 Block Party Guide
Party
Plan by Party Consultant Michelle Hylton
www.PartyShelf.com
1. Poll your neighbors to gauge their interest in having a
Summer block party.
2.
Usually for the first one, two or three neighbors take on the
responsibility to
plan it. Discuss and determine the best date and time for the party.
Also decide
if you want to carry a theme for your Summer Block Party.
3. Determine how the menu will be. Some block parties have
each family bring their own
meats and one dish.
If you do this, pre-assign a
dessert or side dish to have a variety of
dishes.
Another ideas is to ask all families with odd addresses to
bring desserts
and
those with even
addresses to bring a side dish. Sign-up sheets are usually harder to
coordinate but they are
an option. Finally, you can ask all families to donate a certain
dollar
amount and purchase
the food to be served (or have it catered).
4. Personally deliver invitations. This is a great
opportunity to meet new neighbors, recruit
volunteers
and exchange ideas.
5. For paper goods, plastic utensils, cups, and napkins you can
have each neighbor
donate a few dollars or
require each family to bring their
own. It's much nicer
if there is a coordinated
theme. How about a Hoe-down (Western) or
Luau
theme.
6. Choose a convenient location, such as a private cul-de-sac,
neighborhood park, or a
blocked-off street. You will need permission from
the city to block a street. If blocking
the street put up wooden horses
to
stop traffic.
7. Sign-up neighbors to set up their portable
grills, if needed.
8. Plan some fun events like volleyball, relay races, watermelon
eating contest, hula hoop
contest
balloon toss or limbo.
9. Have someone bring a portable stereo for music and maybe
dancing later in the day.
10. Provide activities for kids. Have plenty of bubbles,
sidewalk chalk, hula hoops, Frisbees
and other
summer toys. If it's real
hot, have a wading pool for little ones and water
balloons for older kids.
You can plan for child entertainment like a clown or face
painter.
11. At one block party, we invited the local fire
department. They came with their engine
and let the kids
tour it. It
was really hot and they even showed everyone how the hoses
worked. It was
a lot of wet fun!
12. Invite an area business to join in the fun by donating
attendance prizes, like discount
coupons, free
passes or a block party door
prize.
13. If your block parties are like the ones I have been too, we
usually run into the night. So
make sure
you have outdoor candles (citronella) and flashlights ready.
14. Enjoy the party and before it ends appoint next
year's
organizers or committee.
Discuss new ideas for
next year.
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