If history is any gauge, there could be a few thousand people milling on Main this Saturday, between 4th and 5th streets. Pack in food vendors, sound equipment and some attitude, and you’ve got a full-blown blend of community and culture. The first year, The Block Party drew fewer than 200 people. Last year, organizers estimate, the crowd had swelled to more than a thousand. And while the event is for all ages, it isn’t the usual bump-elbows and get-to-know-your-neighbors kind of block party.

“Don’t expect to come and see people snapping their fingers, ‘cause nobody’s going to be doing that. People are coming together to share what’s been on their mind,” says event organizer Lorna Pinckney. This is the third year Pinckney and friends have put together The Block Party. Not just any block party; the block party like no other. It’s entertainment, it’s healing; it’s music and dance and poetry. It’s electrified open-air therapy. The Block Party is an outgrowth of Tuesday Verses’ Open Mic Nights, where the crowd spills onto North 2nd Street waiting for their chance to pump up the poetry jam. “There are always people who don’t get in, and no one ever gets mad,” says Pinckney. “We wanted to this for them.”

Co-sponsored with the Ezibu Muntu African Dance & Cultural Foundation, The Block Party is Tuesday Verses gone wild. While the motivation was to have a large enough venue for a long enough time (noon to 10 p.m.) to accommodate everyone’s urge to pick up a mic, Pinckney says the street will be filled with circles for people to gather to see capoeira, break dancing, flame twirlers and belly dancers. Events for kids include face painting and double dutch demonstrations. Meanwhile, the open mic rages on. “The Block Party is definitely a haven for people who love music, who love creativity.”

In addition to performances by Ezibu Muntu and Verses’ house band Chicken Grease, the day will be one of freestyle creativity. The circles, says Pinckney, are all about improvisation. “It’s an opportunity for artists of all ages to become active in their community by sharing their gifts in a street-fair setting.

Anything that pushes the mind to create something is beautiful.”

People have met at the Block Party and gotten married. People have made friends for life there too. But don’t dust off your parrot head yet. This is not that kind of vibe. Think angst; think sturm und drang. “They’re not just performing to get claps,” says Pinckney, AKA L.Boogie. “It’s very much a personal gift when people get on the stage. There’s a piece of entertainment that goes with this, but it ends up as personal healing for a lot of folks.”

Details:
Noon to 10 p.m.
Main between 4th and 5th streets
Sponsors: All the folks we love in the Two Street Community, including Tropical Soul restaurant, The Terrace Bed & Breakfast, Mamusu, the Richmond Police Department, and many more

hi lisa i am curious just by googling my name i found out that patra brodie is apart of this organization.
I am curious also because my title is very rare. is it possible to personnally get in contact with this person.