The idea of a New Year’s Eve fireworks display in downtown Riverhead has been shelved.
The Riverhead BID announced cancellation of the event this afternoon.
After presenting the plan to the town board at its work session Thursday, BID president Steve Shauger spoke with Peconic Bay Medical Center president and CEO Andrew Mitchell and with town board members “to address the concerns of increased COVID spread and fear of saturating the local health care system,” the BID said in a press release.
The permit application was presented at the Town of Riverhead work session on Thursday, December 3, 2020. Following the presentation, BID President, Steven Shauger consulted with both Peconic Bay Medical Center Northwell Health’s President & CEO, Andrew Mitchell, and the town board to address the concerns of increased COVID spread and fear of saturating the local health care system.
“Considering the safety of our community is of utmost importance,” Shauger said in the release. “Understanding that this is a challenging time, we must explore and respect the opinions and concerns of our community leaders,” he said.
“We have supported our health care heroes throughout this pandemic and will continue to keep their well-being at the top of our priority list. Sadly, an event of this kind is just not doable right now,” Shauger said.
The downtown Riverhead fireworks display was originally planned for July 2020 during the annual Alive on 25 street festival. Due to planning and purchasing months in advance, $12,000 was paid in full to Santore World Famous Fireworks. Upon notice of cancellation, Santore issued a 2020 credit. The BID rescheduled the display to its annual holiday bonfire, partnered with the Lion’s Club annual Santa parade that was scheduled for Dec. 12, which was later canceled due to New York State COVID restrictions. That prompted the BID to consider hosting a New Year’s Eve display for the fireworks display.
“Due to unsettling feedback, the display is now postponed to 2021. Santore has agreed to prorate the credit to 2021,” the BID said in the press release.
“We’d like to thank Mr. Mitchell for his communication, concern, and honest feedback, Santore fireworks for their patience and agreement to deliver thrills in 2021, and the public for voicing their opinion – which helps us to determine the best course of action for downtown Riverhead,” Shauger said.
“The BID continues to envision fun things for the new year, and we aim to bring excitement back to town once it’s safe to do so,” he said.
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