What: Craft and Crawfish

Where: Wichita Falls Brewing Company, 701 Indiana

When: Noon to Midnight, June 2

Admission: Free

Information: (940) 264-4677

More and more, downtown events in Wichita Falls are spilling out into the streets with groups like Downtown Wichita Falls Development Inc. and the Downtown Lion’s Club hosting major events in the downtown area.

The recently opened Wichita Falls Brewing Company is taking it upon themselves to block off Seventh and Indiana to throw a huge Craft and Crawfish block party from noon to midnight Saturday, June 2.

The all-day party is free to everyone, according to Matt Bitsche, WFBC president and head brewer, and one that he hopes will be the first of many more to come.

There will be three live bands performing on a rented outdoor stage pointed at the old Muehlberger’s Building. Area band Bad Badger will play at 6 p.m., area group Doppelgangers will play at 8 and Austin’s Otis Wilkins Band will play from 10 p.m. to midnight.

“It’s a block party with plenty of parking,” he said, “and it’s entirely family friendly.”

 Food-wise, they will be serving crawfish cooked Cajun style by three local guys, he said that were “pros at cooking crawfish.” The fish will come from Louisiana, and the WFBC will be in charge of selling it.

For those who are not fish fans, Bitsche said the Red River Hotdog Guy will also be there. Sodas and beer will be sold outside under a huge tent as inside the building.

“There will also be plenty of shade with a 30 by 60 foot tent in the middle of the street with tables and chairs,” he said.

For children with a little too much energy on their hands, there will be a bounce-y house, a slide house and bungee run outside. “A bungee run is a bounce-y house where you run with a bungee on and it bungees you backward,” he said with a laugh.

Also, for those who miss movies like “Urban Cowboy,” or miss riding bulls, he said they are bringing in a mechanical bull.

Bitsche said there are no sponsors for the event, and the only thing they are charging for is beer and crawfish. They will have from 6 to 10 of their beers on tap.

The WFBC formally opened on March 30 and is open 7 days a week. Bitsche is originally from Wichita Falls, moved to Austin and started a brewery and then decided to return to his hometown.

The idea for the event is to celebrate their grand opening as well as to give back to the customers, he said. “We hope to do more events like this in the future that are family friendly with live music and a block party vibe.”

Musically speaking, Bad Badger features Stevo Welch and Chris Roberson of Dr. Philgood. Doppelgangers began in 2010 as an instrumental rock, prog and funk band and the quartet continues to become more prog while adding additional jazz to the mix.

 The Otis Wilkins Band is a group Bitsche knows from Austin, and is “sort of Roy Orbison meets indie rock,” he said, “something that we’ve never heard.”