By Geena Monahan–For the North Star Reporter
Thousands of locals gathered on North Washington Street on the evening of Wednesday, Sept. 17, to celebrate five years of the North Attleborough Block Party.
The annual event highlights local businesses, artisans and community groups, such as Los Antojitos Restaurant, which served tacos and margaritas in its outdoor dining area. A showcase from Kryptonite Wrestling Klub drew large crowds of children wanting to try their hand at the sport, and the North Attleborough Police Department brought K-9 Yoshi for a demonstration.
The event is presented by the North Attleborough Small Business Collaborative, formerly known as the Downtown North Attleborough Collaborative.
“To me, it’s a night where the whole purpose is to give back – to give awareness to amazing businesses in town, to give back to community members who service and love the business, and a fun time to relax and have pride on our town,” said North Attleborough Small Business Collaborative President Andrea Slobogan.
A cornhole tournament, classic car show, beer and wine gardens and a free Volkswagen photo bus were among the popular attractions of the evening.
Jeff Instasi and Kira Poisson, co-owners of Showcase Reptiles, a new business in North Attleborough, attended their first ever Block Party with four snakes, one spider and one giant millipede in tow.
“It was absolutely fantastic and we got such positive feedback from people,” said Poisson. “Some people didn’t even know we had the store because we’ve only been open for seven months, and everyone was excited to see the animals.”
Poisson said they’re looking forward to participating in the Block Party again next year, and shared plans to expand into the former Kidz Wurld space on Robert F. Toner Boulevard to open an indoor zoo.
“To me, it’s a night where the whole purpose is to give back – to give awareness to amazing businesses in town, to give back to community members who service and love the business, and a fun time to relax and have pride on our town.”
-Andrea Slobogan
The School of Rock Attleboro’s house band and the Willie J. Laws Band provided live music throughout the night, playing a wide range of classic rock, blues, R&B and everything in between.
School of Rock’s Attleboro location celebrated its 10th anniversary this year, and owner Dave LaSalle said their house band has played at every Block Party since its inception. LaSalle said more than 300 young musicians from North Attleborough and surrounding towns audition to be in the house band, and performing at the event is something they look forward to each year.
“This is one of our favorite performances of the year,” said LaSalle. “We have a very busy house band – we play all over the community – and this crowd is great.”
Slobogan said that not only did the fifth year bring the largest crowds yet, but marked a name change for the organization that runs the event each year. She handed out pins to promote the group’s new name, signifying a shift to include all businesses throughout town who support the Block Party each year.
To Slobogan, the group’s tagline, “Working together, building community,” extends not just to downtown businesses, but to those spread across North Attleborough.
As a self-proclaimed lover of Christmas and gift-giving, Slobogan celebrated the fifth anniversary by distributing 175 T-shirts, gift bags and over 500 stickers to attendees.
“It was a ‘thank you’ to our community for coming out and celebrating,” said Slobogan. “My favorite part is hearing how much people love the event and how much it means to them to have it every year.”
Slobogan credited her “small but mighty” group of volunteers for making the Block Party bigger and better each year, and said she is already planning for year six.