UPDATED, June 24: The third annual Arlington Alive Summer Arts Block Party expanded beyond Broadway Plaza, to the Jefferson Cutter House Green, as many participants flowed toward the shade at the Center. An estimated 600 people took part in a variety of events from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 20.
SEE PARTY PHOTOS
Pleasant sun, guarded by occasional clouds and unexpected breezes, beamed over the afternoon — far different from mid-July roasting of the previous two years.
Organizers aimed to widen the area involved, give the public more options, set the date closer to summer’s start, when it might be cooler, and draw people who might have been on vacation that last two years.
Fifteen Arlington businesses, including YourArlington, supported the day.
At the website’s table, three people won gift certificates to Arlington restaurants in a free drawing. Of the 27 who entered, winners are:
— Lena Phillips of Medford, $50 to Tryst;
— Carol Springs of Arlington, $25 to Ristorante Olivio’s; and
— Beryl Simon of Arlington, $25 to Szechuan’s Dumpling.
People came by with all kinds of questions or just wanted to talk. Some offered ideas for improving the website, and the publisher will be pursuing them this summer.
One fellow had an excellent question, but the answer became dust in the wind, as a sudden gust blew over a table display. As the publisher and his wife rushed to repair, using tape supplied by Mike Buglio of the Book Rack, whose table stood nearby, the man and his son disappeared past the performers at the main stage toward savory Latin aromas from Tango and Acitron.
He wanted to know about technology and the public schools. If he is reading this, he should head over to the Arlington Education Foundation website. There, he will learn about a June 30 deadline to raise $130,000 to support technology in the public schools.
View from the Plaza
Joining us for a time at our table was Allison Goldsberry, who publishes InsideMedford, a partner site, and had some good ideas about shared advertising.
Our booth was well positioned to survey the scene — to our left were tables for Cambridge Savings Bank, the Book Rack and Walking in Arlington. Nearby, on the brick in front of Common Ground and CVS, tables for ATED (Arlington Committee on Tourism and Economic Development) and the Arlington International Film Festival.
In front of us was a clear view Artful Heart and next to it a boarded-up window at Ripples, the longtime hair dresser now closed (some say a pizza place is coming in).
Leland Stein, co-owner of the Regent Theatre, shuttled between his table and handling the main-stage mic, where he introduced the acts with signature enthusiasm.
On that “stage,” pavement with a half-circle of amps and speakers, sang, among others, the Roy Sludge Trio. Its Texas sound got some cowboys and girls up and dancing.
Later, John Powhida International Airport tested our eardrums with a version of Dylan’s “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues” and John’s own ditty about recycling in Arlington Heights, where he lives.
As the afternoon wound down, some tables at the Plaza bailed out early as traffic thinned, but the scene continued to hop at the Green. There, right up until 5 p.m., a long table with sit-down projects drew in youngsters, as did Mexican street food from La Victoria Taqueria and the lower-decibel acoustic performers.
Tom Davidson, a member of ATED and prime mover behind organizing the day, wrote June 24: “We are evaluating how the event went this year so we can make it even better. We did hear a lot of very good feedback from a number of visitors and vendors, and there was a lot of good pedestrian traffic along Mass. Ave., which had a festive feel.”
An estimated 1,200 people attended last year’s party.
Here’s the June 20 program
FAMILY ARTS AREA
Jefferson Cutter House Green (in front of the Dallin Art Museum)
— Art projects and crafts suitable for all ages. Sponsored by Play Time Inc.
— Try on a costume and take a photo! Sponsored by The Costume Company
— Face painting and glitter tattoos
ENTERTAINMENT
Main Stage, Broadway Plaza
Noon: Mike Duke & The Soul Twisters
1 p.m.: Intimations Dance
1:20 p.m.: Ben Rudnick & Friends
2:20 p.m.: Alive Dance Collective
2:40 p.m.: Roy Sludge Trio
3:40 p.m.: Zhen Ren Chuan demonstration
3:50 p.m. John Powhida International Airport
Acoustic Stage
Jefferson Cutter House Green (in front of the Dallin Art Museum)
Noon: Boston Skyline Chorus
12:30 p.m.: Margot Fox
1 p.m.: Ilana Katz Katz
2 p.m.: Aunt Mimi
2:50 p.m.: Mass BJJArlington (martial arts) demonstration
3 p.m.: The Willstockings
3:30 p.m.: Hashtag Hoedown
4:30 p.m.: Yani Batteau
The Arlington businesses or groups whose logos were displayed in the program were:
Watertown Savings Bank
Leader Bank
Cambridge Savings Bank
YourArlington.com
Arlington Chamber of Commerce
Whole Foods Arlington
Regent Theatre
Andrina’s Pizzeria
Victoria La Taqueria
Common Ground
Arlington Center for the Arts
Menotomy Grill & Tavern
Punjab
Acitron
Tango
ARTIST & BUSINESS BOOTHS
Both at Jefferson Cutter House Green (in front of Dallin Museum) and Broadway Plaza
Arlington Body and Brain Center
Arlington Community Media, inc.
Arlington International Film Festival
Arlington Tourism and Economic Development
Cambridge Savings Bank
Clay Artists: Sue Wing, Holly Herring, and Amy Goldstein
Dave Photography
Elaine Crowder Photography
Good Luck Designs
Jane Chakravarthy: Fine Art & Mixed Media
Lisa Knebel Pottery
Lina Haddad Ceramics
Mass BJJArlington.
Next Step Living
Peter Grams, Wheel Thrown Stoneware
Regent Theatre
Tanya Rose of Shadow and Soul Photography
The Book Rack
Tibet Arts
Upland Road eco-friendly and fair trade
Walking in Arlington
YourArlington.com
Zhen Ren Chuan
FOOD VENDORS
Broadway Plaza
Acitron Mexican Cuisine
Menotomy Grill and Tavern
Punjab Restaurant
Tango Restaurant
Jefferson Cutter House Green (in front of the Dallin Museum)
Andrina’s Pizzeria
La Victoria Mexican Street Food
Whole Foods Arlington (near the bikeway, visitors’ center)
This program is supported in part by a grant from the Arlington Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency
July 2014: Arlington rocks around the block on midsummer Saturday
This extended announcement was published Wednesday, May 13, 2015, and updated June 24, to provide a summary of the event.
