Block Party!
Now is the time to reconnect with what
matters most—your community.
story Liza Walton
ne overlooked benefit of the bad economy is that people their three children, ages 16, 9, and 7. her close-knit neighbor-
o
are finding reasons to connect with their neighbors again. hood—there are only 14 houses in the subdivision—started a tradi-
a block party might seem like a suburban trope, a vestige tion called friday night franks on friday nights in the summer.
of the carefree eisenhower years, or perhaps the setting for a wry “We grill hotdogs, and all the neighbors get together,” she says.
social satire about manners and mores. But in reality, it’s just a fun “We rotate through people’s driveways. everybody brings their
and inexpensive way to make new friends and connect with old own drinks and a side dish to share.”
ones who live right next door.
through the weekly block parties, she has gotten to know all of
in his book Elsewhere U.S.A: How We Got from the Company Man, her neighbors. lamberton notes that many of the mothers on her
Family Dinners, and the Affluent Society to the Home Office, BlackBerry street stay at home, and that a retired elderly man lives across the
Moms, and Economic Anxiety, sociologist dalton Conley describes a street. the community also hosts an annual 4
th
of July bike parade
situation that is all too common in eagle, where busy moms and for the kids. “it’s one of my favorite things about living here in
eagle,” she says, speaking of the close connections
she has formed with her neighbors.
Brookwood is legendary for the quality of its
community social activities. amy Phillips, a 3
rd

grade teacher at rolling hills elementary, served
on a neighborhood committee that helped plan
the parties for several years. popular activities in-
clude an annual easter egg hunt behind the pool,
where everyone drops off 12 eggs per child, a hal-
loween party in the Barn, teen bowling nights in
the summer, and an adults-only Christmas party.
the neighborhood also hosts progressive dinners
that move from house to house. “it has been a
really good way for families who are new to the
area to get to know their neighbors,” Phillips says.
“those traditions are so fun, and they’re such a
part of Brookwood now. everyone looks forward
to them. But it works best when everybody pitch-
es in.”
For many years, island Woods hosted a legend-
dads are essentially “at work” every waking hour of the day. When
ary summer Fun days for its residents, complete with a communi-
was the last time you turned off your Blackberry, stopped compul-
ty barbecue at the clubhouse. the event was always well attended.
sively checking your email, and really talked to your neighbors?
one year, the community hired the Boise tour train to circle the
these increasingly rare moments of connection with community
neighborhood. saint alphonsus brought its lifeflight helicopter
are the cornerstones of a happy life, and you can build them right
to showcase, and other events included face painting and a rock
in your own neighborhood.
climbing wall for kids.
Yvette lamberton, a substitute teacher for the Meridian School
But a block party doesn’t have to be elaborate to be a smashing
district, lives in Cottonwood Creek near Banbury golf Course
success. You could invite local police and fire departments to give
with her husband John, a Customs and Border Patrol agent, and
safety demonstrations or do car seat safety checks. or organize a
may | JuNe 2009 29
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