Block party planned for Main Street
Downtown Coshocton will be full of activities on Saturday, Sept. 11 when several different groups unite to host the Block Party on Main Street from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
“We wanted to put on an event that brought people downtown,” said Walter Bergeron, who operates the Main Street Station restaurant with Tammy Alverson. “There has been a lot of revitalization downtown, and I’m not sure people are really aware of it. We wanted to have a big block party so we can get as many people involved as possible and have a good time.”
Bergeron said there will be food, entertainment, inflatables, a beer garden area for people to watch the OSU game, a sandcastle creating contest and more.
“There will be a whole bunch of different things going on here,” he said. “The idea is that summer isn’t over yet. We really want this to become an annual event and for people to come down and see what we have to offer.”
The Pomerene Center for the Arts and Our Town Coshocton are helping with the event.
“It’s been really nice to coordinate with them (at Main Street Station) and work with everyone,” Anne Cornell from the Pomerene Center for the Arts said.
The Pomerene Center is keeping with the theme of summer’s not over yet by creating a fake beach at the artPARK and hosting a sandcastle building contest from 9 a.m. to noon.
“There is no age limit for the contest,” Cornell said. “We sort of imagined it would be a family event where people can build together. Rural King donated small plastic pools to put the sand in. We will have a water supply, but you need to bring your own tools.”
There will be several prizes awarded. The grand prize is the wow prize. There will be a tallest award, most creative use of tools and youth prize.
To register to enter the sandcastle building contest, visit www.pomerenearts.org.
Attendees will want to bring towels and come enjoy some water play.
“The fire department will be there to open up hydrants,” Cornell said. “With it being Sept. 11, it will be a nice time too for people to come out and thank the firemen for their service.”
Jenny Penny’s Café will be in the area with a bicycle coffee cart and coupons for food. People also can shop at the farmers market in front of the courthouse and enjoy music.
Another activity is the dunk tank, which will be on the 400 block of Main Street. All proceeds from this will go to benefit a 9/11 veteran charity.
“With the situation in Afghanistan, there has never been a more apt time to consider giving to those who keep us safe,” said Lanny Spaulding, executive director of Our Town Coshocton. “While this will be a day to come to Main Street and enjoy yourself, we will be mindful of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.”
The grand finale of the day will be a concert by The British Invasion, a Beatles tribute band.
“The closure at Fifth and Main streets before the railroad tracks will be the location of the stage,” Spaulding said. “Try to be there at 7 p.m. and get a good spot before they go on. A special thanks to Walter and Tammy at Main Street Station for securing the band. Their vision was to start an annual block party on Main Street in the summer. As a downtown organization, we wanted to do everything we could to support them and participate. They have fronted a lot of the expenses for this initial event. It’s our hope that this takes off, and we are so happy to be involved.”
Anyone wishing to participate in this year’s block party can set up a booth free of charge by calling Our Town Coshocton at 740-610-8445.
“While free, it is helpful to know in advance as we are expecting a wide range of vendors set up on Main Street,” Spaulding said.
He is excited to see people come together to put this event on to showcase downtown and take time to remember 9/11.
“Every organization, business, and community group has different backgrounds and things to offer to Main Street. What we all have in common, though, is a desire to showcase our historic downtown Main Street while providing a variety of activities for our community,” Spaulding said. “I hope that the main take-away is that Main Street is vibrant and full of life again. It does coincide with the 20th anniversary of Sept. 11, and we intend to honor this and also show that life continues.”
Category: People & Places
