Rock the Block Will Continue at Yellowstone Garage, Declares Non-Profit Status

Rock the Block isn't going anywhere - literally and figuratively.

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When John Huff, owner of the Yellowstone Garage, announced the restaurant's closure, many Casper residents were worried that its closure meant that Rock the Block would cease operations as well.

For years, Rock the Block had been an institution of not only the Yellowstone Garage, but of Downtown Casper as a whole. Summer just didn't feel like summer without it (as 2020 can remind us).

So when Huff announced the closure of Yellowstone Garage, many people believed that would be the end of Rock the Block as well. Luckily, that is not the case.

Dynamic Sound and Lighting, the company that provided all of the sound and stage equipment for Rock the Block, took the venture over from Huff in order to ensure that it remains a vital part of the downtown scene.

It's been taken over by Dynamic Sound and Lighting, and it has been declared an official non-profit organization.

"Rock the Block is now a reformed non-profit organization," said Luc Colgrove, a spokesperson for Dynamic Sound and Lighting, as well as its IT Specialist. "And our goal with that is to keep it so that Rock the Block can exist for years to come."

Colgrove said that the decision to declare Rock the Block as a non-profit was done, in part, to keep track of all the sponsorship dollars that come in, and to keep those dollars separate from the income that Dynamic Sound and Lighting takes in.

Rock the Block will continue to occur at Yellowstone Garage, though the restaurant itself will be closed to the public.

"John [Huff] has been super supportive," Colgrove said. "He wants to see things continue in the community as well. I'm not entirely sure the circumstances that led up to him closing the garage, but he's been fully supportive of us the entire time that we've been working with him. We've been fortunate to have a close partnership with him over the years."

Though the public can no longer get alcoholic beverages from Yellowstone Garage, Rock the Block will feature food and drink vendors.

"One of the critical needs that we're asking for help from the community with is vendors," Colgrove revealed. "We won't have access to the inside of the Yellowstone Garage building, but we'll still have the venue space. We're still shutting down the street, we'll still have access to having vendors across the street in the parking lot as well. Anybody who is interested in being a vendor, we want to make sure that they're included and have that opportunity."

Rock the Block is also searching for sponsors. These events get expensive and, now that it's a non-profit, every dollar that Rock the Block earns goes right back into it. Rock the Block is more than just a fun thing to do on a weeknight; it's a community builder and, now, it's a community investment.

"We're so honored to be a part of this and to be looking at ways to keep it going and expanding in the future," Colgrove said. "We want to see this event be self-sustainable for years to come. The whole concept behind this in creating the non-profit is ensuring that the event can still exist and stand on its own, regardless of who's coming in or out. We want this to be an activity that is known to happen in Casper for years to come."

And that's where the community comes in. Any food or drink vendors interested in taking part in Rock the Block, as well as any sponsors, can visit the Dynamic Sound and Lighting website or Facebook page. They can also call 307-315-3682.

Rock the Block will be happening on Wednesday nights this summer, beginning on June 1, 2022. The events will happen every Wednesday, as well as every first Thursday of the month, during the Casper Art Walk.