random thoughts – Day 1,203 – (Monday) – block party

The Fitchburg Civic Days Block Party was today, and the weather held out long enough to enjoy it. The sun was out and burning hotly at 6:00, but there was rain forecast for around 9:00. It was a bit hot walking around but once the sun set, it felt chilly.

The flag finally unfurled behind
 the Moonshine Band.

I met a friend downtown to check out the Block Party and there was a lot going on. The organizers really covered their bases and had something for people of all ages. One of our friends was the DJ at a one end of the festival footprint near Espresso Pizza, where people were packed in a line at the counter waiting for the popular hometown pizza. 

We walked through the multitude of people and food trucks interspersed with games, vendors, and music stages. Local performers Whitney Doucet and the Moonshine Band were on the Main Stage when we arrived. There was an American flag on a light pole behind the stage and I patiently waited for a breeze to unfurl the flag a bit behind the band for a photo. It felt like it took forever, but it was probably three songs. 

Wrestling!

A few blocks away, adult men in spandex underpants posed and postured, then wrestled and a big crowd cheered. Across the street, vintage cars were parked along the Upper Common where another band played at the gazebo and people danced on the lawn. 

There were at least a dozen different types of food represented by the trucks. Vendors with pulled pork, tacos, chicken tikka masala, pizza, Polish food, and more dotted Main Street. Some of the vendors had a clear specialty and others crossed food cultures with varied offerings. The Police League had a booth selling burgers, hot dogs, and sausages next to a crowded beer garden with Wachusett beer and Tito's Vodka Lemonade. The many food choices were a bit overwhelming, and we grabbed some police fundraiser food because the line was short and the prices were more budget friendly than many of the trucks which had sit down restaurant prices for walking around street food. 

After eating and catching the rest of the Whitney Doucet set, we headed back towards the Common to The Boulder Café for beers and a break at the sidewalk seating. Our tiny and precious sidewalk table and seating offered a front row view to some of the colorful characters. A motorcycle rider with a fur covered helmet that looked like a buffalo head and a black flag declaring that "Jesus Saves" rode down the closed street. Later, a group wearing an inflated dinosaur costume, little dinosaur skeleton, and a woman "riding" an inflated dinosaur crossed the street over to the Common where a rap band had replaced the salsa band in the gazebo.

Dancers!

When we returned to the Main Stage area, a large band was playing Latin dance music and the crowd was dancing. Three beautiful women in fringey red costumes with Vegas-style feather head pieces posed for photos in between dancing, and three costumed stilt walkers moved through the crowd in the dance area. 

The band was fun, and we felt like we’d missed something by not being there earlier. The band ushered in the fireworks display at 9:00, which was fired off from Rollstone Hill. The fireworks had been moved an hour earlier due to a forecast for rain, and as the first fireworks launched, it began to rain a little, exactly on time according to the weather apps we kept checking. Walking to our cars, we passed a barber shop blasting music and people dancing on the sidewalk. It really felt like a block party.