Rock Thy Neighbor
I always wanted to live in the kind of neighborhood that throws block parties in the summer. Now I do! Last weekend, my block hosted our first annual CottageFest. It was an awesome scene. We had plenty of food from the grill, along with potluck dishes from neighbors. My kid and her friend next door spent the day before baking an endless supply of desserts. We had a bouncy house in the street and pickleball in a driveway. There was an inflatable rainbow unicorn that sprayed water from its horn. Also, Cornhole, (plastic) axe throwing, and sidewalk chalk. We filled the street with furniture, most arranged on rugs like an outdoor lounge. My friend the sound guy loaned us a killer PA, which I used to blast a playlist that only had like 30 min of Grateful Dead (no one complains about Cornell ’77 Scarlet—>Fire on a summer afternoon).
Our neighborhood pack of kids, accustomed to running riot on S’more’s nights, grew to double its usual size with additions from other parts of town. The bouncy house was never not full. My two pit mixes lolled about in the sun, catching stray chips and soliciting belly rubs. Neighbors from a few blocks away ventured onto the block, settled into lounge chairs, and made new friends. Parents dropped off their kids at the party, went off and ran errands, and then came back to join the fun. A group of three and four-year-olds invited me to the pretend sushi restaurant behind a bush.
And then right at the peak of the party, two neighbors who I’d never met who just happen to be circus performers appeared on the block as beautiful stilt walkers. Everyone cheered. Core memories etched themselves into the kids’ brains. I shook my head and smiled at Deb, our neighborhood grandma, who was friendly with the stilt-walking neighbors and who had, of course, orchestrated this moment.
Less Talk, More Block
I spend what Ms. G would undoubtedly say is too much time discussing how to make our town’s streets safer and more vibrant and how thickening our neighborhoods can enhance the quality of life in Fairhaven. I’m hopeful that this advocacy will improve things in the long run. But perhaps a more powerful way to share these ideas is just to have people experience them. This is what streets can be when we prioritize people and community. This is what wealth and abundance can mean. Sometimes we need to take a break from talking the talk and just rock the block.
Join the Party!
In the lead-up to the party, people from other blocks asked how they could get the necessary permits and throw their own block party. To make it easier for others, Fairhaven Livable Streets created this Block Party Guide, which is specific to Fairhaven but will be useful for readers living elsewhere. A neighborhood with its own beach is talking a big game, so hopefully, they deliver. If a block party is too big a lift for you and your neighbors at the moment, start with s’mores (here’s the recipe) and go from there. If this post inspires even one more block to throw a party, my morning will not have been in vain!
Great work!!
Love this! Fairhaven rocks the block!