Brockton raises a glass, unveils downtown beer garden

The PROVA! beer garden opened Thursday night in downtown Brockton.

July 19, 2018 : The Enterprise

BROCKTON — A former vacant downtown lot was revitalized Thursday night with local beer, food and music.

The much-anticipated PROVA! beer garden was finally unveiled, welcoming Brockton residents to the corner of Main Street and Frederick Douglass Avenue for its opening night.

The lot was the former site of Kresge department store. 

City businesses, organizations and officials teamed up in the last few months to form PROVA! (which means "proof" in Cape Verdean Creole) and turn the vacant lot into a multicultural event space.

The PROVA group raised more than $50,000 for the project, which was then matched by the state's MassDevelopment program.

Thursday's opening festivities featured beer from Easton-based Shovel Town Brewery and meatball and sausage sandwiches from Brockton's Italian Kitchen restaurant, as well as music from Four 'n More quarter and Tal Shalom-Kobi.

PROVA will be open each Thursday and Friday this summer from 4-8 p.m., as well as select Saturdays. Be sure to follow the " PROVA Brockton" Facebook page for the latest updates.

Musician Vere Hill was set to perform Friday night.