Rain and lightning cut into the first part of the Liberty Block Party, but the skies cleared and Travis Tritt took the stage.
The Liberty Block Party returned Friday night to downtown St. Cloud after years in Whitney Park. A sea of people, many who brought lawn chairs, gathered in Liberty Square to watch Tritt’s show.
Country musician Tritt told the crowd he would be performing many of his classic hits.
“I hope some of you still remember those,” Tritt said to big cheers.
Brianna Rajkowski, a Sauk Rapids resident, sang along to one song.
“I remember some of his songs growing up,” she said. This was Rajkowski’s first time attending the block party.
St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis said the new location might even have been better for Friday night’s weather. The 5 p.m. start time was postponed by two hours, but the concrete in Liberty Square soaked up the rain fast. The Liberty Block Party is part of St. Cloud’s Granite City Days.
Whitney Park would have been a muddy mess for the large crowd, Kleis said. And the delay was no big deal; every year the Liberty Block Party is threatened with rain, or gets hit by rain, he said.
“The sun came out, and it’s a beautiful night,” he said.
Wendy Moe and Dale Gerads said they preferred having the block party at Whitney because they could walk there from their St. Cloud home.
“It was convenient,” she said.
Brad Kensy of St. Augusta said he’s a country fan, but he came to the Liberty Block because “it’s free, let’s be honest.” He liked that it was downtown this year.
“It’s nice that it’s closer to the bars and stuff,” he said.
Sartell High School students Nikki Walters and Bailey Offerdahl said they came specifically to hear Tritt sing “It’s a Great Day to Be Alive.” They play golf for Sartell, and that song is a team favorite for motivation.
“It just really got you in the mood,” Walters said.
PHOTO CREDIT: SCTimes.com
More at: www.sctimes.com