8/10/2017
| Chris Maza
chrism@thereminder.com
Category: August
The Downtown Get Down, Chicopee’s annual downtown block party, will kick off once again this month for two days Aug. 25 and 26.
Mayor Richard Kos, along with local officials, made the announcement of the event’s festivities and musical lineup earlier this month.
“This is really such a family and community event. It’s a way of enhancing the quality of life in our city and really showing off the things that we take a lot of pride in,” Kos said.
This year’s Downtown Get Down will feature more than 70 vendors, including 18 food vendors. New food options include Gypsy Joe Coffee, Friskie Fries, The Roving Lunchbox, Bruiser’s BBQ, Glory of India, Sidecar Bakery, Bernat’s Polish Deli, Frontera Grill and Tower Theaters.
Kos said he hoped would help attract more than the nearly 15,000 people who attended the block party in 2016.
Westfield Bank and Polish National Credit Union are the major sponsors of this year’s Get Down, ensuring the event, which originated with the help of a placemaking grant from MassDevelopment, would remain free.
New to this year’s Get Down will be the Downtown Get Down 5K run and walk on Aug. 26. Registration for the race will begin at 8 a.m. with the race stepping off at 9 a.m. Online registration is available until Aug. 24 at midnight. The cost is $25 in advance and $30 day-of for runners and $20 in advance and $25 day-of for walkers. All proceeds benefit Lorraine's Soup Kitchen. To sign up, visit https://eorcrunner1.wufoo.com/forms/downtown-getdown-5k.
The music lineup for Friday will feature headliner country cover band Trailer Trash, acoustic three-piece band Sky Highway, local polka legend Lenny Gomulka and the Chicago Push, and the acoustic rock and roll and blues act Livio Gravini and John Catalini.
Saturday’s lineup will feature Darik n’ the Fun Bags, Reverend Ken Sterling and The Mighty Radiators Rhythm & Blues Revue, oldies cover band Decades, local alt rock group The Hard Wait, and the Central Bible Church Band.
The Downtown GetDown will also feature local artists live painting, a bike rodeo, martial arts demonstrations, dragons, and many other kids activities.
For more information on the Downtown Get Down, visit www.chicopeegetdown.com or https://www.facebook.com/downtowngetdown/.