Memorial Day Weekend Spotlight: Riverhead Street Painting Festival

Stock up on your chalk and brush up on your street mural-making skills this Memorial Day weekend.

The presents the 15th annual Riverhead this coming Sunday from 12 to 5 pm. The popular event will take place along East Main Street and on the grounds of East End Arts Council in downtown Riverhead.

Along with street painting, the festival will feature food vendors, an art and craft show and sale, a drumming and dance circle, face painting and other activities for kids and performances by local musicians and artists such as members of the arts council's Masters of Music Fellowship program and past "Teeny Award" (high school theater award) winners.

Pat Snyder, executive director of the East End Arts Council, said that this year is a milestone not only for the festival's 15 years running but also because the grounds of the arts council have been refurbished, new performers such as an opera singer and a performance artist have been added this year and drafts from a Syracuse University study on the revitalization of downtown Riverhead will be on display.

"We'll showcase the studies on windows of businesses so people can comment on them," she said.

Riverhead’s East Main Street will be blocked off between Roanoke Avenue and East Main Street during the festival. Street painting activities are open to all and chalk is provided. Register in advance and get an assigned sponsored square or purchase a street square on the day of the event for $20.   

The event rain date is scheduled for Monday from 2 to 5 p.m.

"If we don't get rain, I'm expecting about 4,000 people," Snyder said.

Proceeds from the festival benefit the East End Arts Council’s Community School of the Arts scholarship fund. Visit www.eastendarts.org, email jcaiola@eastendarts.org or call East End Arts Council at 631-727-0900 for more information.