A yearly Fort Wayne tradition will come to a close this weekend.
The final Rock the Plaza event will take place from 4-10 p.m. Saturday at the plaza of the Downtown Branch of the Allen County Public Library.
Since 2007, this event has been an outlet for local bands to showcase their skills.
“There have been 299 bands that have played at Rock the Plaza over the years,” John O’Rourke, Access Fort Wayne Manager at the library, said. “So, it’s been a great place for local music.”
The event is free, all ages are welcome, and it will feature commemorative merch you can purchase that lists all 299 bands. Additionally, there will be food and drinks available for purchase. The library will be open during the event for patrons to use the restroom, refill water bottles, and get out of the heat. The rain date for the event is Saturday, August 1.
Rock the Plaza was one of the few major events that took place downtown Fort Wayne before all of the recent development, including Parkview Field, The Pearl, and Electric Works.
“Back when we started it, downtown was very different. There wasn’t a lot to do downtown at all,” O’Rourke said. “So, it was really fulfilling a need to bring stuff downtown, and it did. It was a great thing.”
Rock the Plaza has grown over the years and became a tradition. O’Rourke said there are several people who look forward to it every summer and are regular attendees.
“They get here, and they bring their lawn chairs, and they set up well before showtime and are ready to go,” O’Rourke said. “It has a really good festival feel. It’s laid back with a good variety of music. I can’t think of many events that we do as a library that bring so many people down consistently onto library property. It’s had a real good history. It’s always been fun and clean and safe, and it’s a cool vibe.”
This year’s lineup features Phil’s Family Lizard, followed by Pop n Fresh, Alicia Pyle & the Locals, URB, and Pink Droyd, all of which have played at this event before and will be able to play for the final time on this particular stage.
“The bands that are coming to play have been local favorites over the years. So, we wanted to kind of do a best of. There were a lot of good bands that we could have brought in, but we only had room for so many,” O’Rourke said. “We’re trying to be a little diverse with what it is, so it’s not all just rock.”
Unfortunately, this will be the final Rock the Plaza, and it’s ending because of cost.
“It was just the reality of all the way budgeting is done now and funding from different places. It’s not a cheap thing to do,” O’Rourke said.
He did say the door is open to bring it back someday, but it won’t look the same. The library will always have the venue for music events, but this mainstay event can’t continue in its current form.
To learn more about Rock the Plaza and view the event schedule, click here.
Want to be the first to know about what is going on at NEI and our region? Sign up for the NEI Newsletter and Blog below.
