The festivities keep getting bigger. But Block Avenue stays the same size, which means organizers of the annual Block Street Block Party must get creative.
Last year, says Block Avenue business owner and party planner Hannah Withers, cars started using the adjacent Dickson Street as a parking lot. And like always, the hungry patrons snagged all the food long before the party closed down at dusk.
FAQ
Block Street Block Party
WHEN — Noon-dark Sunday
WHERE — Block Avenue in Fayetteville
COST — Free
INFO — blockstreetbusiness…
FYI
Block Party
Music Schedule
Maxine’s Tap Room Stage
Lot south of Maxine’s Tap Room
12:30 p.m. – Glorious Birds (Dana and Adams)
2 p.m. – Basement Brew
3:15 p.m. – Cutty Rye
4:30 p.m. – Crescent City Combo
6:15 p.m. – Lampliter
7:45 p.m. – Shawn James
Tables and Ale Stage
In front of Tables and Ale
12 p.m. – Scott Elliot
1:30 p.m. – Aisle 24
3:15 p.m. – Leah and MOJO Doctors
4:45 p.m. – Cutty’s Van (Cutty Rye and Foley’s Van)
6:15 p.m. – Isayah’s All Stars
Lightbulb Club Stage
In front of the Lightbulb Club
1 p.m. – The Silvershakers
2 p.m. – Buffalo Hustle
3 p.m. – Teenagers
4 p.m. – Grim Creeper
5 p.m. – Ten High
6 p.m. – Lo-Res
7 p.m. – Swampbird
Arkansas Brewers Guild Stage
Corner of Spring Street
12 p.m. – School of Rock Dean’s List
1:30 p.m. – The Good Fear
4 p.m. – Flight Machine
5 p.m. – 1 Oz Jig
8 p.m. – Dumptruck Boyz
Good Folk Stage
South side of the Fayetteville square
11:30 a.m. – Block Street Pickers (Mike Shirkey & Scott Newby)
12:30 p.m. – Bayard Blain & John Davies (and special guests)
2 p.m. – Emily Kaitz & Dennis Collins
3:30 p.m. – Stan D’Aubin & Ed Carr
5 p.m. – Keith Grimwood & Jamey Hall
6:30 p.m. – Mike Sumler, JT Huff, Keith Grimwood & Ezra Idlet
This year, the fifth annual, the spring festival continues with the kind of eclectic offerings found at all the previous events. Withers, a co-owner of Maxine's Tap Room, says the event took off faster than anyone ever anticipated.
"We hoped it would last this long. But we had no idea it would turn into this crazy, monster party," she says.
Indeed, the Block Party started big and continues to grow. An estimated 10,000 people visited the street fair last year. Perhaps 12,000 will attend in 2015, although the weather will play a factor in that total, Withers says. The number of vendors swelled for this year, too. About 100 vendors joined the festivities in 2014. Nearly 125 will participate this year. Important to the health of the event is the threshold for activity all vendors must meet. Standing around handing out pamphlets isn't enough. All vendors are encouraged to offer participation and activities.
"I think that's what makes Block Party special," Withers says.
Among the vendors scheduled to participate is the Ozark Off Road Cycling Club. The club will be stationed in the Arvest Bank Parking lot near the intersection of Meadow Street and Block Avenue. The club will give riders a chance to ride a reverse steering bicycle, one that like its name implies moves to the left when the handlebars are turned right. Helmets are provided.
Other events to watch or participate in during the Block Party are a bungee run, photos booths and pony rides.
In addition to the vendor booths, which stretch from Dickson Street to Mountain Street, several beer gardens and live music stages will be stationed along the route. One beer garden will be manned by the Arkansas Brewers Guild. That garden at the corner of Block Avenue and Spring Street will host live music from noon to 9 p.m., and craft beers from four Northwest Arkansas breweries and four central Arkansas breweries will be offered. Of note among them is Lost Forty Brewery from Little Rock, which will be making its Northwest Arkansas debut during the Block Party.
Withers says the event will feature twice as many food vendors as it did last year. And she said efforts are being made to encourage "creative" ways to get to downtown to help alleviate parking backlogs.
The event takes place rain or shine. If it rains on the Block Party, it will be the first time that's happened in the event's history, Withers says.
NAN What's Up on 05/15/2015