After a one-year hiatus, the KSJD Community Radio Project Block Party returns on Saturday.
Melissa Betrone, development director for KSJD, said there will be music and performances starting at 6 p.m. right outside the radio station studio & office on Market Street, just north of Main Street.
The first act to take the stage will be the rock and roll band Moetones, and from 7 to 8 p.m. the Roach Family Dancers will perform.
Boris McCutcheon and the Salt Licks, a country and folk band from Santa Fe, will be the headline act and will play from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Representatives from Heart and Soul Cortez will be at the block party, which is free, to gather input from residents and visitors on what they like about Cortez and what things they would like to see in the city.
This is the kickoff, Betrone said. We are trying to incorporate all of the ideas into a planning process. We want to encourage people to share their ideas.
Betrone said another goal of the block party is to try to capture what is good about Cortez in a fun way.
She added the event is free because they did not want to prevent anyone from attending who financially might not be able to pay admission.
However, the beverages and other items vendors sell inside the gates will not be free. KSJDs own beverage sales will go toward the expenses it incurs for the event.
We want to showcase what we have, she said. Its free.
Other organizations helping out with the block party include the Cortez Cultural Center and civic groups such as representatives from the STEAM Academy Charter School and supporters of the $21 million bond that would be used to build a new high school.
Betrone said it would be hard to guess how many people will attend Saturdays event, especially since there are so many other things to do on a Saturday night.
I am hoping by the end of the night 400 people will have attended, she said. We worked real hard to make it accessible.
Betrone also said the block party could have been very expensive if there had been no donations.
She also said the timing of the block party was right since this event could also be viewed as a back-to-school party by many, with classes starting on Monday.
She said KSJDs booth will also be a way to tell residents and visitors about the station and added there will be many activities for children, including sidewalk chalk games and jump roping.
Betrone said KSJD would like for the block party to once again return to being held every year.
We would love to make this an annual event, she said. We have had block parties in the past. Its more about bringing the community together. Its a fun event for the people living here and the visitors.
She also said this is a way to show touristsand in some instances residentswhat the Cortez downtown has to offer.
We really hope to see everyone come together and celebrate the best in all of us during the last few days of summer, Betrone said.
michaelm@cortezjournal.com