Block Party 2008 Recap

The (mostly annual) Willow Ave block party was held on Oct 26th this year. We had a great turnout...many neighbors, family of neighbors, friends, and strangers showed up. I'd guess around 75 people in all.





Redbones BBQ was on hand. Donene and Michael brought folding tables. David manned the grill and served up burgers, dogs, and veggie burgers. (He also brought out a TV so that we could watch the game). Brad and family supplied warm apple cider as well as coffee. MaryLou, Jim and the triplets brought out huge bowls of popcorn. Somebody (shhhh!) brought a cooler of beers. Lots of cake and cookies were consumed. Zion brought lots and lots of soda which kept the kids plenty energized.




For activities, we didn't have too much structure. We had one neighbor show up with the biggest skateboard I've ever seen. Marisa and Ben wheeled their outdoor ping pong table over. Lots of kids buzzed around on their bicycles. Kelle painted faces for a good two hours, Bonnie took over and helped out for another couple hours. A couple of neighbors took advantage of the crowd and held yard sales. Suzanne provided a great set of music, including guest performances by some of the teens on Willow Ave.




The bouncy house was again a big hit with the kids. (Thanks for Anne-Marie and Paul for handling all bouncy house logistics!) Mayhem pretty much reigned, with lots of bouncing and only one (minor) injury.




We had lots of talk of pedestrian safety last year, and we've seen the addition of bike lanes this year, but strangely there wasn't much talk about traffic calming or ped safety at this years party. Everyone just seemed to be out, talking, enjoying the street, eating, drinking and having a good time.

We look forward to an even bigger block party next year, with more neighbors and friends coming out to join in the fun! If you have comments or want to be included in the planning stage, please leave your name and e-mail in the comments field.