vision2020@moscow.com: block parties
block parties
Bill London (london@wsunix.wsu.edu)
Mon, 25 Aug 1997 11:07:45 -0700 (PDT)
The Sunday, August 24, 1997, edition of the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin
newspaper contained a front-page article on the return of block parties to
the Walla Walla area. Block parties (BBQ's, potlucks, or other open
parties for neighborhoods or all residents of a city block) have been
common in the US in the past, says the article. But, the modern age of
"cocooning" (each family staying home with TV, computer, etc) has created
neighborhoods where neighbors do not even know each other's names.
Block parties are coming back, the article explained, in
established neighborhoods where people are looking for more safety and
security. Almost an extension of the neighborhood watch concept, block
parties provide an opportunity for neighbors to get to know each other and
build trust relationships. Then when thieves come around, they can be
noticed and police called.
Block parties are also coming to new neighborhoods that have been
designed to encourage neighborhood communication. The article cited a
local housing developer who builds "neo-traditional" housing (creating
homes that are "porch-dominated" not "garage-dominated").
That article in the Walla Walla paper was very well-timed, since
it appeared yesterday, August 24, which was the date of our block party
here on Polk Street. (Actually, it was our third annual block party.)
The city of Moscow approved the permit (to block the street from
4pm to 8pm) and provided the orange sawhorse barricades to close the
intersections at Third and Sixth. The Moscow Food Co-op lent us tables
and chairs.
We set up the tables and chairs (right in the middle of the street
and right in the middle of the block) and they were soon filled with a
wonderful and bountiful potluck meal (plenty of desserts, I was pleased to
note). The Polka Streetpeople (or whatever the group of 4 people from
this block have named their band) provided after-dinner entertainment
with guitar, drum, and voice.
Then too soon it was over. Tables and chairs loaded in Wayne's
trailer for return. Last scraps consumed. Good-byes shared. Until next
year....
Sure, it was fun. Yes, it was a party with a purpose (I don't
know if I feel safer now, but I feel more comfortable on this block, after
the block party). And yes, other people from other blocks should consider
doing a block party in their neighborhoods. The residential streets are not
just for speeding on, they are also common meeting places for the
neighbors who live there. It's time we reclaimed them.
--Bill London
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