By Amber Angove-For the Athol Daily News
South Washington Street was lined with vendors and bustling with music and people as the sixth annual Downtown North Attleborough Collaborative Block Party brought the town together for one final summer celebration.
For the vendors, the best part of the event was not simply showcasing their work, but seeing everyone come together.
Lori and Wayne Vincent, the owners and craftspeople behind A Touch of Class in Glass, returned for their second year as vendors. Their display featured beautiful solar-powered bottles, each carefully hand-painted and sandblasted—a process that helps diffuse the light and create a softer glow.
“It’s great because I’m a people person,” Lori Vincent said when asked about her favorite part of the event.
Rachel Cross, owner of Denim & Bloom, shared a similar sentiment.
“This is always the event with the highest turnout. … It’s great to see everyone come together for one last hurrah of the summer,” she said.
Other local businesses offered a variety of products along South Washington Street. Crosman Creations displayed artwork made from repurposed license plates, while Meagan Kohlenberger brought Berkshire Born Thrift to the block party for the first time.
Kohlenberger had attended the block party as a resident for the past three years before experiencing the celebration from the other side of the vendor’s table.
Nichole Bach, owner of Myla Rae Charcuterie, was another first-time block party vendor. While the event marked her debut at the annual celebration, Bach is already a familiar face among local shoppers as a regular vendor at North Attleborough’s weekly farmers market.
Alongside local businesses, community organizations also joined the celebration. The First Baptist Church hosted a tent where residents could make beaded bracelets, while Pastor Stephen Trimble took in another longtime block party attraction—the annual car show.
“When somebody says ‘the Block Party,’ my first reaction is the automobiles and the amount of people that come every year,” Trimble said.
Jukebox Gold provided the soundtrack to the evening outside Whisk & Paddle, performing classic rock songs including “Summer of ’69” as residents moved among the businesses, activities and vendor displays.
Together, the music, local businesses and community groups gave North Attleborough one final chance to celebrate summer as a community.