Planetary Brewing Co., left, and Hoosier Brewing Co., right, will be hosting the Spring Social Block Party on South Madison Street in Greenwood on April 30. The event will feature music, activities, food from area businesses and craft beer.
RYAN TRARES | DAILY JOURNAL
The block will be rocking this April.
Music, food and craft beer take over Old Town Greenwood on April 30, as two of downtown’s breweries — Planetary Brewing Co. and Hoosier Brewing Co. — host a Spring Social Block Party.
Madison Avenue will be closed from Main to Pearl streets, allowing attendees to congregate outside and enjoy the planned activities.
Both taprooms will be selling their beer, and organizers have lined up activities for kids, a DJ and participation from other downtown businesses to help ring in spring with a fun community event.
“We want to bring more attention to Old Town, let people know what businesses are down here, and bring more people downtown,” said Jeff Chandler, who has helped organize the festival for Planetary Brewing. “It’s not just an over-21 event, we’re trying to get as many people possible.”
With their location on either sides of Madison Avenue, Planetary Brewing and Hoosier Brewing have fostered a unique relationship.
Two breweries right across the street from one another might seem to breed competition. But the two breweries have embraced their close proximity to work together.
Each offers people different styles of beer, atmospheres and attractions. Planetary Brewing is a space-themed tap room with an intense out-of-this-world rotation of small-batch beers.
Hoosier Brewing, with its exposed brick and wood, divey aesthetic and its adjacent axe-throwing lanes, makes for a more raucous environment.
“We’re right across the street, and it’s a community of brewing. We both do different things than they do, so we’re always looking to partner and be friendly,” said Sierra Agnew of Hoosier Brewing.
The celebration stems from an event that Planetary Brewing had spearheaded for years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. They had closed down the 100 block of South Madison Street for a 21-and-over St. Patrick’s Day block party featuring their own brews, music and food.
Though well attended, the mid-March event had room to grow, Chandler said.
“It had success, but it was very limited to who showed up. And the weather always played a factor,” he said.
The pandemic forced Planetary to pause the party for two years, and with extra time to think about, led organizers to make some adaptations. They opened the festival up to all ages, and pushed back the date into late April.
After receiving permission from the Greenwood City Council, organizers set out to line up other downtown businesses to take part, Chandler said.
In addition to Planetary Brewing and Hoosier Brewing, businesses such as Revery and Johnson’s BBQ have signed on to sell food. Board & Brush, a DIY art studio, will be taking part as well.
A kids’ area, with bounce houses, airbrush tattoos and other activities, will give younger attendees something to do while mom and dad relax.
A beer garden area will offer a place to sit and congregate with friends, or people can stand with their drinks on the closed street, Chandler said.
Organizers see the festival as an annual event, providing a boost to the Old Town area that sits on the verge of breaking out.
“We’re really adamant of being part of the community and helping where we can. We can showcase downtown Greenwood — it’s up-and-coming, and there’s so much for everybody,” Agnew said.
