Brookfield's Spring-Into-Summer Block Party Is Town's Newest Tradition

BROOKFIELD, CT — Some town traditions in Connecticut date back to Colonial times. The roots of Brookfield's annual Spring-Into-Summer Block Party aren't quite that deep, but the Big Day is at least as beloved as any other burg's annual fireworks fest or Founders' Day celebration.

Brookfield's 2024 Spring Into Summer Block Party will kick off on Sunday, June 2, from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Residents will find vendors, live music, food, drink, arts, crafts, fun and games on Old Route 7 in the Brookfield Town Center District, and parking available throughout the District.

This is the fourth party since its debut in 2018. After the event's two-year inaugural run, COVID-19 sidelined it for 2020 and 2021, and completion of the streetscape construction downtown put it on hold for 2022. The festival made its splashy return last year.

Greg Dembowski, Brookfield's economic development director, said the town's newest tradition came from a "natural need." When the long-percolating town revitalization project finally put shovel to ground in 2016, "people started to see what was coming. And there was a lot of excitement and interest."

The excitement touched off the skyrocket that was the first Block Party.

"What made it a success was the mix of businesses, and vendors and sponsors that we have. And every year we make it just a little better," Dembowski said.

Brookfield's Economic and Community Development Department added live music and food trucks last year, turning the pre-summer town tradition into a real party. With just one booth still unclaimed and May not even begun, the party is sure to sell out again this year.

The Block Party Committee is a made entirely of volunteers, motivated solely by "their excitement to keep this going," Dembowski said.

The committee members meet twice a month, staring five months out from the event. There are clearances to obtain, vendors to solicit, marketing materials to draft, and a thousand other smaller details to hammer out.

"It's all really a matter of coordination and communication. And everybody buying into the same vision for what we want to achieve."

And how's that working out for the town?

"I'm looking at the numbers, I got the spreadsheet right in front of me," Dembowski told Patch in a phone conversation Friday. "We're double of last year."

The proceeds from last year's Block Party all went to the Brookfield Volunteer Fire Department. With this year on track to double last year's take, the committee will likely spread the love and proceeds around to other worthy town organizations, Dembowski said.

"If we get a sense this year that we need to expand, we'll start meeting earlier later this year. And we'll talk about plans to make it even bigger."