Events

First Taste of OMI Block Party This Saturday

Live music, food and drink from neighborhood restaurants plus kids activities will take over Ashton Avenue in the heart of Ingleside on July 23.

Alex Mullaney Jul 19, 2022

Flier — Mike Sorrels from Ocean Paws and Ocean Incubators holds a flier for the first Taste of OMI event. Alex Mullaney/Ingleside Light

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The first-ever Taste of OMI block party designed to highlight Ocean View-Merced Heights-Ingleside restaurants and bring the community together is set for this Saturday afternoon.

The event is organized by the OMI Cultural Participation Project and Ocean Incubators.

“We're all happy to put this on for the community free of charge,” Ocean Incubators executive director and Ocean Paws co-owner Mike Sorrels said. “The idea is to activate Ocean Avenue and celebrate small business resiliency.”

Food will be provided by Ocean Avenue businesses such as That’s Amore Woodfired Pizza, Muscle Maker Grill, Sakesan Sushi & Robata, A-1 Bakery and Java on Ocean. Beverages will be available for purchase from That's Amore Woodfired Pizza and Ocean Ale House.

“The representation of the three neighborhoods basically was limited to the Ocean Avenue corridor by the funding,” Sorrels said, pointing out that Merced Heights and Ocean View aren’t represented this time around.

Sueños Jazz Band, Raag & Norton Blues and Al Lazard & the World Street Players will perform, and children's entertainment will include games and bounce houses supervised by staff from Little Oceanauts.

Cotton candy, snow cones and popcorn will be available for free.

The event is funded with $10,000 from District Seven Supervisor Myrna Melgar’s 2021-22 District 7 Recovery Fund, a pot of money that the Office of Economic and Workforce Development directed to the Ocean Avenue Association in a no-bid contract.