Eugene weekly., August 01, 2013, Page 10, Image 10

n the fi rst Saturday of each
August, Eugeneans gather
to celebrate the spirit of
the Whiteaker, Eugene’s
funkiest neighborhood. The
Whiteaker Neighborhood
itself is a whir of activity; as one of Eugene’s
few mixed-use areas, it melds microbreweries,
restaurants, artist communities, young
folks, old folks and family life. Block Party
exemplifi es the beauty — be it messy or
harmonious — of all that verve.
O
With blocks of free music, craſt vendors,
food, spoken word and comedy stages, street
performers and a volunteer cleanup the next
morning, Block Party squeezes the essence
of the Whiteaker scene into its streets like
an anarchist into tight leather pants, and
somehow there’s still more Whiteaker. And
the neighborhood doesn’t turn into a pumpkin
when the event ends — stick around for some
fabulous aſt er parties.
Bring your fun-loving self on down to the
Whiteaker from 1 to 10 pm Saturday for one
hell of a free show. — Shannon Finnell
PHOTO BY ROB SYDOR | ROBSYDOR.COM
Step Into the
Food Court
Block Party creates food cart city in the
3rd & Van Buren parking lot BY SHANNON FINNELL
B
lock Party might be a blast for Eugeneans, but
it’s even more exciting for the Whiteaker’s
small local businesses. “This is our best
sales day of the year!” a checker at Red Barn
Natural Grocery said at midnight last year, the
store still abuzz after its usual closing time.
Veteran Block Party food vendors agree. “It’s our single
biggest one-day event all year,” says David Clark, owner of
Cousin Jack’s Pasty Company. “We sell a little over 1,000
pies in one day.” This year Cousin Jack’s will serve its regular
pasties — pesto lamb, steak and ale, potato leek and wild
mushroom, among others — from a new setup; Cousin Jack’s
will join 14 other food carts in the large parking lot at 3rd
and Van Buren. Clark says the diversity of characters and
“random wildness” are his favorite aspects of Block Party.
“It’s just a lot happening in a very small area,” he says. “There
are so many artistic people all gathered in one neighborhood.”
The Raw Love cart will use Block Party to return from
a maternity-induced hiatus, and owner Ferale Hubbard says
the all-vegan, never cooked menu has some new items, and
she has some new tricks up her sleeve. Raw Love serves
smoothies, desserts and dishes like raw falafel, but its
signature items are its raw pizza and tiramisu. Hubbard calls
Block Party Raw Love’s favorite event. “Honestly, I think
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A ugust 1, 2013 • eugeneweekly.com
RAW LOVE’S
FERALE
HUBBARD
AND LAURA
‘NUTMEG’
LUNN
it’s because the people there really love us,” she admits. “The
last few years we sold out of almost everything and people
were coming up and begging us to stay open until one in the
morning.” A spontaneous drum circle even formed in front
of the cart, with drummers singing songs about the food.
It will be the Sandwich League’s fi rst time vending
and attending Block Party. “There’s a good intent with the
party, to support the Whiteaker and build it up and be a part
of it,” says owner Dawn Sellars. Sandwich League features
roasted pork and roasted beef sandwiches using local meats
and making everything from scratch. Sellars says she’s
especially proud of their cheese sauce. “It’s really nice and
creamy and fl avorful and we incorporate Ninkasi’s beers
into it,” she says. Right now they’re using Radiant Ale.
To ward off thirst during Block Party, sip on local beer
— Ninkasi, Oakshire and Hop Valley are either inside
celebration’s borders or within walking distance — or fi nd
Kore Kombucha, Kombucha Mama or J-Tea in the food court.
Coconut Bliss and Red Wagon Creamery will serve
up cold confections in the food court, too. Stuart Phillips
of Red Wagon says he and master ice cream chef Emily
Phillips love Block Party because it shows the vibrancy
of the Whit, and it packs in more partying per square foot
than any event in Eugene. This year Red Wagon is bringing
standbys Smoked Salt Caramel and Frozen Goat, plus
Pucker Up Blueberry (lemon sour cream with blueberry
jam swirl) and Peachy Keen (roasted local peaches and
buttermilk ice cream).
The other fi ne food carts at Block Party will be The
Onion Dome, Garbanzo Grill, Family Dogs Foods, Viva
Vegetarian Grill, Sammitch, Sporks A La Cart and Red
Five Hotdog Company. Be sure to gobble up your favorites
fi rst, as vendors have in the past been eaten dry before the
event’s 10 pm closing.
Jason Vanderhaar, who helps coordinate Block Party,
says organizers are emphasizing food carts that served
locally sourced ingredients — because Block Party is all
about the community. He says the quality of the 15 food
carts that are participating is what he’s excited about. “We
don’t have all of the best of Eugene, but we have a lot of
them,” he says. ■