Hunt out Gather

The G-word was felt in full force last Thursday night in Oak Park.

Flights of local craft beer were poured. Kombucha Kulture rolled in. Artisanal jams were priced at $10 a pop.

Sub in the G-word of your choosing, but I'm talking about Gather, a new monthly block party at Third Avenue and Broadway.

It'll continue every second Thursday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. through October, and it comes from the same team behind Good: Street Food + Design Market on Del Paso Boulevard.

The first Gather showed a lot of promise for the rest of summer, with similarly attractive spaces that folks expect from Good and an energy that feels like something is really happening.

Shortly after 5 p.m., the block was already flooded with people, milling around and drinking beer. And it was an ideal, festive environment for a cold one after work: lots of activity, but not overwhelmingly so; sweet and savory food options for sale; plenty of seating shaded by large umbrellas; and a deejay spinning Motown.

Palm trees lined the sidewalk. Market lights and lanterns were strung along the trees. A long stretch of tables sat in the middle of the street, simulating a communal-dining experience.

Families came out in high numbers. Some kids danced on patches of fake grass, while others took advantage of an arts-and-crafts corner. Without a doubt, they all looked ecstatic over the colorful, frozen treats from DavePops and Maui Wowi Hawaiian.

Fancy bites abounded, but I ultimately got in line for the cheapest nourishment I could find: three tacos for $3 from Tequila Museo Mayahuel, the restaurant and tequila spot downtown. The line was long and painfully slow, and the payoff was bleak: small pools of meat haphazardly thrown onto cold tortillas.

My fault for being cheap, I guess. The servings of Thai Basil's panang curry that floated by looked and smelled like the better choice that evening.

More than anything else, I was disappointed to only have two meal choices that night. There were lots of desserts, beverages and jarred goods to take home, but organizers had said the original vision for Gather was to have about six restaurants or food trucks present at each event. Plus, they had advertised a couple restaurants that either never showed up or showed up past my bedtime.

Still, most people seemed to be having a grand time—impressed by the charm of Oak Park and wondering why they had never ventured to the “Triangle District” before. At least that was the sentiment I overheard over and over again. A lot of people drove in from Midtown, West Sacramento and the neighboring suburbs, lamenting the Fix 50 traffic but relieved over the easy parking.

So who is Gather for? Is it a block party for the neighborhood, so they can escape their surrounding food desert one night a month in an uber-hip space? Or is it for outsiders, to “discover” Oak Park by buying goods from pop-up businesses not actually based in Oak Park?

Probably best not to overthink it. Gather was a cool, fun and largely well-executed block party for any age and for most budgets. Mark your calendars for July 10.