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A mix of Asbury locals and visitors to the city gathered on Cookman and Bangs avenues for the first “Vibe in the Streets” event Thursday evening.

The first two Vibe in the Streets events — originally part of a series scheduled for each Thursday in June — were cancelled due to rain. For what was to be the third event last week, vehicular traffic on Cookman Avenue between Grand Avenue and Emory Street was replaced with foot traffic, in-street dining and drinking, musical acts, games and live art demonstrations.

The series of Thursday night street parties are organized by APVibe, a marketing campaign partially funded by downtown developer Carter Sackman and created to promote downtown Asbury Park as a dining and cultural destination.

At least 600 people attended the event on Thursday based on the number of wristbands distributed to those who were of-age to drink alcoholic beverages.

It was a “great showing,” said Morgan Sackman, one of the event organizers and the daughter of Carter Sackman. “We had 600 wristbands and they were all given out.”

On a stage set up at the intersection of Cookman and Grand, local band Old Newz covered classic and recent rock songs while people danced in the streets.

Graffiti artists set up a three-sided display on Cookman near Confections of a Rock Star bakery where they hung blank canvases. By the time the event concluded, spray-painted renditions of Che Guevara and New Jersey native James Gandolfini were finished. Local artist Jay Mack raffled off his portrait of the recently deceased Gandolfini.

Brickwall, Baca Sports Bar and Old Man Rafferty’s set up tables in the streets where they were able to serve patrons. A special liquor license approved by the city for the weekly events gave them the ability to do so.

Under a tent set up at the intersection of Bangs and Cookman avenues, event workers collected non-perishable items for the non-profit organization Move for Hunger.

Games were also set up on the corner of Cookman and Bangs, where event attendees played a larger-than-life version of “beer pong” – without the beer. Winners received T-shirts and other prizes.

At a table in front of Baca, Sackman and her fellow event organizer Rose Crean sat, visibly pleased with the results.

“There are so many families here right now, which is awesome,” Sackman said.

“Everyone is peeking into the stores,” said Crean.

For this Thursday’s event, expect “a few new activities, more art and more food in the streets,” Sackman said.

The Thomas Wesley Stern band is also scheduled to perform during this coming week’s Vibe in the Streets. The event will last from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., weather permitting.

 

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