By Bill Gelman
East Passyunk Avenue and South Street have a crowd-drawing reputation when it comes to street festivals, but it certainly doesn’t mean the other neighbor- hoods need to step to the curb when it comes to fill-the-streets fun.
Add Newbold — the innovators behind the South Philly Sausage Fest — to the list. Preparations are under way for the third annual gathering slated for Sept. 30. Instead of making residents wait until the early days of fall, the neighborhood is rolling out its welcome carpet this weekend for the first Newbold Blues Festival Brews and BBQ on Bancroft Street. The debut gathering is taking place noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday (June 17) at the corner of South Bancroft and McKean streets next door to Second Street Brewing.
Newbold CDC president Tim Lidiak, who is a former South Philly Review Difference Maker, used his Texas roots as the foundation behind the event concept.
“I am from the south, and grew up on coun- try music and the southern blues,” he said. “Barbecue is one of my favorite types of food.”
Next thing he knew, the event name slid off his tongue. Festival proceeds will support the Newbold CDC’s South Philly Green commu- nity greening infrastructure program.
Neighborhood businesses have signed on for this free-to-attend gathering, with many of them serving BBQ items. Grubhouse will be selling chili, bacon mac and cheese, and hot chicken sandwiches. Chaat and Chai will have chicken kabobs, kati rolls, lamb kabobs and samozas for purchase. Mike’s BBQ is putting in some serious prep work with 12- hour smoked pulled pork and vegetarian BBQ sandwiches, as well as other items. La Mula Terca will be selling lamb shoulder ta- cos and slow-cooked beef tacos. Those with a sweet tooth may want to stop by the Kay Kay’s Cupcakes stand for — you guessed it — cupcakes.
The brews will be local, too, with Brewery ARS, Point Breeze Brewing and Second District Brewing all being represented at the event. Pottstown-based Manatawny Still Works will be on hand, serving two cock- tails featuring mixes from Chaat and Chai. The soon-to-open West Passyunk Avenue restaurant The Thirsty Soul will be serving a special sucker punch cocktail, featuring rum, pineapple, agave and cinnamon.
The family-friendly affair will have plenty of activities for the young ones as OFC Philly will sponsor children’s woodworking free play activities at their workshop, 1918 S. Bancroft St.
Duality, Shakey Lyman, KAND-D, Blue Pharoah and New Pony will each perform a one-hour set.
Like food and beer, the Newbold Blues Festival and Father’s Day set the table for a perfect weekend pairing.
“There is going to be great music and high- quality food,” Lidiak said. “This going to be great for our greening program.” SPR
For more information, click here.
