Our Town Belfast (Belfast’s local Main Street organization) is hard at work getting ready for the 6^th Annual Belfast Street Party, Monday August 4^th from 5-10:30pm. It’s still summer!  Locals and visitors will remember this event as that wild and wonderful Monday in August when downtown Belfast High Street (from the traffic light to MacLeod Furniture) is closed off and filled to bursting with carnival feats of skill, strength, and daring, activities for people of all ages with an emphasis on children and families, clowns and face painting, tasty food from local vendors, street performers of all kinds, and of course a main stage with nonstop music and dancing from 5pm until the party ends at ten thirty.

Street Party organizers at Our Town Belfast promise an event “bigger and better than ever” as many new activities are in store for 2014.  The main stage will be moved to accommodate more room for dancing, and the evening’s entertainment will finish with a performance by Courtney Porter’s dance squad kicking off the grand finale of the best dance tunes from the past 40 years, courtesy of DJ Matt Bixby.  Kicking off the evening will be Belfast-based blues and rock and roll powerhouse Captain Obvious from 5-7pm.  Fan-favorites Don Nickerson & Country Mist will return this year with their musical stylings of classic rock and country tunes providing a living-breathing jukebox of hits from 7-9pm.

Thanks to funding through their Healthy Maine Streets program, Our Town Belfast is also able to up the wellness factor at this year’s party.  While there will be no shortage of fried dough and cotton candy, families will enjoy healthier options as well from vendors like Belfast’s Juice Cellar and fun physical activity such as Zumba and Hula Hooping.  There will even be some family-friendly activities highlighting local foods and farms thanks to the Belfast Farmer’s Market and Maine Farmland Trust.

Another welcome addition to this year’s Street Party will be a beer and wine tent run by Rollie’s Bar and Grill.  Those over 21 who wish to enjoy an adult beverage or two will be able to do so in a one-night-only beer garden next to MacLeod Furniture.

“The Street Party planning committee is very pleased and proud to put on an event each year that appeals to a wide array of Waldo County families and visitors as well,” says Our Town Belfast executive director Breanna Pinkham Bebb.  “We’ve got it all – from Spunky the Clown to the Bucking Bronco, bounce houses and bungee jumping, popsicles to beer, from rock and roll to disco fever.  It truly is fun for all types – and free admission to boot!”

For more information on the Belfast Street Party, one may contact Our Town Belfast at bre@ourtownbelfast.org or 207.323.9100.  The planning committee is still accepting applications for vendors, as well as activities and street entertainment.  Sponsorship and volunteer opportunities are still available.  This year’s Street Party is put on with the generous support of sponsors including the City of Belfast, Bangor Savings Bank, Camden National Bank, Dutch Chevrolet, the Belfast Co-op, and Coyote Moon.

Our Town Belfast hopes to see another huge crowd of friends and family at the 6^th Annual Belfast Street Party on Monday, August 4^th.  In the event of rain the party will be held on the next sunny day.  Admission is free, with any donations and sales of tickets for rides going to support next year’s event.  Bring a chair and visit with old friends or just hang around and make new friends.  See you at the Street Party!