September is a time of change.  The leaves turn from glowing green to the fire red and oranges of Fall.  Students see the leaves and think of them turning red and falling as a symbol of their loss of summer, and more importantly, the loss of the free time of summer as schools and colleges return to session.  On September 9, during the second week of the Fall semester at Frostburg State University, the city of Frostburg hosted the Block Party.  The event was held on a section blocked off on Main Street, as food vendors, student organizations, and other groups set up tables to discuss ideas and have a great time.

Hundreds, if not thousands, turned out to the event to listen to a DJ churn out remixes of rap and hip hop songs, ranging from Baby Got Back from Sir Mix-a-lot to hits from the Cash Money Millionaires.  Live music and discounts on drinks and food at nearby Gianni's Pizza enticed patrons of the event into coming in.  Plenty of people were out and about, grooving to the tunes.  As the tunes echoed throughout the block, games and events for young children and other onlookers kept everyone of all ages entertained.  Games like ring toss and a bouncy room kept everything light and cheerful.

Vendors included First Peoples Credit Union and radio station GO 106.  Organizations affiliated with the college made up the bulk of the vendors.  The Frostburg State Cheerleaders were on hand cheering and doing acrobatics.  The Explorers Club, a student organization for aspiring law enforcement, advised by Corporal Michael Ruppenkamp of the FSU Police Department, handed out information on how to be safe and encourage everyone to have a good and responsible, time.

Different choices for food were scattered throughout the blocked-off Main Street.  If someone wanted a Chick-fil-a sandwich, a stand sold chicken sandwiches and their famous iced tea.  The usual carnival food, like hot dogs and funnel cakes, provided a carnival atmosphere and an even more child-friendly environment.  The aforementioned Gianni's had pizza and wings, the standard college student meal, advertising the restaurant to incoming students.

One item, fried pickles, was an intriguing blend of juicy and crunchy flavors.  Allen Shirk, the vendor selling fried pickles, said he came up with the idea after he was told about it from a friend.  "The batter made the pickles real tasty," said Joe Clark, a resident of Cresaptown and a graduate of Frostburg State(Class of 2007).  Frying strange foods isn't a new thing, as fried ice cream and oreos are popular, but pickles, soaked and soggy when eaten, layered in fried batter, did not seem like a good mix.  However, this was one of the unlikely times that mixing flavors actually worked.

Making the block party work as an event for not just the incoming college students, but for the surrounding area, was a hard task.  However, it was pulled off by the collaboration of the city and the university in a manner that truly combined the two entities into one.