Why Amarillo Really Should Give Us The Downtown Block-Party Back

Before I ever moved to Amarillo, I made several trips out here for one reason. The block party. Amarillo, we really need our block party back, and not the tiny one.

Live Music Was Every Where You Went

The best part, for me at least, was all of the live music. At both ends of the blocked off streets you would find stages. There were stages hidden in alleys and parking lots. There was live music every where. From the Blues to Pop, you would hear it all.

The Vendors Were Awesome

You always had to bring spending money for the vendors. There were carts, people on foot, and booths. My friends and I would always walk away with some kind of ridiculous keep-sake.

Beer. Lots of Beer.

There were several beer stations spread across the giant grid, ensuring you always found a place to quench your thirst. We would always knock a few back before deciding which restaurants or bars we were going to go to. Sometimes, we would grab a couple and just head to the nearest stage to catch a show. It was a fantastic way to spend an evening.

Speaking of Bars and Restaurants, They Stayed Open for the Event

One of my favorite things to do was bounce from bar to bar while the block party was going on. There were places I wouldn't normally go to that I found myself spending an hour in

that night. It's how I found one of my favorite watering holes in town (back when it was my favorite watering hole).

It Was Something To Take The Kids To

At least for the early part of the evening, it was an event you could take the kids to. Food and live music are usually a good combination for the little ones. I hate that my kids won't know the joy of walking from stage to stage taking in the wide variety of music the city has to offer.

We need to bring the block party back. Not the tiny one. We need the big one, with all of the performance spaces. We have enough musicians and artists in this town that the whole night could be a celebration of local artists. The fleet of food trucks we have in this town would have a field day. Those of us who don't normally get a taste of Amarillo night life would have a reason to.

Bring it back, whoever makes that decision. Bring back our block party.