Yesterday our block club hosted its’ 1st Annual Fall Harvest Festival Block Party. It started off as a simple conversation on the front porch of one of my neighbors. A desire to bring the block together sparked the conversation. There was a yearning to capture that nostalgia of years gone by. Many of my current neighbors are second generation home owners. They are now the owners of the homes they grew up. So they have a history with the block. They remember the times when Unity was like taking your next breath.
They tell stories of block parties that spanned 3 city blocks. Memories of swim mobiles and play mobiles took over the conversation. You could see the smile in the eyes of my neighbors as they reminisced about the past. Neighbors would drag their grills out on the streets, children rode their bikes in out of the burst of water from the fire hydrants and I’m sure Al Green was playing somewhere in the background.
So it was from a desire to give our children something we grew up on that got the ball rolling. We learned new hustles, ate yummy fish sandwiches, roasted marshmallows, carved pumpkins, face painting for everyone, a chili cook off, kids and adults alike in costumes. It was amazing to see so many people come out to support our 1st event. I prayed for peace and good weather. God delivered. Not one problem and the sun came out after a few sprinkles. I had the privilege of talking with our elders. People who have lived on this block 58 years plus. To learn the history of this neighborhood proved more informative than any book I’ve read about Detroit.
The momentum is there. We are excited about what we were able to accomplish working together. So as we plan for our next meeting to discuss our upcoming bowling party I am confident that the neighbors who did not participate today will get involved in our next outing. The excitement is contagious…
No comments:
Post a Comment