random thoughts — Day 1,568 — (Wednesday) — block party

Just before 5:00, I swapped the coral colored long dress worn all day at the office for denim capris, a blue blouse with white dots, and a lightweight, white cotton hoodie. The drive to Fitchburg after work was not horrible, and that was a blessing. 

Whitney Doucet on stage.

The destination was the annual Civic Days Block Party in downtown Fitchburg with live music, DJ music, a fleet of food truck vendors, a wrestling demonstration, a car show, games, and a kids area, all followed by fireworks. 

It was a beautiful summer evening. Sunny but not too hot. A light breeze. A block party that stretched for several blocks. Does it get any better than that on a Wednesday with no work on Thursday? I think not.

I nabbed a parking spot, met my friend, and we walked around the event. The wrestlers had a stage in the parking lot at Espresso Pizza and a good-sized crowd. The main stage featured the incredibly talented Whitney Doucet and her band. She always puts on a great show. 

There was a mechanical bull ride set up in an inflatable ring outside the church I grew up in. As a kid rode the bull, a line of other kids and their adults waited for their turns. 

Fireworks over Fitchburg.

Further up the street, the DJ, a classmate from high school, had a crowd of young dancers trying to outdo each other with their moves. One tiny tot in a yellow romper may have had the best moves of all. It was lively and fun to watch.

At various points in our travels on Main Street, we each saw friends. Some of my friends hadn’t been seen since last year’s Civic Days Block Party, and others I hadn’t seen for even longer. It was great to catch up.

We had a great spot outside The Cellar on Mill Street to see the fireworks, which were shot off from Rollstone Hill. It was a comfortable sized crowd with plenty of room to not feel crowded. The fireworks were colorful, and didn't seem as loud as I recall from in the past, which was good. Or maybe I'm just going deaf, which would not be so good.