What ever happened to the block party?
So, I was just thinking to myself…
In the neighborhood I grew up in, I can remember a couple times where the people on a given street would get most of the residents of the street together and have a big block party. There’d be like, big collective cookouts, lots of socializing, lots of kids playing with each other, maybe some beer and/or impromptu pyrotechnics. Good times were had by all.
I wonder if that still happens in that neighborhood. I also wonder if that still happens anywhere in the country.
Further, I wonder if that happens anywhere driven by local politicians trying to get to know their constituencies and raise the accessibility of local government to the neighborhoods.
And more than that, would it still fly? With the prevalence of people who keep massively different diets … I mean, you’d have to have low-fat, halal, kosher, vegan all accommodated in most neighborhoods. Would that be particularly hard? I mean … it used to be that burgers and brats would keep the neighborhood happy, and I imagine it wouldn’t be too hard to toss on some chicken breasts and a couple trays of veggies, and maybe put together a salad bar sort of deal to go along with the buns and whatnot. Is that too much work? Would neighbors come out to eat with each other in the street in the middle of summer anymore?
I don’t know. I guess I just miss those days and times, and really knowing my neighbors. Maybe this is just another reflection of progressive social isolation…
June 24th, 2007 at 5:32 pm
I think we can feel pretty remote from that sense of neighborhood now because we’re single guys off on our own. Furthermore we tend to move often. I’m not sure neighborhoods with actual community like that actually surface until people settle down with a house, kids, with the intention of staying there for many years. And certain areas facilitate that, and those areas probably do still have social gatherings. Personally I never even meet my immediate neighbors, but I think it would be different if I moved into some suburban home.
Also, someone always has to take the initiative in organizing events like that.
June 27th, 2007 at 5:09 pm
It just depends on where you go. I know Ryan’s family in particular do block parties/Halloween parties like this every year. But it is definitely something that seems to be dying out.
February 16th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
I never when we had block parties in brooklyn all the time but then people started complaining about the noise and kids were getting hurt….little by little no more block parties..its sad and that’s the world we live in