On August 1 from 6-8pm in Middleridge Park, Middleridge and Fairfax Club Estates neighbors gathered for a lovely and fun summer National Night Out (NNO) Block Party. National Night Out is an annual campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live. It’s also one of MCA’s largest and most attended events every year.
Set Up
It took a lot of work and planning to pull it all together. Aside from the pre-planning meetings, on the day of the event, the work began early in the morning with volunteers collecting supplies and rented equipment. A portable stage was brought into the park along with a porta potty in the middle of the day.
Volunteers began decorating the park at 4pm and vendors including Robinson Oasis, the Bouncy House vendor, and the popcorn machine began arriving an hour later. Tables and coolers lined the sidewalk and tennis court fence for local businesses and groups to share information and treats.
Games were distributed around the basketball court. A DJ began to play tunes, and all of the wonderful raffle prizes were stacked by the stage. The proverbial and actual stage was set.
Finally, at 6pm, the families began to arrive. The weather was absolutely beautiful. Attendees were greeted with an assortment of food, music, games, prize giveaways, local politicians, and first responders.
Children ran around playing games. Two older students painted childrens’ faces. Another couple of teens manned the very popular bounce house. Ice cream and popsicles were passed out, art projects were underway, and kids crawled in and out of first responder vehicles.
Grown-ups mingled, ordered meals from the Oasis, and kept track of raffle tickets. As the event went on, raffle prizes were handed out. Two hours passed quickly. The event began to wind down at 8pm. And another successful NNO Party was in the books.
Gratitude
We’d like to extend a heartfelt thanks to Fairfax Club Estates, our co-sponsors. Their support allowed us to add the bouncy house and popcorn machine to this year’s event. In addition, Hilah Kaufman was truly phenomenal helping with vendors attendance AND prizes for our raffle. Maryn Simon helped with vendor contacts. Angie Falletti, with Jessica & Greg Summer, manned the MCA table while Niamh & Joe Minus and John Tedrick manned the MCA water & ice cream table. Jeanne Lighty was amazing managing the kids’ games with several student helpers. Robinson Boosters provided their Oasis meals for all to enjoy, and Alan Pachter ran our DJ music and sound system. Zach & Tyler Summer manned our bouncy house while Jose Semidey Jr and Kevin Williams ran the popcorn machine. Finally, we could not execute this event without so many people helping with setup, tear down, and loaning us tables and coolers to support the event – thank you to all of you who helped us!
Photo Gallery
