Riverhead postpones Alive on 25 Summer Block Party slated for Thursday due to storm damage

Reeling from an enormous amount of Fourth of July holiday weekend storm damage, the Town of Riverhead has announced the postponement of its Alive on 25 Summer Block Party slated for Thursday — but said it will still host a second event, scheduled for Aug. 6, as planned.

The festival, held on Main Street, features live music and vendors and showcases local restaurants, breweries and eateries with the separate events scheduled for this week and in August. Officials will now attempt to find an alternative date for the Thursday event that was postponed.

In a statement announcing the postponement, the office of Riverhead Supervisor Jerry Halpin said the decision was reached after consultation with Riverhead Police Chief Ed Frost, members of the town board and a representative of event organizer Main Street Agency.

That decision was made in order to give residents, vendors and town staff extra time to focus on storm recovery, officials said.

The National Weather Service reported the Riverhead area received at least 3.1 inches of rain Monday following severe thunderstorms Saturday into Sunday.

Riverhead town highway superintendent Mike Zaleski told Newsday residents endured what was described as "tornado-type weather," complete with 60 to 80 mph winds that knocked down huge tree limbs and knocked out power to some residents.

On Tuesday, PSEG-Long Island was showing most customers in Riverhead had power restored, with just a handful of minor scattered outages.

But, as Zaleski said Monday: "We had, and I'm not exaggerating, 50 trees or large limbs downed in the roadways. ... I really think Riverhead Town got the worst of it."

In a statement released by the town, Diane Tucci, of Main Street Agency, said: ""We have had conversations with several of our participants already who are stranded in their houses or dealing with property damage, and some already are not able to attend because of this. Everybody who participates spends a lot of time preparing for an event like this, and we want to make sure that it is under the right and safe circumstances. "

"As disappointed as I am to postpone this great event, our focus needs to be concentrated on the residents still trying to recover from the storm," Riverhead Councilwoman Joann Waski said in a statement.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a Newsday reporter since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press, Society of the Silurians and National Headliner Awards for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing. He is the author of “Swee'pea,” about New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. His debut crime novel, “For Nothing Is Hidden,” rooted in 1950s Long Island, was released in October 2025.