This year’s edition of Rock the Block will take the success of last year’s first ever event, and expand on the summer-time fun that brings businesses, community groups, and residents together in the downtown core.
The event is being offered as a partnership between the the St. Paul & District Chamber of Commerce, the St. Paul Journal, and St. Paul’s Champions for Change. Last year, the downtown sidewalks were busy, as people enjoyed hotdogs, snow cones, sidewalk chalk, and sales put on by businesses.
This year, many of the same things will return on Aug. 24, with the addition of music and art, along with a few more businesses and community groups jumping on board, such as the Town Artisan Market, Town of St. Paul FCSS offering activities, and the St. Paul & District Arts Foundation holding a sidewalk chalk contest.
“When I heard that Athabasca held an annual summer customer appreciation event, I thought it would be a great idea for St. Paul to try, to get people walking through main street and interacting with each other and local businesses,” says St. Paul Journal publisher Janani Whitfield.
She brought the idea to the Chamber of Commerce, which jumped aboard and word quickly spread.
“In a few short weeks, lots of people came together to offer draws, sidewalk sales, and giveaways to make the first ever Rock the Block a hit,” says Whitfield.
The event is held in conjunction with Champions for Change’s annual street dance concert, with the Champions group once again bringing local band Boomtown out to perform during the evening.
“Rock the Block just seemed like a natural extension of the street dance, and getting all of St. Paul’s businesses and non-profits to join in to show that downtown can be an exciting, happening place to be,” said Whitfield.
Chamber of Commerce executive director Linda Sallstrom agrees that the Rock the Block event is a great opportunity to celebrate the short summer season in St. Paul.
“We have a great community,” she says, adding, the event encourages people to get out and enjoy that sense of community. Rock the Block also gets people moving around town, she notes, adding, although much of the event will be concentrated in the downtown, she encourages businesses in other areas of town to also get in on the action.
“We’re trying to bring people in (to town),” and businesses all over can capitalize on that, she says.
Sallstrom notes that last year’s event was pulled together in a short amount of time, while this year, a bit more thought has gone into the planning, and a lot of organizations have come on board.
Local musical talent will be on display at the park next to the Foundry, with sets expected to take place every half hour. Events will begin at about 11 a.m.
The day will come to a close with a live performance by Boomtown at 7 p.m., taking place at the park by the St. Paul Foundry.
