This weekend we had a block party on our street. For the second year, we’ve held it in the combined backyards of a few neighbours so there’s lots of room and we don’t have to go through the trouble of closing down our street. Last year, we had a dessert party on a Sunday afternoon. This year we had a potluck dinner on a Friday night.
It was such a wonderful night. The kids played and none of them wanted to leave. The adults laughed and left with hearty “so great to finally meet you!” My favourite moment was when two people met and discovered they had been admiring one another’s gardens for years.
It wasn’t hard to organize. We wrote up invitations, printed them and delivered them to the houses on our block. We set up a few tables and laid out plates, cutlery and cups, a green and a garbage bin and chairs. We had name tags because we all know there are people you’ve been saying hello to for years and you haven’t got a clue what their name is.
I’d be interested to know all the different kinds of street and/or neighbourhood gatherings that happen in our community. I know there are bouncy castles, tennis parties and movie nights out there. Tell us what you do on your street. Either post it here or send it to me and I’ll post it.
Fabulous Natasha! You can never have too many neighbourhood activities!
September 18th will be our 8th Annual Cedarvale Car Free Day Street Party. We close the street from the Danny to Oakcrest from 10 am to 10 pm. Neighbours are reminded ahead of time to move their cars off the street and prepare for the fun!
Anything goes – chalking, impromptu garden/home reno tours, ball hockey (legally), basketball, family dodgeball (teenagers love to hit toss the ball at their folks), water balloons, face painting, origami lessons, plant exchange, cycling galore, etc. Lucy our 93 year old Italian Matriarch of the Street kicks off our potluck dinner with her homemade delicioso pizza. The Eco Witch insists on reusable dishes of course. Dessert is enjoyed in front of the Polanyi’s Porch where the Uber Talented Talent Show is performed. One of my favourite acts was 5 year old Charlie singing his own song about broccoli!
The permit application is a bit of a pain especially b/c you fill out the same information every year. It is around $70. Sierra Club covers our insurance as they are the main sponsors for Car Free Day events. Barricades are rented from Sidan and usually cost around $250.
I have just purchased the 2ndhand barricades from our farmers’ market with our office budget. The plan is to loan them out to any group of neighbours who would like to host their own street party to help make it more affordable.
The best part about a neighbourhood get-together is finally learning everyone’s names, sharing stories, swapping ideas, and becoming friends!
The first year we ran the event, a 9 year old boy came up to me on the way to school the next day and begged us to make everyday car-free on Cedarvale!
Maybe one day.
Friends of Felstead Park have organized an old-fashioned play day next Saturday, September 17 from 1PM – 4PM in Felstead Park.
The afternoon will be filled with activities like three-legged races and water fights, a free all-ages dance class hosted by The S.P.A.C.E., and visitors from the Division 54 police and local firefighters with their truck! Loot bags filled with gifts from Treasure Island Toys, TELUS, Wrigley’s and more! Chances to win BIXI memberships, Toronto Zoo passes, Medieval Times tickets and Pizza Pizza parties!
The event is open to all!
The Facebook event with more details regarding the Friends of Felstead Park play day can be found here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=271070286245150
I too love hearing about neighborhood/street parties. And I know there are quite a few that happen in our great community. Last fall two of my neighbors on Glebeholme organized dinner at 10 Feet Tall for any women on the street who wanted to come. 13 of us showed up! I met a number of neighbors from the other end of the block who I’ve never talked to before.
Keep up the good work!
S.
I love hearing about what neighbours are up to! Our group, surprisingly, DID pull together an event, and it was a blast!
At our what-has-now-become-annual post-East York Canada Day parade neighbours’ barbecue, we started talking, again, about how great it would be to have an outdoor movie night, especially for the kids. So we did some brainstorming as the day turned into evening with driveway snacks, and we then departed for Stan Wadlow Park for fireworks at night.
Imagine my surprise when only three days later, our mutual drive neighbour and others were measuring and testing for a driveway theatre presentation, and our resident seamstress had produced a grommet-laden tarp for a screen! Since it was obviously a go, I created VIP Exclusive invitations to the ‘Coleridge Avenue Gala Red Carpet Theatre Presentation’, and the kids tied and delivered them to neighbours.
The evening of the show was perfect. The red carpet (bulletin board) was laid in the driveway, battery-operated candles were switched-on, chairs were laid out in the driveway, and with popcorn machines at-the-ready and dollar store popcorn bags handy, the VIP guests started to arrive. We were WOW’d that neighbours arrived in evening gowns, girls with boas, and men in dress pants and shirts.
We’d arranged for a microphone (not hooked-up) and paparazzi and had a blast interviewing families as they walked the red carpet. One of our neighbours produced a hilarious and touching pre-show full of mostly pictures of the kids on the street. Then the main presentation, Gnomeo & Juliet, entertained the guests. We ALL agreed that we’d have to gather for another screening sometime soon. It was a blast!
Our little block of Wolverleigh between Coxwell and Woodington put on an Easter Egg hunt on Easter Monday. The kids are off, some parents are off for the day, but not all.
So, a few years ago we hid some re-usable plastic eggs with treats in them in the yards of the people along the block (with permission). We invite the kids from the street and beyond to participate. The bigger kids helped the little ones and everyone enjoyed the chase. The people who needed to get past the pylons were greeted by a parent, given a chocolate egg and entreated to drive slowly – there were kids criss crossing the road.
This year, one neighbour decided it was high time to expand and get to know all the neighbours better – so, we had a potluck BBQ on the lawn of Kimbourne United Church – under several canopies because it was raining. Everyone had fun, got to know more of their neighbours, and ate some lovely homemade food.
The huge basket of re-usable eggs are ready for next year to be divided among the participating families to be filled with peanut-free treats for the kids to hunt.
LO