| COMMUNITY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OFFICE |
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| Block Parties are the most popular activity Burlington residents do with their Neighborhood Associations. They are fun, informal, people feel relaxed, and are comfortable to connect with each other. Parties are a good way to build community because neighbors work together, build trust, and eventually feel safer among each other. From conversations at a block party, neighbors can start to feel comfortable calling on each other for simple favors and eventually rely on each other in times of need. |
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Look for local talent for music and entertainment at your block party like these DJs who live on Spring Street and provided music for their block party. |
Block Party Planning Tips
Planning
Have a small, core committee brainstorm, prioritize, and delegate tasks. A timeline will keep you on task and organized. It is always important to consider and publicize a rain date. Your Neighborhood Planning Assembly is a good resource for publicizing and getting ideas for your event.
Food
Potlucks are a good way to spread out the work. Have one person in charge of the main course (like burgers and hot dogs) and everyone else can bring the salads and side dishes. Offer both vegetarian and non-vegetarian choices, juice and water (not just soda), fruit, cookies, popsicles, etc. If a resident owns a Saturn car you are eligible to get a grill through the dealership. Try to get donations from local businesses and restaurants.
Activities
There are many free, easy activities for children and adults like jump rope, a portable basketball hoop, or hopscotch. A Police or Fire Department representative can be invited to speak on safety issues. Ask if there are any musicians or artists living on your street and invite people to perform, tell stories, or share their work.
Flyers
Use light colored paper and graphics that are visually friendly. Hand deliver to neighbors twice (2 weeks before and 3-5 days prior) to the event. Include the date, time, place, contact person, phone number, food details, rain date, and activities on your flyer.
Permit
To close off the street for the afternoon or morning contact the
Burlington Police Deptartment at 658-2704.
Bobbin Mills Family Fun Day
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Three years ago a neighborhood party at the Bobbin Mill
apartment complex would have consisted of some hamburgers,
hotdogs, soda and a few people standing around chatting. This
year’s annual Bobbin Mill Family Fun Day is in brilliant
contrast to the previous years.
The Bobbin Mill community room was packed with people filling their plates with home cooked food. Thanks to the hard work by a few neighborhood leaders. The picnic tables outside were crowded with people enjoying food, conversation, and a game of bingo. Children had their faces painted and participated in relay races and field games. |
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Children participate in a sack race at the 2nd annual Bobbin Mill Family Fun Day last July. The community comes together each year to share food, participate in games, and get to know each other a little better. |
This amazing turnaround began when Crystal Leavitt suggested to her neighbors that they organize a big community party filled with activities. She recruited a few other residents to help, applied for a neighborhood grant, and started planning out the activities.
Leavitt knew that organizing games would make neighbors stick around longer. She also knew it would encourage people to get to know each other. “Games help bring people together, I remember playing games like these when I was a child and attended community events. I thought it would be nice to start doing that again.” says Leavitt.
The Bobbin Mill Family Fun Day included interactive field games like a water balloon toss, and relay races including a shoe relay race where participants threw all of their shoes in a pile at the end of the field and two teams compete to get their shoes on the fastest and back to the finish line.
Everyone’s hard work certainly paid off with 75 residents attending the first Family Fun Day and over 150 residents attending the second.
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