Featured Story

Alive on 25 makes $15K profit; second event planned for Riverhead

Alive on 25

Alive on 25 turned a nearly $15,000 profit this summer and plans are already in the works to hold the event again next year, according to Riverhead Business Improvement District Management Association president Steve Shauger.

“For our first year, the feedback we’re getting has been a very positive one, both from attendees and those that were part of the event itself,” Mr. Shauger said. “We’re looking to continue this for next year.”

Modeled after the popular Alive After Five street fair series in Patchogue, the four-date event featured food trucks and outdoor seating at local restaurants, beer gardens, live music on six stages, artisan vendors and family fun along Main Street between Griffing and Maple Avenues.

Mr. Shauger and members of the Riverhead Chamber of Commerce met with the Riverhead Town Board during its work session Thursday.

Bryan DeLuca, executive director of Atlantis Holdings and president of East End Tourism Alliance, said a $37,000 grant was used for Alive on 25’s marketing.

“That was a shot in the arm that helped launch us this year and get the event marketed,” he said. “That grant is not likely going to be available next year.”

Town Board members said they considered Alive on 25 a success and were looking forward to having it again next year.

“It was a fantastic job,” Councilman Tim Hubbard said. “You guys put a lot into it … I heard nothing but good things about it.”

Currently, Mr. Shauger’s group is preparing for a Halloween event for downtown Riverhead on Saturday, Oct. 29, which is replacing the Edgar Allan Poe Festival.

The BIDMA is a special tax district established in 1991 to help spur economic development in downtown Riverhead. The group is proposing a $107,700 budget, which must be approved by the Riverhead Town Board.

[email protected]

File photo: Thousands filled downtown Riverhead for the first Alive on 25, one of this summer’s most anticipated events on the North Fork. (Credit: Katharine Schroeder)