West Inverness neighbors come together...

With as little as 3 weeks of planning, neighbors in the Inverness area got together for a wonderful afternoon of games, food, and camaraderie. 

June 1^st, was the maiden voyage of what I hope to be the first of many to come local block parties celebrating the beginning of summer.  It was a great opportunity to build community awareness by creating an environment where neighbors can meet neighbors, increase environmental awareness by marking storm drains to educate local neighbors of the importance of recycling/picking up trash to prevent it from entering the waterways, and let’s not forget it was a party, music, games and food for everyone! 

After living in the area for several years I finally met a number of others who had moved in across and up the street as well as some who have lived here since childhood.  Everyone agreed that it’s uncomfortable to just walk up and introduce yourself in this day and age and appreciated the opportunity to say hello. I met a couple who is interested in rebuilding a community paper, another gentleman up the street who is interested in reintroducing a community organization, a couple who is active in civil war re-enacting, and several others. 

We spent the warm Sat afternoon discussing the changes over the years, the good and the bad, and how we can all make a difference.  Topics such as making sure trashcans have firmly fit lids, keeping an eye out of one another for strange activity, and just continuing communication. We discussed regular meetings to be able to voice concerns that may then be shaped and guided so that our rows of housing becomes a community.

FOOD!!!  GAMES!! And FUN!

The live music was one of several exciting touches to the gathering. Kids came out to play, color with chalk, get snowballs, and even help out.  I ran the grill and cooked up burgers, dogs, BBQ chicken, Pineapple Habanero chicken, vegetable skewers , and for the more adventurous eaters a huge pot of venison chili with the option of some “Bambi’s Revenge!” (a particularly hot chili paste of my own creation).  The best part (for me) was a couple of the kids wanting to learn about how to skewer chicken, the spices used, and the art of grilling with the difference between direct and indirect heat.

Like any first time events it was not without it’s challenges including melting crayons from the heat, communication issues with meeting locations conflicting with a Park and Rec dance event (who mistakenly informed the public showing up that the event was canceled), the chicken being more popular than expected (resulting in running out), and the marking of the storm drain with original artwork by a local fine artist and Jewelry designer Laura Quintana (delayed due to so much more activity than expected).  Like all things, we learn from challenges and use it to make next year’s all the better.  

Finally, I would like to thank our sponsors without whom this event would not have taken place.

The Dundalk Renaissance Corporation.  Their assistance was invaluable! Permits, assistance with food, advertising, and the simple professionalism was deeply appreciated, Eastfield Townhouses/Regional management for their generous donation to help with food costs, and to the residence for their participation.

As an ending note, the storm drain will be painted when the weather clears.  There were also additional requests for the drain marking in other areas by some of the attendees who would like the drains painted by their homes.