Photos: Last week’s Alive on 25 fair was hot, hot, hot

Soaring temperatures Friday didn’t deter attendance at Riverhead’s second installment this summer of the Alive on 25 pop-up street fair.

“Even though it was really hot, the community really stepped up and showed up and made the event what it was,” said Steven Shauger, president of the Downtown Riverhead Business Improvement District. “We were pleasantly surprised” with the turnout, he added.

Each summer, Alive on 25 shuts down Main Street for street fairs with live music on several stages, food, games, vendors and other pop-ups including classic car and tractor shows. The first of this year’s Alive on 25 events on June 30 included fireworks.

Mr. Shauger said changes the BID has made to the event have really driven increased attendance. For the first five years of the annual summer events, Alive on 25 was held on Thursday evenings. Last year, the BID moved the events to summer Fridays.

Another new addition to the fair is the Kids Zone, located in the town square, across from The Suffolk.

“We’ve stepped it up,” he said. “We have a ‘Bubblepalooza,’ a big bubble machine that the kids are having an absolute blast with. We have a gel blaster, face painters and a lot of other free services.” He said the Kids Zone is sponsored by Northwell Health and Peconic Bay Medical Center.

“I think that’s helping draw people out.”

The popular festival’s third and fourth installments are scheduled for Aug. 11 and Aug. 18, which is the rain date for the event that was postponed July 14 due to bad weather.