ROCK THE BLOCK!

Photos from 2006 Rock the Block (slideshow)

WOW! What a great evening!

Rock the Block, the city’s annual end-of-summer downtown street extravaganza, was held on Friday, September 21, with music, food and fun for everyone.

This year, Rock the Block once again featured five music stages with more of the free great music that has made Rock the Block the city’s premier outdoor music event. But the real news this year is the food: A record number of food vendors signed on this year, and between them, there’s more variety than ever.

Hot dogs and hamburgers, brats and sausage, pizza and wings, tacos and turkey legs, ribs, quesadillas, grilled chicken, cheese steaks, beef paninis, subs, barbecue, Greek salads, taquitos, pork chop sandwiches, even shrimp wraps and crab cakes! Or you can visit some of your favorite downtown restaurants, including Mellow Mushroom and Downtown Deli. If you can’t find something to like, you aren’t trying.

Craving something sweet? Indulge in funnel cakes, Ben & Jerry’s, Italian ice, brownies, Dippin’ Dots, lemon freezes and Mayberry’s ice cream. Kettle Korn? Of course!

After you eat, work off the calories dancing at the five music stages, offering a DJ and live bands playing jazz/R&B, beach music, rock & roll, and country/bluegrass music. If you’re more adventurous, get your exercise trying to tame the mechanical bull. Five bucks will get you three tries.

The Children’s Area is back, too, with some of last year’s favorite inflatibles, like the Velcro wall and the Adrenaline Rush obstacle course. There are great new attractions, too, like laser tag and the Tiki Island inflatable rock wall. At the request of parents, we’ve added the Castle Bounce – an inflatable just for toddlers. A dollar gets you an all-you-can-play wristband.

Rock the Block is an initiative of the City of Winston-Salem and the Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership, and is being sponsored this year by Hanesbrands Inc., Reynolds American, Foothills Brewing, GMAC, and Mechanics and Farmers Bank.

It’s the city’s biggest block party and it only happens once a year. Come downtown next year in September and help us Rock the Block.