Post’s ‘Blast Off’ Block Party Draws Crowds

By ALEXANDRIA BORDAS | Reporter

Food trucks, bounce houses and Twinkle Time…oh my! Antioch Street was bustling with over 1,000 people as a steady stream of families descended on the Palisadian-Post’s 2nd Annual Blast Off To Summer Block Party on Sunday, April 12.

Welcoming summer early, the block party celebrated the spirit of fun in the sun with summer camp booths offering raffles and interactive games.

Kids and their parents petted an African bullfrog, lizards, a giant bunny rabbit and reptiles courtesy of the Critter Squad.

Larrieux Ross, 9, was handing out stickers at the Sandy Days Kids Camp booth, which also offered face painting.

“I love the ocean and sometimes we go boogie boarding, paddling and we make sand castles,” Larrieux said with an excited smile, her face painted with a colorful design.

Her father, Bryan Ross, has been the camp’s active director for two years.

“We bring a sense of comfort to campers and everyone at Sandy Days is one big family,” said Ross, whose camp nickname is ‘Beezy.’

Girls (and some brave dads) showed off fun hairstyles provided by Popheads, people played oversized games of bowling (sponsored by Caruso Affiliated) and kids made giant bubbles from Bubble Mania.

Moms, dads, kids and grandparents all took turns sliding into the driver’s seat of a summer-perfect Mercedes convertible and a family-friendly Mercedes SUV.

As the afternoon of fun continued, the food trucks became hot commodities. Baby’s Badass Burgers, Dogtown Dogs and the Grilled Cheese Truck, Hang 10 Tacos, Cousins Maine Lobster and Greenz On Wheelz drew  large crowds of hungry kids.

For those with a sweet tooth, A ROCKin Ice and Paradise Cookies and Ice Cream were there with savory treats and Beachy Cream Ice Cream passed out miniature samples.

Ambiance AV, the same crew that provided sound and an unforgettable light show for the Mr. and Miss Palisades Teen Contest last month,  took on DJ duties and kept the crowd hopping with lively tunes.

The event featured two performances by the energetic and enthusiastic Twinkle Time, a kid-friendly pop music group. Lead singer Twinkle was decked out in her signature outfit consisting of bright orange hair, an electric-blue tutu and a bubble gum pink t-shirt that read, “Kids Rock!” which is the name of her new single.

Twinkle’s friends, Lil Hoopz, Happy and Mista Cookie Jar also helped pump up the crowd.

Learn To Surf had a giant surfboard balancing challenge for all those brave enough to test their groovy surf skills.

ATAM offered puzzles and Legos while musicians from Amazing Music played an earful of light-hearted ukulele melodies.

Palisadians took turns taking selfies with a Star Trooper at the Post’s photo booth.

Also joining in the fun were several Station 69 firefighters, who let kids climb aboard the fire trucks.

One of the more popular attractions was the Airborne Adventure where kids of all ages eagerly waited for their chance to have a simulated parachuting experience. It was all smiles at this game stop and Rachel Lande, 10, said it was the best part of her day.

“It was really fun! It took me on a ride and it was so high! It was awesome,” Lande said with a laugh.

The block party closed with an aerial performance by Studio K and a laid-back reggae show by Palisadian Rocky Dawuni, who sang tunes from his new album, “Branches of the Same Tree.”

See a feature story about Dawuni on page 19.