How to Throw a Great Block Party

A block party is a great way for the neighborhood watch to meet and inform their neighbors.

Bring your neighborhood together by inviting all neighbors to assist in planning and attending a neighborhood block party. It is a way to inform neighbors of crime and accomplishments in the community while introducing neighbors to one another. Make the party informative by inviting police to set up a table and discuss crime prevention with guests. Planning the party will require people willing to head up menu, entertainment, donation and clean up committees, so set aside at least four weeks to plan the event. With proper planning your block party will be great.

Things You'll Need

• Calendar
• Pens
• Invitations
• Permits
• Food
• Games
• Balloons
• Tape
• Markers
• Poster board
• Surveys
• Flashlights
• Sidewalk chalk
• Bubbles
• Trash bags

Instructions

1. Invite neighbors to a planning meeting to discuss organizing the block party. At the meeting select a date, time frame, location and theme for the party. Consider the season when setting a time to avoid guests overheating, for example, at noon in July. Be prepared by having a rain date. Choose a treasurer and discuss ways to fund the event. Divide the labor by setting up committees in charge of food, entertainment and clean up.

2. Ask and obtain needed permits from the the traffic department which is usually located at the police station. Contact local businesses and organizations about donating items for the party. Restaurants may be willing to donate food or beverages, and churches may have members willing to assist grill, pass out fliers, direct traffic and run games.

3. Create invitations and pass them out to all of your neighbors. Avoid problems by placing them inside screen doors, handing them to people and posting fliers around the neighborhood.

4. Enlist neighbors in providing food for the event. Start a list stating who is bringing what. You will want to have ensure that the menu is well rounded and that there are side dishes and not just cookies.

5. Deliver balloons and tape to neighbors. Ask your neighbors to decorate the outside of their properties with the items you provided. Encourage them to add other festive decorations to match the event's theme and to create and display a sign with the family's name. Post no parking signs by private driveways.

6. Set up tables, fire up the grills and turn on the music. Family friendly games and crafts will entertain party goers while others eat. Have a pie eating contest, an area where guests have watered down vanilla pudding dumped on them like slime and a scavenger hunt.

7. Provide surveys for all in attendance to fill out. Ask them what they thought about the party, what they would like to see changed and for suggestions for the next party.

8. Clean up. Offer prizes to kids who help pick up garbage and stack chairs. Little flashlights, sidewalk chalk and bubbles are great incentives for children.

Tips & Warnings

• Hire someone to take the trash to the landfill the following morning.

References

• Beaumont Neighbors: How to Organize A Block Party
• Good Housekeeping: How to Throw a Great Block Party
• Better Homes and Garden: Throw a Block Party