Tuesday night was packed with people and activities on the downtown square in Jefferson.

Jefferson Matters hosted a Block Party that brought Cyclone and Hawkeye fans alike to come together as a community leading up to the football game on Saturday between Iowa State University and the University of Iowa. There were inflatables, a dunk tank, a food relay race, food vendors, chalk art and face painting, along with several photo opportunities, a performance by the Town and Country Band, and more. Jefferson Matters Executive Director Matt Wetrich thought the event turned out well considering the over 90 degree heat throughout the early afternoon and evening.

“We have a lot of this stuff on Wilson (Avenue) set up in the shade, a lot of tables and stuff. So you definitely can find some shade. But certainly a lot of opportunity to have fun and not roast. So it’s fine. The breeze is great. (I’m) really happy with how things came together here and fun to see how the community is already interacting with the whole thing.” 

Annie Ostendorf was a co-organizer and she was thrilled to be able to be one of the people spearheading this event.

“When I started on this I kind of themed it, ‘Jefferson: Our Town of Spirit and Heart’ and ‘We’re Loud and Proud.’ It’s always fun to get together and celebrate what we do good. Find the good in everything and everybody.” 

The Block Party went from 4-10pm and was held in conjunction with RVTV.