A local business owner is stepping up to make sure everyone gets home safely after this Thursday’s Alive on 25 event.
Dave Lotito, owner of event services company One For The Road, is offering free rides home to any address in Riverhead township via his company’s party bus. He hopes the service will prevent anyone who has had too much to drink from getting behind the wheel of a car tomorrow night.
“I’ve been a bartender all my life, and I’ve spent many nights arguing with drunk people and grabbing keys and calling cabs,” Lotito said. “I want to put people at ease and not have them worry about drinking and driving.”
Lotito began his event services company two years ago. In addition to party bus transportation, he offers on-location set-up of a mobile bar, tent and dance floor – both in people’s backyards and tailgate-style for events and concerts.
On Thursday, Lotito will have a dance floor and bar set up outside Cliff’s Rendezvous on Main Street, where he works as a bartender.
He plans to leave Main Street to begin driving people home at midnight.
“I figured the bus is already there,” he said. “Why not just say to people, meet at the Rendezvous at midnight and if you’re not fit to drive, I’d be more than happy to give you a free ride home.”
He hopes the service will also encourage visitors to stay after Alive on 25 has ended to continue checking out the restaurants and bars downtown. “I don’t want people to just come to the fair and leave – I want them to see what our beautiful downtown Riverhead has to offer, because it’s really starting to flourish,” Lotito said.
Thursday will be Riverhead’s second-ever Alive on 25 event. The first, which took place two weeks ago, was a sweeping success, drawing more than 5,000 people downtown to listen to live music and enjoy vendors and outdoor street dining.
This week’s event will feature six live bands and musicians at pop-up stages up and down Main Street.
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