PHOTOS BY PAULA MULLER
Mixed media artist Susan Brewer shows one of her techniques to, from left, AnnMarie Stoilov, Kathleen Morales and Randy Spearing during the Rock the Block party on Saturday.
By LEAH DEARBORN
LYNN — The first ever “Rock the Block” party drew crowds to the downtown on Saturday despite clouds and rain.
As part of their mission to enliven the city’s cultural community, the Lynn Cultural District organized the celebration of local art, entertainment and business.
“It’s truly community driven,” said Kate Luchini, director of the Lynn Cultural District. “People have been very willing to contribute to the energy of the downtown. They’ve even been willing to come out in the rain.”
The festivities included live entertainment by Crystal Pan Jammers, students at the School of Rock and dancers from Cultura Latina Dance.
Several artists including painter Annette Hoyt and illustrator Brandon Gorski had booths on Mount Vernon Street with their work up on display.
The LynnArts building on Exchange Street opened its doors for the event with a one day exhibition featuring work by sculptor Andrea Thompson, photographers Bob Bond and Erika Schnitker, mixed-media artist Susan Brewer. Work by Laura Wilhelm, president of Collaborative Artworks in Lynn, was also on display.
Bond, known for his Lynn street scenes, said the future of Lynn’s downtown is bright for artists.
It’s a sentiment that was echoed by Lynn Museum Director Drew Russo, who said that LynnArts is hosting the first of a continuous series of rotating exhibits.
“There are a lot of great reasons to come downtown and see what we’ve got,” said Russo.
Several children’s activities also took place over the course of the afternoon, including demonstrations by Raw Art Works and the Saugus Iron Works who showed visitors how to make metal figurines.
“It’s an opportunity to showcase a science that is still important to people today,” said park ranger Michael Holmes about the display.
A Sach Ko food truck was open to attendees of the party and Bent Water Brewing Co. had a beer tent set up with a number of brews on tap.
Lynn-based band Tigerman Woah closed out the day with a 6 p.m. performance.
“I felt like it really had a lot of great voices,” said guitarist Jon Feinstorm about Rock the Block. “It’s really about Lynn: the food, the drink, the stories of the people here.”
