Hosting Town-Wide Neighborhood Block Parties - Making it Moorestown!

In April, 2005, Money Magazine named Moorestown, New Jersey, the "Top Town" in America in which to live. This honor was based on a certain set of criteria, including population diversity, ranking of school system, access to major highways, cities and shopping, and cultural and recreational activities. A group of Moorestonians formed a committee, calling themselves "Make It Moorestown"; their purpose was to celebrate this honor right in our town by hosting a number of new, fun and unique events. The first event that was held was a Saturday day-long series of block parties held in neighborhoods and developments throughout the township, capped off by fireworks at a local park in the evening. While this particular event was planned especially in response to the "Top Town" designation, it is really food for thought for other towns - large and small - throughout America as a great 'theme party' concept.

Committee members posted 'invitations' on the town web site asking residents to consider hosting a block party at their home. They also emailed and called residents who have been known in generously donating their residences in the past for other social and charitable fundraising events as well. The theme of the block parties was 'township pride' in this instance. For other theme parties, ideas to consider include a Fourth of July event, a 'getting to know you' social, a pre-holiday event, an 'end of summer' event, a Memorial Day party, a Labor Day party, a St. Patrick's Day celebration; your ideas for a theme are limited only by your creativitiy!

Once residents had signed up to host a block party for their neighborhood, they were asked to send flyers, or to call or email, residents in their neighborhood, informing them of the date for the block party (ours was held on a spring Saturday), with the hours (our parties started at 1:00 PM until dusk). The hosts asked that each participating family bring a dish to share, a dish that would feed at least ten folks. They were then asked to RSVP and indicate what food they were bringing. (Moorestown is a dry town, so liquor was not a big factor in the block parties. With the presence of both adults and all family members, I would exercise caution in having too much liquor or beer on hand. Most of our folks enjoyed iced tea, lemonade, soft drinks, and wine spritzers.) Once the host families for each development had their guest list intact, they took on the responsibility for providing items such as (but certainly not necessarily limited to or a 'must have') like paper goods, hot dogs, hamburgers, rolls and buns, etc.) At least two of each party's attendees brought entree, salad, appetizer and dessert dishes. The average size of each block party ranged from 20 folks to nearly 100, depending mostly upon the size of that particular neighborhood itself.

The block parties were not only a great opportunity to reacquaint yourself with neighbors you've known for a while but may not have seen on a regular basis, but also to welcome 'newer' neighbors. Some parties had posters showing the homes in the neighborhood as they looked thirty, forty, fifty or so years ago. Some hosts opened their pools, while others provided lawn games (volleyball, shuttlecock, bocce, horseshoes) for the enjoyment of both the adults and children. Some awarded small prizes to winners; others received hearty congratulations! (Our town's Recreation Department has a host of both indoor and outdoor game sets, which were made available free of charge for hosts to borrow for the block party.) The only 'must have' for these block parties was adequate seating, ranging from blankets on the ground to lawn chairs and chaises to borrowed table and chair sets. The parties themselves - which took place in an amazing fifty-four separate and distinct neighborhoods in our town of just a little over 19,000 residents - were low-key, laid back, casual and simple. The real joy and fun was getting together with folks in your own neighborhood. There were, unfortunately, a number of neighborhoods which did not host a block party for a variety of reasons. In many cases, township residents whose own neighborhood or development wasn't hosting a block party were asked - or asked to be - guests at other neighborhood block parties.

During the course of the afternoon of the block parties, the township Mayor drove to each and every party in a township loaned fire truck. He spent at least a half hour's time at each party, greeting and chatting with residents while children in attendance clamored over the fire truck. At dusk, about 6 PM, the parties were officially 'over', and all residents were invited to the largest park in the township where fireworks took place at 7:30 PM. (Funding for the fireworks came courtesy of the local mall and the largest bank in the area.) It was a fabulous end to a really fabulous day! You had the chance to see fireworks (which our town hadn't had in well over thirty years!) together with not only your immediate neighbors, but with residents from all over town. The event was not that difficult to organize, but organization is a key factor here. It was because of the diligence of the committee members that everything went off flawlessly.

Our town's block party was the first of its kind in township history. It met with resounding success, approval and response from residents, and the fireworks that capped off the day were the figurative 'frosting on the cake'! Town-wide, city-wide block parties held on the same day, with an event brining everyone together at the day's close, is a great idea that can be duplicated in any town or city, or even a large development or neighborhood. Was the planning put into this event worth it? Absolutely, yes! Folks are already asking if this might become an annual event here in Moorestown, the best town in America in which to live.