The trio Son De Tres performing.
A salsa beat was in the air and dancing feet on the street this past Friday for Dinner Under the Stars, hosted by the Bloomfield Center Alliance.
It was another evening for the weekly, summer-long, live music, Washington Street activity, with dining al fresco, now in its eighth year, featuring various music styles including rock ‘n’ roll, rhythm and blues, disco and jazz.
The restaurants were open with waiters carrying ladened trays to couples or crowded, boisterous tables of 10 or 11 people. The music was a combination of live percussion, keyboard and vocals with a track providing horns. The sound quality was excellent and Son De Tres was the live trio, two men and a woman singer who began the evening by instructing a 30-minute dance lesson. Once the music began in earnest, there were some very good dancers but several toddlers joined in. It was a family occasion and the “dance floor” was pretty crowded for the most part.
Ollyn Lettman, the BCA director, was on hand at the organization’s table. He also danced, and quite well, with his wife, Ivette. Later, he said the alliance was considering a rebranding to determine what kind of image the downtown area wanted to project.
“We think it’s time to look into a new identity,” he said. “That would require an expert and we’ll reach out to the businesses and the residents with a survey.”
Whatever a survey might find, one thing is certain and that is Washington Street is lively on Friday summer nights.
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