Fans of the beleaguered but beautiful shopping district are gathering daily to talk about upcoming events such as Saturday's Long Island Kayakathon, the summer concert series and the town's first photography contest.
There are even about 1,500 people pushing to bring a Trader Joe's specialty grocery store to Riverhead.
But you won't find many of these people gathering behind East Main Street on a daily basis. Because they're online.
"I think we're just trying to promote some positive aspects and it seems like this is the newest way people are communicating," said Lisa Jacobs, director of Riverhead Free Library. Ms. Jacobs just recently launched a Facebook group for the library, which now has 140 members.
"It's the new word of mouth," she said of blogs and social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.
Aside from Facebook groups, which include the library, the Trader Joe's group and others (there's even a Facebook group called "The Loft at Riverhead Free Library"), Ms. Jacobs, area business owners and town officials have recently launched an all-encompassing downtown site, called ILoveRiverhead.com.
The site was unveiled last month. It was designed and is operated by Nancy Swett of Jamesport, who also runs the popular NorthForkParents.com Web site.
Though still in draft form, the Riverhead site will ultimately contain calender items, promotions for upcoming events, blogs, news updates and advertisements, Ms. Swett said.
But the ultimate goal is to bring bodies downtown.
"The concept is to sort of bring people and friends together online over a common interest, and then sort of bring them to an actual place," she said. "That's what the town wants."
Ms. Swett was recruited to create and run the Web site by Riverhead's head of community development, Christine Kempner, as well as other town officials and downtown business owners who meet semi-regularly in what's come to be called the Downtown Roundtable.
Right now the site is a "labor of love," Ms. Kempner said when asked if Ms. Swett is paid for her services. "But, eventually, it will be advertiser-supported."
The goal of the Downtown Roundtable is the same as that of ILoveRiverhead.com: To help save a once-vibrant shopping district that today is plagued by vacant buildings and empty storefronts.
"Family entertainment is what we really want to do," Ms. Kempner said of the group's vision for downtown. "And the whole movement now is in social networking. It's a low-cost marketing tool and it's really the way the world is moving."
Aside from the fans on ILoveRiverhead.com, Ms. Kempner said her phone is ringing more often with calls from investors suddenly interested in downtown.
And more foot traffic on Main Street should mean even more phone calls, the theory goes.
According to Ms. Swett, "The best thing that could happen is that the site helps in getting more activity downtown, and maybe helps determine what people want, to help get things going a little bit more."
Her vision for downtown would be a bustling commercial and social center for local families and tourists alike.
"There's really very little space in this town where people could just come together and gather and just enjoy the day," she said. "There's no playground downtown where children could just run around and the parents can enjoy some coffee. Just have that sense of community."
Just last week, Ms. Swett e-mailed the site's first newsletter, called the iloveriverhead eDispatch, to online subscribers.
After explaining the project's mission, she wrote: "It's not all going to be online and e-mail high-tech nonsense. It's going to be on-the-ground, in-person, on-the-street.
"That's what's missing when we don't have a downtown."
mwhite@timesreview.com