Downtown St. Paul was buzzing with activity, as music rang out from the downtown park and non-profits and businesses showed off what they had to offer, with people sampling everything from moonshine ice cream to taco in a bag as they walked up and down main street for the Aug. 16 Rock the Block event.
“It’s just great to see so many people, come, meet some new people and be outside in the summer time,” said Penny Fox, chair of St. Paul’s Champions for Change group, which organized music events throughout the day.
With eight performers taking to the stage for the open mic event, Fox said it revealed all the “secret talent” in the area. Performers offered the crowd everything from country, to folk, to pop and jazz, with Ukrainian instruments like the dulcimer and bandura brought in for some additional musical variety.
“There’s so much talent in our community and every year, we find more,” she said.
As music played, children and families got to take in games offered through Town of St. Paul FCSS. A critter table brought in by science teacher Diana Richer offered additional amusement, as kids held everything from spiders to snakes to a bearded dragon, squealing in delight as they handled the soft to scaly critters.
Volunteer power was a big help, Fox noted, with Soccer Facilities loaning the use of the tent to provide shade for musicians and their equipment, and people giving their time to help with set up and take down. St. Paul 4-H Multi-Club members, along with their exchange partners from Ontario, also lent a hand, volunteering to do sparkle tattoos and participate in the FCSS games with the kids.
Fox said it was amazing to see how many young kids and families were in the community, which underscores why Rock the Block is a family friendly event, with no alcohol served from beginning to end.
“We want it to be a community family event.”
Well-known local band Boomtown performed a selection of recognizable hits in the evening to an audience of what Fox estimated was 170 people. Listeners took the opportunity to dance under an occasional rain drop or two, but fortunately, the event – for the first time in a few years – managed to get from beginning to end without being rained out.
Businesses and non-profits are encouraged to take part in any way they choose, and St. Paul & District Chamber of Commerce president Linda Sallstrom said it seemed like more people are getting on board since the event started three years ago.
“It went well, we saw growth, but I think we could do even more,” she said.
The idea behind Rock the Block is to create an environment where people come and spend time in downtown, but she hoped to see more service groups and businesses participate, by bringing merchandise outside, or offering giveaways, or having more service clubs hop aboard to do more presentations in areas where there isn’t activity already going on.
She encouraged businesses and non-profits to offer feedback to the chamber on what they may want to see for next year’s event, and ways they could hop on board to promote their organization, gain exposure and help create the excitement in St. Paul for next year’s Rock the Block.
