Center Alliance throws a rockin’ party on Washington St.

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BLOOMFIELD, NJ — The Bloomfield Center Alliance held its second springtime Bloomfield Center Block Party along Washington Street on Saturday, May 20. Restaurants and eateries along the thoroughfare were invited to bring their business to the curb. About a dozen did, with several more restaurants from other parts of town joining in.

There were a couple of new restaurants involved in the lineup and BCA Director Ollyn Lettman said he was excited about that.

“We’re making the case that Bloomfield has a wonderful array of dining options,” Lettman said. “We’ve had so many new restaurants open up their doors in the last 18 months.”

It looked like rain in the early morning, and even when the party started at noon, the skies posed a threat. But by about 5:30 p.m., with the party scheduled until 8, the skies opened for the sun.

“The time to cancel would have been Wednesday night,” Lettman said. “On Wednesday night, everything looked perfect. We were all shocked when we woke up today and saw the overcast. But it cleared up and turned out nice.”

This year, the BCA was actually hosting its third annual party along Washington Street but Lettman said he considered it the second one because for the second consecutive year, restaurants from other parts of the township were asked to come. The first year, they weren’t.

“We thought including restaurants from outside the center is an opportunity for people with a favorite restaurant in other parts of town to be introduced to new restaurants,” he said.

More Washington Street events are being considered for this summer, according to Lettman, including a “pop-up shop.” This is where a temporary attraction is located in a vacant storefront. Lettman said a curated art show is a possibility for a pop-up.

The block party had live music, which was a first for the event. The band was Jeff and the Mutts. There was also a DJ calling himself Hiroshi Jaguar.

“I think it’s safe to say we had a good turnout,” Lettman said. “I hope to get feedback on social media.”

Restaurants were charged a fee that helped finance the party and the sponsors helped. These sponsors were the shops in Glenwood Villages. The Bloomfield Department of Public Works strung banners across the street and there was free parking in the Farrand Parking Lot. Bloomfield Police sealed off both ends of the street and it looked as though this party was a success.

All photos by Daniel Jackovino