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Riverhead board weighs reviving 'Alive on 25' amid downtown construction and business concerns
Summary
Council members debated whether to hold Alive on 25 this year, heard that some businesses view the event as food-truck–centric while others report strong restaurant nights, and discussed changing the route, shifting to Thursdays, or trying alternative formats to help downtown merchants during construction.
Riverhead board members considered whether to revive the Alive on 25 street festival this summer amid downtown construction and mixed feedback from business groups.
Councilwoman Wski said she had met with the chamber and the BID, and their representatives reported divergent views: some downtown merchants told meeting attendees that food trucks were the primary beneficiaries and that the event did not reach every brick-and-mortar business; restaurateurs and others said the event generated very strong service nights and helped expose visitors to shops they might otherwise not find.
The board discussed practical adjustments: shortening the route to reduce police staffing costs, moving most activity to the town square to concentrate foot traffic, changing the night to Thursday to boost mid-week visits, or relocating elements to Second Street while retaining a pub crawl to bring people into Main Street businesses afterward. Mariana, a chamber representative who spoke to the board, said attendees at a recent planning meeting suggested alternative formats such as a wine-and-dine or other business-focused activations to better serve merchants during the construction period.
Supervisor and board members asked staff to obtain more direct input from merchants and to reconvene the discussion at next week’s work session so organizers (including Diane Tucci) can present final recommendations.
What’s next: The board invited business owners to contact the liaison and said the matter will return to a future work session with additional business representation and a clarified proposed footprint and night-of-week.
