Neighbors get to know Rock Row

Jason Burns checks out the Maine Savings Pavilion stage at Rock Row, gesturing to what he imagines to be a full house. Chance Viles/ American Journal

WESTBROOK — Rock Row wants its neighbors to know it will be more than just concerts, and it held an event last week to let the community know what’s in store.

“Rock Row Get to Know” on July 25 featured food trucks, bounce houses, demonstrations and public safety booths. Westbrook Police held a K9 demonstration and the city’s Fire Department facilitated a drill that showed children how smoky a fire can be and how to properly crawl out of a burning building to safety.

“One of the big things Rock Row wants is to be a part of the community and host events for them,” community liaison Lynda Adams said. “So this is just the first event of many for the community. They want to show they are a part of the community and that they want to be good neighbors.”

Some visitors said they were excited about having a glimpse of what Rock Row may look like at full build-out, thanks to a poster display.

“We are all about Rock Row, we are really excited,” Westbrook resident Brent Mathieu said. “We are happy they hold family events. We are close by, so it’s really good for us.”

Rock Row plans for Market Basket to be and up in running in March. It plans for a number of restaurants and stores to be eventually built throughout the property, making it the largest mix-use development in the state. Waterstone and Westbrook officials alike expect the 2.5 million square feet of Rock Row to be a big tourist attraction.

Waterfront and Rock Row also just announced that Cinemark will be building a 12-screen theater at Rock Row as well.

As far as activities, Rock Row hopes to have a number of events in addition to concerts at Maine Savings Pavilion, ranging from seminars and conferences to more community events like the Get to Know.

Attendees look at an image depicting what Rock Row may look like at full build-out. In the back is Brent Mathieu with his son Jaylen. Chance Viles/ American Journal

Food trucks lined the event, selling everything from decked-out peanut butter and jellies to creative meatball sandwiches.

“These events are good for us, and we love doing family events, this is a really good addition to Westbrook,” said Jeanne Krull of Maine-ly Meatballs, a popular food truck at the event.

A big draw was the tour of the music venue. With internationally acclaimed artists coming to Westbrook, residents wanted to see where the performers hang out while the concert-goers wait on the other side of the stage.

“I love it, it’s really cool here. I work across the street and got tickets to the John Fogerty concert (Aug. 11),” Jason Burns said during a tour of the venue, before heading over to the stage.

The next show at Rock Row is slated to be Rebelution Aug. 10.