49th Annual Riverhead Country Fair Unfolds Downtown Sunday

RIVERHEAD, NY — A deeply ingrained testament to Riverhead's rich agricultural roots is set to take place Sunday as the 49th Riverhead Country Fair unfolds downtown, rain or shine.

The fair, always held on Columbus Day weekend, takes place Sunday, Oct. 12 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in downtown Riverhead.

The Riverhead Country Fair, which has been going strong for 50 years, minus a year for the pandemic, was shepherded for decades by Jim and Connie Lull.

The fair celebrates Riverhead's farming roots. The event includes hundreds of vendors, games, agricultural, homemaking, and needlework competitions, food, activities for kids, craft beer, and live entertainment.

Susan Young, involved with the fair for the length of its rich history, told Patch in a past interview: "My husband and I were vendors for the very first fair, with our 7-month-old son. We sold pumpkins, corn stalks, Indian corn, gourds."

Young also said she has long loved the competitions. "When you see someone win a blue ribbon for the first time, and they jump up and down, so happy just for a blue ribbon for something they made, whether it be a knitted pair of socks or a quilt, it's wonderful."

Young said she'll never forget the reaction of a woman who was equally thrilled with her honorable mention ribbon.

"It means a lot to them, because this means everyone thought what they made was special," she said. The fair, Young said, is a longtime tradition and important to generations of Riverhead residents.

"It shows that we are a good, all-around welcoming community that loves our town," she said.

Also, the fair is important to acknowledging the agricultural history of the area, with the number of traditional farmers fewer than in past years, she said.

Today's farming families in Riverhead still embrace tradition, she said.

Two years ago, for the first time, Riverhead High School pep band students performed at the festival — new traditions were born, Young added.

For additional information about the Riverhead Country Fair, click here.