The Garage Bar & Grill to Hold Summer Block Parties to Benefit Grand Rapids Home for Veterans

Bummed that you won't be able to enjoy live music outdoors in downtown Grand Rapids on Wednesdays this summer? Cheer up! We have good news!

Grand Rapids Garage Bar & Grill has announced it will host weekly street parties with a charitable angle. Starting on Wednesday, June 10 and continuing each Wednesday through August 12, “Garage Bar Block Parties” will be held in front of the venue, located at 819 Ottawa Ave., from 6-10 p.m.

Admission will be $3 with $1 being donated to the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans, and $1 from every Perrin Veteran Pale Ale will also go to the Veterans Home.

The event will feature live music as well as classic motorcycles and cars on display on Ottawa between Fairbanks and Mason Streets.

This inaugural event gives a slight nod to its predecessor, Teazers, and its popular weekly street parties. Aside from the entertainment Grand Rapids Garage Bar & Grill will offer food and drink specials and provide dining areas on Ottawa Avenue.

The venue has partnered with WGRD to secure top notch musical acts including Big Boss Blues, In the Red, and the Twisted Tarantulas, just to name a few. Each band will perform two sets between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Ottawa Ave.

Having a charitable component to the block parties was important to Grand Rapids Garage Bar & Grill owner and operator, Kevin Farhat, as well as building owners Third Coast Development.

“The Garage Bar Block Parties will be fun, but they’ll also be community-minded by allowing us the ability to give something back to the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans,” said Kevin Farhat. “Our tagline is ‘we run a good party’, but we’re all about safety and responsibility, too, so we’re making these events as comfortable as possible for the diverse audiences in our area.”

In addition to the ten block party dates, Grand Rapids Garage Bar & Grill also plans to have two other block parties, one on June 26th, and  another on June 1st (benefiting the Headlight Run for Susan B. Komen.)

Garage Bar Block Party Musical Acts:

• June 10                 Big Boss Blues
• June 17                 British Racing Green
• June 24                 Musik Box
• June 26                 Special block party: Benefit for Freedom Cruise
• July 1                     Mid-Life Crisis
• July 8                     Twisted Tarantulas
• July 15                   Hank Mowery and the Hawktones
• July 22                   In the Red
• July 29                   Re-Pop
• August 1              Special block party: Benefit for Headlight Run for Susan B. Komen
• August 5              Project GR
• August 8              Big Boss Blues

Specials will include: $2 drafts, $3 well drinks, and $4 wine. A $3 cover is required to enter, but $1 out of every cover paid will be donated to Grand Rapids Home for Veterans. As well, $1 from every Perrin Veteran Pale Ale will also go to the Veterans Home.

Corporate sponsors include Third Coast Development, WGRD, Budweiser, Perrin Brewing, Village Motor Sports, Captain Morgan, Fireball, and Native Bikes.

Car clubs and enthusiasts are encouraged to come to the events and display their cars. A designated exhibit area will run along Ottawa from Fairbanks to Newberry Streets.