Our cul de sac has a Halloween dinner, where we block the street with a table with candy bowls from our houses and eat dinner together a little farther back. No one plans what food to bring, it is strict potluck! It is one of the nicest parts of living on our street.
This was a great post. I commend you for taking on this task of having a block party. We live in an HOA which has been one with lots of personality and power wars in the past. Thankfully, the old guard who wanted power and control are mostly no longer exerting control because they got old. (Not nice to say, but true.) The neighborhood of fewer than 100 homes has new blood and they want to get together and get to know others. They also are more community minded in the way they want to help others. We now have “happy hour” in the drive ways of the homes of hosts once a month where you just bring your own chair and drink and food to share if you wish. They happen for an hour and half (although some stay a bit longer) on Fridays. It has been a great community builder. The social committee for the HOA plans them and sends out the notice. We then have three big socials during the year: 1)a summer barbecue out side where we have a corn hole contest. It is pot luck with assignments for the type of food made by the street on which one lives; 2) a fall Oktoberfest event also outside which features a chili cook off; 3) the winter social at Christmas time that is held in a home where we bring light snacks and/or wine or other drinks. Again, the social committee that folks sign up for once a year plans all the events.
We recently moved to a street where the few square blocks around us have a block party every week in the summer! It’s been going on for at least five years, probably more like ten. It’s organized through the neighborhood Facebook group. There’s a sign up genius where people sign up to bring the main dish each week or to help do setup and takedown, and it’s otherwise potluck. The street gets blocked off by permit and the kids bring their bikes. It’s been amazing
This is such a great post and inspiring to plan something for my neighborhood.
Two suggestions:
1. Just assign people things! When I was a kid my church would make assignments by last name. A-F brings a salad, G-M brings a main, etc. YMMV with a smaller group but that can at least guide people.
2. We use the Paperless Post Flyer function for daycare birthday parties when we don’t have phone numbers or emails for other families. You can text a link or print a QR code on a flyer. That will allow people to opt in to signing up.
We live in a very steep neighborhood, so I've been thinking how a block part would probably require carpooling. Not a deal breaker but still an obstacle. Or we would end up with only the most able bodied. I still want to make it happen, maybe I'll ask my neighbors for ideas.
This is an interesting challenge. It may be that you need a smaller radius to consider for your block party or you could encourage people to offer each other rides as needed so you don’t also have to organize a carpool.. or just personally offer arrives to people you think might need it
We love in a rural village, in a cluster of 15 homes or so in Norway. Yesterday was St.Hans (longest day of the year) which is celebrated in Scandinavia with a bonfire late into the night. Anyway, our family friendly neighborhood has an alternative party at our playground where we fire up the grill and every family brings their own grill food. This is on the dinner time, så people who want to celebrate the actually giant bonfire downtown and do so later that evening. Sometimes someone sings, there is usually a volleyball game, and most importantly, a darts contest. The winner keeps the trophy for one year.
Even though it is a neighborhood party, we experience that family and good friends also join. It is a nice tradition, and super easy to organize.
I love this idea! I lived in a community many years ago that had a block party every year on the Sunday before Memorial Day, and had been doing so for decades. They organized games, meals, and helped kids decorate their bikes for the town Memorial Day parade and gave out awards for every kid (“best ribbons on handlebars”). The “blockheads” who organized the party were assigned in the order in which they’d moved on the block, and at the end of each party next years’ block heads got some kind of mobile trophy that they kept for the year (those details are fuzzy). Might be good for your research, Katherine—happy to share a contact if you want!!
This is such an exciting idea! Thanks for making it sound do-able :) I'm going to think about organizing one later this fall. I'm in FL and the summer is a time when no one wants to be outside!
Our cul de sac has a Halloween dinner, where we block the street with a table with candy bowls from our houses and eat dinner together a little farther back. No one plans what food to bring, it is strict potluck! It is one of the nicest parts of living on our street.
This was a great post. I commend you for taking on this task of having a block party. We live in an HOA which has been one with lots of personality and power wars in the past. Thankfully, the old guard who wanted power and control are mostly no longer exerting control because they got old. (Not nice to say, but true.) The neighborhood of fewer than 100 homes has new blood and they want to get together and get to know others. They also are more community minded in the way they want to help others. We now have “happy hour” in the drive ways of the homes of hosts once a month where you just bring your own chair and drink and food to share if you wish. They happen for an hour and half (although some stay a bit longer) on Fridays. It has been a great community builder. The social committee for the HOA plans them and sends out the notice. We then have three big socials during the year: 1)a summer barbecue out side where we have a corn hole contest. It is pot luck with assignments for the type of food made by the street on which one lives; 2) a fall Oktoberfest event also outside which features a chili cook off; 3) the winter social at Christmas time that is held in a home where we bring light snacks and/or wine or other drinks. Again, the social committee that folks sign up for once a year plans all the events.
That’s great that you have such robust traditions!
Sounds like a great community!
We recently moved to a street where the few square blocks around us have a block party every week in the summer! It’s been going on for at least five years, probably more like ten. It’s organized through the neighborhood Facebook group. There’s a sign up genius where people sign up to bring the main dish each week or to help do setup and takedown, and it’s otherwise potluck. The street gets blocked off by permit and the kids bring their bikes. It’s been amazing
Awesome!
This is such a great post and inspiring to plan something for my neighborhood.
Two suggestions:
1. Just assign people things! When I was a kid my church would make assignments by last name. A-F brings a salad, G-M brings a main, etc. YMMV with a smaller group but that can at least guide people.
2. We use the Paperless Post Flyer function for daycare birthday parties when we don’t have phone numbers or emails for other families. You can text a link or print a QR code on a flyer. That will allow people to opt in to signing up.
Good idea!
We live in a very steep neighborhood, so I've been thinking how a block part would probably require carpooling. Not a deal breaker but still an obstacle. Or we would end up with only the most able bodied. I still want to make it happen, maybe I'll ask my neighbors for ideas.
This is an interesting challenge. It may be that you need a smaller radius to consider for your block party or you could encourage people to offer each other rides as needed so you don’t also have to organize a carpool.. or just personally offer arrives to people you think might need it
We love in a rural village, in a cluster of 15 homes or so in Norway. Yesterday was St.Hans (longest day of the year) which is celebrated in Scandinavia with a bonfire late into the night. Anyway, our family friendly neighborhood has an alternative party at our playground where we fire up the grill and every family brings their own grill food. This is on the dinner time, så people who want to celebrate the actually giant bonfire downtown and do so later that evening. Sometimes someone sings, there is usually a volleyball game, and most importantly, a darts contest. The winner keeps the trophy for one year.
Even though it is a neighborhood party, we experience that family and good friends also join. It is a nice tradition, and super easy to organize.
Love this!
Get a bounce house, and they will come. (also yes to all this! yay!)
I love this idea! I lived in a community many years ago that had a block party every year on the Sunday before Memorial Day, and had been doing so for decades. They organized games, meals, and helped kids decorate their bikes for the town Memorial Day parade and gave out awards for every kid (“best ribbons on handlebars”). The “blockheads” who organized the party were assigned in the order in which they’d moved on the block, and at the end of each party next years’ block heads got some kind of mobile trophy that they kept for the year (those details are fuzzy). Might be good for your research, Katherine—happy to share a contact if you want!!
This is such an exciting idea! Thanks for making it sound do-able :) I'm going to think about organizing one later this fall. I'm in FL and the summer is a time when no one wants to be outside!