PHOTOS: Thousands Attend 36th Annual Country Fair

Fresh food, vendors, carnival rides, and balmy weather brought thousands to downtown Riverhead on Sunday for the 36th Annual Country Fair.

Main Street shut down for the day as crowds streamed down the street and along the Peconic waterfront to sample local wares from over 450 vendors as local bands and performers played live music throughout the day.

Visitors came from all across Long Island and New York to the festival, including Sen. Charles Schumer, D-NY, who visits the fair each year.

"It's the way I mix and mingle and find out what's on people's minds," Schumer said. He said that he hasn't noticed a change in the town's growth from year to year, but he knows people are concerned about the economy.

"The fair is pretty much the same every year, but many more people are worried about jobs and being out of work and family members who have lost jobs, that's the biggest change," he said. "That's why we have to do something to put them back."

Town officials thanked visitors for coming to the Fair and suggested the newcomers try out other restaurants and shops around town once the Country Fair ended.

"This is the day that everyone becomes a Riverheader," said Town Supervisor Sean Walter at the day's opening ceremony on the Peconic river front. Walter also praised Country Fair organizers James P. Lull and Pat Mulcahy for their efforts to coordinate this year's celebration.

"It's a lot of work, but there a lot of reward in it," Mulcahy said. He thanked town employees in the engineering, highway, and sewer departments for playing a large part in helping set up downtown.

After hours of work, Mulcahy said it was great to see so large a crowd come out on a sunny day.

"When it's a great day like this, it doesn't get much better," he said.