The show will go on: After doubts, ‘Rock and Roll Yard Sale' in Providence set for Saturday

Boston Globe

2 days ago

Related
:
But Chris Daltry, who co-organizes the 'yard sale' with his wife, Jennifer, told the Globe the show will continue on after all, with new partners, Moniker Brewery and the West Broadway Neighborhood Association.
Advertisement
'As long as the weather cooperates, it feels really good,' Daltry said Monday, when asked how it feels knowing the fair is returning. (A rain date is scheduled for Sunday, he said.)
Get Globe Rhode Island Food Club
A weekly newsletter about food and dining in Rhode Island, by Globe Rhode Island reporter Alexa Gagosz.
Enter Email
Sign Up
The Daltrys, who own the online retail shop, What Cheer?, have organized the event for more than 20 years, which had been held on Westminster Street in downtown Providence for the last 15.
But Chris Daltry said earlier this year the 'part marketplace and part block party' was on the rocks after In Downcity, a small business marketing group focused on the city's downtown, opted to end its partnership with the event.
Joanna Levitt, In Downcity's marketing manager, said at the time the event had 'become larger than we have the capacity to manage in the way we have been in the past.'
Advertisement
Daltry had also said city officials had complained about alcohol issues at last year's 'Rock and Roll Yard Sale.'
Josh Estrella, a city spokesman, said in February there were several regulatory protocols that were not followed, including 'insufficient oversight in the beer garden area, failure to conduct ID checks, and the absence of a clear designated space for alcohol service, which is required at outdoor events like this one.' A food truck also unlawfully served alcohol, Estrella said.
This year, with the event moving to West Fountain Street, drinking areas will be contained to two breweries there, Moniker Brewery and Origin Beer Project, Chris Daltry said.
'We have made an effort to bring on extra security and volunteers, and, you know, to make sure that the people that want to drink can stay within the parking lots and areas that are on the property where the breweries are, and then the rest is more of a just an open air marketplace,' he said. 'So in a way, it works better than downtown, because there's more space than there was for the bars and stuff.'
In an email on Monday, Estrella wrote that after the concerns around last year's event, a meeting between the organizers and city officials was held to 'review all necessary protocols and ensure compliance with regulations moving forward, including an agreed upon revision to the event's sanitation plan.'
'The City's existing requirements for these events have not changed, which include mandatory ID checks for alcohol purchases, a designated and enclosed area for alcohol service and an event organizer or designated security personnel monitoring the space whenever alcohol is being served,' Estrella wrote. 'As of today, event organizers have met the guidelines and requirements outlined in the application process and we look forward to a successful event.'
Advertisement
Chris Daltry said he is already thinking how the 'Rock and Roll Yard Sale' could grow next year, pointing to the bevy of restaurants and bars that call West Fountain Street home.
'This little strip, it's kind of a gem,' he said. 'It's still cobblestone. It's turning from what used to be all like auto and auto body [places]. There's been investment in some of the infrastructure in the buildings to turn it into more of a kind of a place to hang out and to eat and drink and whatnot. So there's a future there as well.'
Christopher Gavin can be reached at