Rockin the streets: Boogie on Broad draws hundreds to downtown

Several hundred music fans gathered on Edenton’s blocked-off Broad Street Friday, April 26, for Boogie on Broad, an evening of live music, family amusement for the kids, and vendors offering craft beers and wine.

Vendors catered to children with face painting and toy balloons, while other vendors served craft beers and wine by the glass.

Boogie on Broad was the first of four summer concerts arranged by Destination Downtown Edenton, this one featuring The Adrian Duke Project of Charlottesville, Virginia. The band, composed of Adrian Duke, David “Bananas” Foster, Theresa Richmond, Marcus Parker, Will Tynch, Scott Frock, and C. Biscuit Salamander, played popular tunes in a bluesy style that seemed more than well-received.

Residents and visitors set up lawn chairs along the sidewalks and in the street in front of the stage, which was set up in front of the Creswell Furniture Store. The stage was powered by a solar power generator from PreServe Resources, which seemed to work flawlessly.

Boogie on Broad was also the first major event under Edenton’s new “social district” rules, which allow patrons to carry a single drink in the town’s waterfront business district. If Boogie was a test of the new policy, most attendees said it passed with flying colors.

While several police officers patrolled the crowd, there seemed to be no problems for them to contend with.

Destination Downtown Edenton will be hosting three more events on Broad Street in coming months. On June 1, the town will go reggae with Caribbean tunes from Natti Love Joys starting at 2 p.m.

On July 6, the Bonafides from New Bern will be playing “folksy rock” from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Then on Aug. 3, the final concert in the series will feature the bluegrass music of Song from the Road Band at 2 p.m.