Photo: Der biergarten. Courtesy of Facebook user Alan Bowser.
The kegger sprouted Sunday from a South Silver Spring sidewalk, and it soon bloomed into a full biergarten with thumping beats and a bumping crowd.
The Buy Local Silver Spring block party pulled an estimated 350 people into the Arts Alley, a narrow walkway off Georgia Avenue in the shadow of the Veridian high-rise apartment building. Six local organizations set up tables and peddled potted plants, history books, and kiddie craft projects, all in support of the Buy Local Silver Spring initiative.
Inside the adjacent Gallery Lounge, deejay Scooter MacGruder — who owns Roadhouse Oldies Records on Silver Spring Avenue — spun Michael Jackson joints and oldies from the club’s sound booth. Meanwhile, local band Kahli Abdu and Pidgin English dropped Afro-pop beats on the Gallery Lounge’s upper deck along East-West Highway.
The event’s beer was courtesy of Hook and Ladder, a microbrewer based on Fenton Street. The keg was tapped outside the alley entrance to Mayorga Coffee Factory, and it soon drew a large crowd. The biergarten gained breathing room when the Gallery Lounge opened its alley doors, allowing Mayorga and Gallery to extend their liquor licenses to the entire width of the alley. (Booyah!)
The block party celebrated local businesses participating in the Buy Local Silver Spring initiative, which encourages spending at locally owned stores, restaurants and services. The Silver Spring Penguin is a partner with the Buy Local program.
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I’m not in any of those pictures! tehee.
It was a pretty bangin’ event… Ideas on how to improve? I don’t really know, since it sort of has to be in the alley, but if there were a way to expand out to somewhere… I didn’t stick around for long because it was so crowded… Though that’s probably just my social anxiety kicking in… Was very hard to move around though, hard to mingle, hard to check out the stands…
Of course, that also means that the party drew a lot of attention, so well done!
I would like to see more local business display or share a table there. I really like Willow Street Yoga’s free class coupon idea and think more local business should participate and give tastes/coupons to attract new customers.
I heard someone in the crowd remark they wanted more arts and crafts for sale, but I did not miss that as we get that at so many other local events.
There could have been more food.
Looks like it was fun…too bad I was in Pittsburgh over the weekend.