Photos: Music, Festive Fun as 'Alive on 25' Kicks Off in Riverhead

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RIVERHEAD, NY - Downtown Riverhead came alive with music and festive fun Thursday night as "Alive on 25" made its much-welcomed debut.

Laughter and music rang out downtown, as young and old alike danced, sampled delicious fare from food trucks, checked out an array of vendors, and listened to a lineup of bands that kept the crowd grooving all night long.

"The planners of Alive on 25 are incredibly happy with the turnout we had last night," said Diane Tucci. "We thought the threat of rain would definitely inpact our first night, but we had more people than we expected."

She added, "We can't thank The Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce enough for literally giving us the blueprint to a successful event. We are all just so happy to see so many community members and visitors enjoying themselves and we look forward to the rest of the summer. It's a great event to boost our local economy and bring life to downtown Riverhead."

Riverhead Police Chief David Hegermiller reported that the event went off without a hitch. "This is great for Riverhead," he said. "This is what Riverhead is all about."

Riverhead and Patchogue municipalities worked together for Riverhead's "Alive on 25" event, which will also take place on July 28, August 11 and August 25 on Main Street in downtown Riverhead from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

The free summer street festival in downtown Riverhead features local craft beverages and wine, live music, artists, street vendors and activities for all ages.

Main Street will close to cars to allow a walkable pop-up musical festival and restaurant offerings, artist exhibitions, free community dance lessons and family friendly activities, including a popular classic car show.

Earlier this year, the Riverhead Business Improvement District approached the Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce to discuss working together to create a similar event to their highly successful Alive After Five®.

Patchogue Chamber Executive Director David Kennedy "enthusiastically" embraced the relationship and has since been instrumental in guiding the Riverhead process.

“Patchogue’s Alive After Five® has such great attendance that we are happy to give our attendees the opportunity to attend a similar event on alternating Thursday nights,” Kennedy said.

The series of events also takes place in Patchogue on Thursdays; they began last week and will take place on alternating weeks between the two towns for four weeks each.

The Alive on 25 planning committee said those attending an expect "a healthy participation of Main Street restaurants and bars offering food and beverage service in the street, with several top Long Island bands playing each night at various locations."

Alive after Five® has been integral in the revitalization and growth in Patchogue, many believe; some feel the two towns are "sister" municipalities.

According to Riverhead BID Vice President Steven Shauger, “We’re looking forward to providing a similar experience for visitors and local businesses alike.”

In order to improve traffic patterns and enhance pedestrian safety on East Main Street near the Long Island Aquarium during the event, Riverhead Town Police said traffic at Ostrander Avenue at the intersection of 2nd Street was detoured west to Union Avenue between 3 p.m. and 11 a.m. Ostrander Avenue remained open to local traffic, buses, shuttles and hotel parking, police said.

For additional information, go to Aliveon25.com and AliveAfterFive.com.