is the work being done at the new Hyatt hotel, where a fairly large construction zone is coming together for what looks to be a great downtown facility opening in June.

Deeper into town, there is Cody's Barbeque, which now sports a fresh coat of paint and is having extensive work being done inside and along the outside boardwalk facing the Peconic River.

Even on Route 58, construction is being done at the old Suffolk Life property for a new Lowe's, which hopefully will bring another level of service to the consumer home improvement sector that seems to be missing, even though it has a nationally renowned neighbor across the street.

In any event, all of this construction around Riverhead is really encouraging to see. I, like many other citizens here, long for Riverhead to have a vibrant downtown with plenty of activity.

If other towns that had their local downtown struggles like Bay Shore and Greenport can do it and build a bustling downtown scene, so can we.

And we will.

Hopefully, our citizens will follow suit and begin to support these new initiatives, recommending places to colleagues and neighbors where others will want to come here and spend quality time.  All while continuining to support the great places we already have here that we may take for granted.

We also should consider driving our own entrepeneurial spirit to the downtown area to contribute to downtown's "vibe", whether it's a getting together to create a drumming or music circle at the gazebo in Lombardi Park, a fishing club along the banks of the riverfront or having a gathering of family, friends and food at the newly renovated Grangebel Park.

Personally, one of the reasons why I created the "Sing East End" karaoke charity event at the Vail-Leavitt Music Hall the last two years was to gather a community of great singers, get local restaurants involved to serve excellent fare and drawn attention to downtown and the splendor of a beautiful national landmark that most people don't even realize is there.

Being a contributor to that kind of activity in downtown Riverhead felt good - real good.

Today, Riverhead's symphony of jackhammers is providing the backdrop and the music in the name of progress.

It's now up to our citizens to take an active part, show some pride and sing the lyrics.