College students, community members, organizations and businesses gathered together by the railroad tracks on North Cate and West Thomas St. for the June “Take it to the Tracks” block party on Friday, June 3.

The event, hosted by the Hammond Downtown Development District (DDD), gathered together local businesses as well as onstage entertainment for the evening.

“It was very successful, lots of good activity and participation,” said DDD Executive Director Terry Lynn Smith.

Throughout the block party vendors from local businesses, as well as independent artists, sold their wares including homemade soap, jams and jellies, jewelry, artwork, woodwork and photography.

Other booths sold food such as barbecue, and the local Boy Scout troop sold snow cones to beat the summer heat. Among the street vendors, was a classic car showcase along with hamster balls provided by the Safari Quest Family Fun Center.

The main attraction though was the main stage area where live entertainment performed, including music by the Justin Adams Band and the third round of the Hammond’s Hottest Talent singing competition. Also featured onstage were local dance troupes sponsored by Teche Electric.

One of the troupe performers, Lisa Maggio, owner of the local dance studio Movement with Meaning, performed a swing dance combo with her husband Tony onstage to the Glenn Miller song “In the Mood.”

The swing dance focused on the story of a married couple, who found the time between their busy schedules to reconnect with one another through dancing. This was the first time Maggio performed for Take it to the Tracks, but she felt very enthusiastic to perform for the block party.

“I live four blocks away, and I love coming through to these events,” said Maggio, who expressed interest in future performances. “This is my first time performing in it, but I loved participating.”

The goal of the block party is a way for the surrounding community to get to know the downtown area in a different setting. According to Smith, the block party is a perfect time for students to discover the different restaurants, shopping outlets, as well as the Columbia Theatre in downtown.

“It’s a good way to get to know downtown, and a great way to meet other students in a fun way,” said Smith. “Just to get a feel of the city they will stay in for four years.”

Kayla Turner, a sophomore psychology and chemistry double major, believes that other students will have a good time coming out to the block party because of the different activities that happen.

“There are a lot of people out all the time,” said Turner. “There’s a good chance they’ll hear good music, hear things they haven’t heard before, interact with other people. It’s really fun coming out.”

The next block party will be held on Friday, July 1 at 6 p.m. by the railroad tracks on North Cate and West Thomas St. Featured at this block party will be a beer tasting sponsored by the Jim Carey Distributing, the Hammond Fourth of July fireworks display, the fourth round of Hammond’s Hottest Talent singing competition and live music performed by Chris Gray.

The August block party will be held on Friday, August 5 and features live music from the ‘Bout It Brass Band, but the main event will be the final round of Hammond’s Hottest Talent.

“This will be a pretty big night for Hammond’s Hottest Talent,” said Melissa Griffin, event coordinator for DDD.

For more information on the “Take it to the Tracks” block party, call DDD at 985-542-3471 or visit the DDD Web site at http://www.dddhammond.com.