Downtown Block Party to light up Hillsboro with music, local business

On the evening before downtown Hillsboro’s biggest event of the year, local businesses are coming together for a celebration of community.

The Downtown Block Party will light up Main Street 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, July 19, brimming with music, food and drinks.

Hosted by the Hillsboro Downtown Partnership, the free event started as a way to take advantage of street closures before community event Celebrate Hillsboro — and now the La Strada dei Pastelli Chalk Art Festival .

“The block party was kind of born out of a need to activate downtown. They shut down the streets from Friday until Tuesday morning for La Strada; that’s a long time,” Harrison Butler, co-executive director of the Hillsboro Downtown Partnership, said. “So (the downtown partnership) decided to throw a party on Friday night and take advantage of the street closures, and try to fill the streets with people and music.”

Without the worry of traffic, event-goers can roam Main Street, embrace the serene summer air and dine at local businesses boasting extended hours.

“It’s a culturally inclusive event; it’s a community-inclusive event. We will have activities and games on the streets. You will be able to come and get a drink from your favorite haunt, and you can bring it outside and walk around,” Butler said.

While the event allows open containers, it is also open to all ages, so organizers will be checking for identification.

“It's a way for all the downtown businesses to open their doors and let the music flow in and celebrate ahead of the chalk art festival,” Butler said.

Making their Hillsboro public debut, cover band Truck Stop Gucci will be rocking out with music ranging from '60s classics to contemporary hits across from Pizzario between Third and Fourth streets.

The following restaurants and bars will be open during the event:

Amelia's Exquisite Mexican DiningArcade 2084Backwoods BrewingBlue Ox Axe ThrowingHillsboro Bar & GrillLa Mixteca OaxacaNoble Hop BierhausPizzarioRanch PizzaSkywater WinesTop Burmese AmbassadorWilson's Bar

For details about the event, parking information and more, visit www.downtownhillsboro.org/block-party/ .