Kutztown area families packed Main Street for the CommUnity Block Party on Saturday for some fun, food and a chance to mingle.
Then, rain cut the event short.
While some packed up their gear, others braved the wet weather, one Dad mini golfing with his kids at one end of the block. Up on the stage, an acoustic duo played guitar and sang the Johnny Cash song ‘Ring of Fire.’
‘The weather aside, I think it went great. We had a lot of vendors come out and weather the storm regardless,’ said Amanda Keith Verrastro, Main Street Program Director for Kutztown Community Partnership. ‘We had a bunch of people on the block before it started to downpour.’
Verrastro said the purpose of the block party is to bring people in the community together, ‘to have people see our beautiful Main Street, that’s very wet right now, but beautiful none the less. Our whole goal, anything we do with KCP, is to bring people together.’
Verrastro said they achieved their goal of bringing people together in an organized fashion.
‘Unfortunately, we’re going to scramble in the rain together,’ said Verrastro.
She thanked the event sponsors Kutztown University, Kutztown Borough and GIANT for helping to make the event possible.
‘There’s never a perfect day to have an event rained out but we’re here until the rain kicks us out.’
Prior to the rain, Kutztown mom Abbi Moyer brought her children Katelyn, 2, and Ryan, 5.
‘I like that it’s different stands in the community so everyone’s contributing to the community. I think that’s great,’ said Moyer.
The event included face painting, a mock DUI field sobriety test, entertainment by local groups, a dunk tank, rock climbing, mini golf, Kutztown University organizations and local organizations and businesses offering information on what they do.
Diane Piscitelli of the KCP said there were a lot of people at the onset of the event that brings the community and university together. She said all of the activities going on make it fun and everyone enjoys just seeing people they haven’t seen in awhile.
And her thoughts about the rain?
‘What can we say about the rain, it puts a little bit of a damper on it but it looks like people are still hanging out.’