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.