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Block Party Coming to Vernon Blvd. to Feature Music, Lego-Building Contest

 Business advocacy group Long Island City Partnership will host the LIC Springs! on May 17, a block party along Vernon Boulevard.
Business advocacy group Long Island City Partnership will host the LIC Springs! on May 17, a block party along Vernon Boulevard.
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DNAinfo/Jeanmarie Evelly

HUNTERS POINT — Busy Vernon Boulevard will shut down this spring for the street's first community block party, which will feature live music, outdoor dining and even a Lego-building competition.

Business advocacy group Long Island City Partnership will host the May 17 celebration, called LIC Springs!, closing off Vernon Boulevard to traffic between 50th and 46th avenues for the festivities, as part of the Department of Transportation's Weekend Walks program.

"We wanted to do something that sort of both brings people to Long Island City and also gets them out into the neighborhood," said LIC Partnership's Jenna Petok. "The point of the event is just to celebrate the community."

Though the block party will take place on bustling Vernon Boulevard, all businesses and organizations in Long Island City are invited to participate in LIC Springs! and can sign up by filling out an activity form online.

The event is expected to feature live music, a Lego-building competition and fitness and art classes from the Long Island City YMCA, plus food and outdoor dining from the many eateries along Vernon Boulevard.

The block party will also coincide with the nearby LIC Flea & Food market as well as with the LIC Arts Open, an annual series of art shows and open studio events that will be taking place that same week.

"There's so much going on in Long Island City in the spring," Petok said. "There's all these really great reasons to come to Long Island City, or stay in Long Island City if you're a resident."