The Clarkdale Downtown Business Alliance hosted the second of three block parties for the summer on June 24.
The annual block parties, which take place in Clarkdale’s historic downtown, are designed to “bring people from the community out and enjoy our company, live music and local food vendors,” volunteer Kerrie Snyder said.
“Though the block parties are free, profits from beer sales go back into the community,” Snyder said.
Additionally, Synder said the Clarkdale Business Alliance “sponsors different events and donates to different events, with [Yavapai] College, the [Southwest] Wine Center, Clarkdale-Jerome School; we donate back into the community and support non-profits.”
Around 6:45 p.m., revelers began to notice that the setting sun was being met by incoming storm clouds and distant lightning, but they continued to enjoy themselves as they occasionally looked to the sky.
Adults sipped IPA, ales and lager and sampled wine from local producers, while children and teens enjoyed shaved ice.
A variety of food vendors were set up on Main Street between Ninth and 10th Streets.
Members of the bands Sugar Moon and Sister of the Sun performed together under the name “Eclipse,” playing a variety of covers from Bob Marley to Ed Sheeran, Lorde and TLC.
As sporadic raindrops fell from the sky, people drifted in and out of downtown shops and bars.
For those seeking a quieter moment, a downtown bookstore was open, offering a variety of objects to muse over within their sound-dampend space, including new and used books, vintage and handmade jewelry, candles, gifts and art.
For Kaylee Bell, who owns and operates a coffee shop in the bookstore, keeping her menu simple also helps keep the space quiet.
Though she is planning on expanding her menu in the near future, Bell said she will probably not include espresso-based or blended drinks.
“It’s just not our style, I think it just keeps it a little simpler; it’s not as loud, it’s not as wild and the drinks don’t get too crazy,” she said. “I’ll probably [include] cold-brew coffee and a toast bar.”
Currently, Bell offers pour-overs of local coffee blends from a Verde Valley coffee roaster, as well as hand-blended teas, a variety of baked goods and chocolate.
At the other end of the street, a retail shop offered a variety of dairy-free treats including artisan “virgin cheese” non-dairy spreads, cheesecakes, parfaits and more.
The store’s “Chief Cheese Officer” Jodi Paige said that the shop received a lot of media inquiries after they first opened last year.
“What’s a vegan ‘cheese’ shop doing in the middle of central Arizona?” she said, citing a news article displayed on the shop’s wall.
Paige, who grew up in Arizona, said she first started making vegan “cheese” in 2014.
Now, Paige said, “We ship blocks of this ‘cheese’ to New York and Austin to all-vegan ‘cheese’ shops.”
As the evening wore on, people either dined, drank or danced in front of the Main Street Cafe and 10-12 Lounge, or wandered farther on to the Arizona Copper Art Museum to play a game of outdoor chess.
A few revelers strolled around in Clarkdale Town Park; some of them brought their dogs along for the festivities.
Overall, the block party saw an ample turnout and people seemed to be enjoying themselves.
“There were a couple of years off because of COVID; we didn’t get to do anything, so now we’re back at it,” Snyder said.
“We’ve got one more [block party] now after [today] and then it gets too hot. July is always a little iffy because it’s either really hot or it’s pouring rain,” she said. The next party is Friday, July 29.
