Wilmette fills the streets for 5th community block party

Let the good times roll. For Lindsay Thomas and the crew behind the inaugural Wilmette Block Party in 2022, it was the only choice.

At the time, the event was built to celebrate a major milestone: the town’s sesquicentennial (150th anniversary). But Thomas, and others, saw the joy and community in the air that night and wouldn’t let it go.

“Our town didn’t have anything like this … and everyone saw how many people came out,” Thomas recalled about the first block party. “It was the 150th and we made it really big, and we saw how much the community valued it. And to see that and let something like that go and not do something like that again would have been a disservice for the community.

“When you see so many people come out and enjoy it so much, I think you have a duty to keep it going on.”

Fast forward five years and The Wilmette Block Party welcomed its largest crowd, Thomas believes, in its fifth edition on Saturday, Aug. 29, in downtown Wilmette.

The Wilmette Park District, cohost of the event, estimates that 15,000 people came through the bash.

This time around, the special event had a special punctuation. Following the family fun, food, drinks and bands, a drone show took centerstage over Wilmette and Central avenues. The grand finale was a makeup for a weather-canceled Fireworks and Fun Independence Day celebration on the Wilmette lakefront.

Like the town’s typical July 3 bash, Wilmette residents were even saving their seats for this one. Thomas said she couldn’t help but smile watching folks use chairs and blankets to save space on the Village Hall Green prior to the day’s festivities.

For the event cohosted by the park district, Village of Wilmette and Wilmette-Kenilworth Chamber of Commerce, those festivities began at noon and included a foam party, dancers and other performers, and a variety of family activities.

A Jump Zone was a new attraction this year, Thomas said, and featured several inflatables from 2-7 p.m., in an effort to satisfy parent requests for more children activities later in the day.

The first band, Hoopla, hit the main stage at 3 p.m., while Second Hand News and First Say followed well into the night.

A second performance space on Ouilmette Way was added to host the three acts who were rained out on the Fourth of July — Central High, Men on the Moon and Anter Chandlier.

“We thought it’d be fun to fit them into this event,” said Thomas, who co-organized the event with the village’s Monica Grossnickle. ” … That seemed to work well, like a secret popup show. It’s fun when you stumble upon it and hear some music and peek in and see this show going on.

“It’s all about Wilmette and bringing the community together and all the local bands. People were hopping around all afternoon. You couldn’t get to the front if you tried.”

All those partygoers flocked to the streets to enjoy the sky show to cap off the event.

The fifth block party is in the books, and there is no sign of the event slowing down. Thomas said the yearly turnout is enough of a sign to keep it going, and she is already taking recommendations for future years (lthomas@wilpark.org)

“It’s really fun to see five years in and there are still things we learn every year and new things we add and always can improve,” she said. “If there’s anyone in village who is looking for something or has an idea, send them over. We always know there are things to be done.”

---

The Record is a nonprofit, nonpartisan community newsroom that relies on reader support to fuel its independent local journalism.

Become a member of The Record to fund responsible news coverage for your community.

Already a member? You can make a tax-deductible donation at any time.