Rock the Block a Raging Success for Downtown Businesses and Lake Zurich

Rock the Block drew over 5,000 people to downtown Lake Zurich Saturday, providing a boost for businesses and guaranteeing there will be a street festival next year.

“Rock the Block was a raging success,” Poynton said. “We expected somewhere between 750 or 1,000. The estimates were well over 5,000. We did pack the streets. We did Rock the Block.”

Many downtown business owners decided to extend their hours for the street festival and had a good response from the 5,000 people who jammed the downtown Saturday.

Koffee Kup, a longtime Main Street family diner, saw a 50 percent increase over its average Saturday. Poynton said he thinks it was higher since Koffee Kup ran out of food, Poynton said.

The same success story was repeated in other downtown businesses, he said.

My Flavor It Place ice cream parlor saw a 200 percent increase in business on Saturday, even as it winds down its season, Poynton said.

Main Street’s DiPiero's Ristorante is usually crowded on Saturday nights but saw an approximately 20 percent increase in sales. And Scoreboard Bar & Grill saw sales go up about 40 percent, he said. The bar’s owner was on the Rock the Block committee.

“Rock the Block was a prime example of the energy and enthusiasm the Lake Zurich community has for supporting downtown businesses,” Poynton said.

The street festival was a community effort. Sponsors included the Village of Lake Zurich, Midwest Motors, Lake Zurich Tire and Auto, Martin Enterprises Heating and A/C, Inc., Hinckley Springs Bottled Water, Ela Coalition Against Substance Abuse, RentalMax, Party Time, Above and Beyond Closings, Peapod, the U.S. Navy and Offbeat Music. The Lake Zurich Rotary, Lake Zurich Lions and Lake Zurich Area Chamber of Commerce provided onsite help.

“Good things are happening in Lake Zurich and we’ve already scheduled the next one, Rock the Block 2, for Saturday, Sept. 13, 2014,” he said.

“We are looking forward to doing it again in 2014,” Poynton said. “If you showed up, thanks for your support. If you didn’t, we hope to see you next year.”

Residents and trustees were enthusiastic about the event but Trustee Dana Rzeznik had questions about special events like Rock the Block and the Lake Zurich Farmers Market.

She thanked the Rock the Block committee but wanted to know when the committee was established.

Rzeznik also asked how much village staff resources were used for the events, how much it cost the village and who authorized the expenses.

Rzeznik said without a formal special events committee taxpayer money can’t be spent on such projects.

“I would very much appreciate an answer to those questions at a future board meeting, “she said.