Mark Sponholz of Aurora and his family were looking for something to do on Friday evening and found a party waiting for them in the center of town.
“This is our first time coming to this event. I’m here for the food,” Sponholz said as he and his wife Gina made their way into the annual Stolp Island Block Party.
Beginning at 5 p.m. Friday, the Aurora Regional Economic Alliance hosted the annual block party – a four-hour festival on Stolp Avenue between Galena Boulevard and Downer Place that included food, music, art and more that served as a First Fridays event for the Alliance as well as an early end-of-summer community gathering before school resumes in a few weeks.
Jon Zaghloul, communications manager for the city of Aurora, said the block party is a staple in downtown Aurora.
“Every year, it’s very popular with food and drinks, local artists, and fun for all ages. A number of food trucks will be here and live entertainment and a balloon artist, facepainting, photo ops and hairstyling,” he said before the event. “We have a number of vendors set up all around Stolp Island.”
Claire Wozniewski, who handles downtown initiatives for the Aurora Regional Economic Alliance and helped organize the event, said this was the ninth year for the block party.
“It just ends the summer before the kids go back to school and brings the community downtown and people to the businesses as well as providing entertainment. It’s a fun place to bring everyone together before life gets really busy again,” she said.
Wozniewski said the event “definitely has more of a local feel.”
“It’s not like people from other communities don’t come, but this is really something for Aurora and getting the whole community together, showcasing our downtown businesses and drawing foot traffic,” she said.
Near where the Sponholz family entered the fest on Friday, Maxx Olson, 12, of Montgomery, was waiting with her friend Jaeda Joseph-Harden, 13, as a balloon artist make something for both of them.
“I’m hanging out with my friend. My parents brought me here and said this would be fun,” Maxx said.
Kathleen Goodman and her husband Wesley said they just moved to Aurora a month ago, making Friday their first visit to the Stolp Island Block Party.
“We’re having fun,” Kathleen Goodman said as she and her husband sipped a beer. “We’re looking to try the food. I like what I see here and it’s kid friendly.”
Dave Moland of Aurora said he has been coming downtown for years for the party.
“It’s nice to get out and eat and see the people,” he said Friday. “You couldn’t ask for a better night. We’ll look for some ice cream but we can’t close the place down – my wife has to work tomorrow.”
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David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.