Blues music is coming back to Riverhead — this time to support a close-to-home cause.
The Riverhead Lions Club is hosting the 2025 Blues Festival at Riverhead Polish Hall on Oct. 11.
A continuation of the former Blues Festival held in downtown Riverhead in recent years, this is the first time the Lion’s Club has organized the event and the first time it will serve as a fundraiser.
All proceeds from the 3 to 8 p.m. show will go towards the Ronald McDonald House, which supports the families of children receiving treatment at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, set to open in 2027.
“It’s going to help so many families,” says Riverhead Lions Club president, Lisa Pickersgill.
Kerry Kearny, long-time performer on the blues and roots circuit, is one of the headliners and a key organizer for the event.
“Everybody wants to play here,” says Kearney. “There’s more that want to play that can actually be on the bill. Everybody wants to be involved, there’s no shortage.”
Some other blues stars hitting the stage include Franke Latorre, five-time winner of the Long Island Memphis Blues Challenge; Pamela Betti, inductee to the New York Blues Hall of Fame; Jack Licitra, known for his piano and organ skills; Bill Lifford, with his “lowdown Chicago blues style;” and Retro Crew, a four-piece musical group playing classical rock and blues music from the ‘60s and ‘70s.
The afternoon of music will begin with a performance from East End Disability Associates and Rise Life Services followed by a speech from a Ronald McDonald House representative. The rest of the evening will be packed full of blues, food and raffles.
The fundraiser festival comes as part of the Suffolk Country district-wide Lions Club initiative to support the Ronald McDonald House.
“We’re all about humanitarian services and giving back,” says Pickersgill. “It was the perfect fit for us.”
Kearney, who has put on other charitable shows for causes like cystic fibrosis, was thrilled to learn of the cause they’d be supporting.
He and Pickersgill, who both had a hand in planning the former renditions of the festival, are excited to bring it back to the North Fork. “I want to bring a good time to people that really love the music,” says Kearney.
Tickets are $20 with an optional donation to the Ronald McDonald House. To purchase yours, click here.
