Neighbors Getting Together
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It’s been a pretty nice simmer. I mean summer! Some days it felt like we were simmering though, with temperatures in the high 90s and a few triple-digit days. The cool of the evenings and the shade of our beautiful trees along the streets and in the backyards of Southern Gables gave some welcome relief as neighbors gathered for…
Summertime block parties!
We wrote last week about our Neighborhood Night Out, which is the Big Event of our Southern Gables summer. It’s always scheduled late in August, after school starts and before Labor Day. There is another kind of Night Out promotion too. Cities all over the US sponsor events on National Night Out, the first Tuesday of August. It promotes police-community partnerships to make neighborhoods safer and more caring places to live. This year Karen and Jack Whittier participated in the Lakewood sponsored program, hosting neighbors from Dover Way, Warren Lane and Dudley Street. Four very sociable LPD agents came and enjoyed the evening, chatting with neighbors over a potluck dinner. As almost always happens at these gatherings, there were interactions with longtime friends and new neighbors alike.
The Estes Street block party, sponsored in part by the Neighborhood Association on August 6, was organized by Lauren and Dustin Colaizzi and featured a BBQ truck. The cook kept busy with orders from the 40 or so people there, and guests kept circulating around and visiting, enjoying the atmosphere and the food. Having the food truck worked out very well; a few of the neighbors brought side dishes and they filled out the offerings nicely. Kids and adults got a cornhole tournament going, and the party went on until about dark.
DeAnn Joyce and Sara Johnson got the Balsam Court group together on August 16, with lots of others joining in so there were about 70 people! They invited neighbors from four of the nearby streets and once again had a handful of new folks join in, which is always a treat! It was a fiesta theme, and the kids had a blast with the piñata! One of the new families on the block actually hosted karaoke in their driveway, which was another huge hit. Balsam Ct. was having block parties for years before the Neighborhood Association started joining in with block party sponsorships in 2021, and we are so glad to be a part of this kind of community-building activity. 
August 16 was a big night for neighborhood partying – a double feature! Eric & Katie White put out their invitation for their Outdoor Movie Night to the whole neighborhood – not just their block on Woodard Drive. The movie night featured something new this year, a Kona Ice truck. The movie started after dark of course, but we didn’t take a poll to see how many people went to both the Balsam Ct. party and the movie.
Neighbors came with blankets, lawn chairs, and snacks, and enjoyed a magical night under the stars together.
The final party we helped sponsor this season was on Iliff Avenue, put together by Lisa Huntington-Kinn and Goldie Barrett. It was a client appreciation and block party combined, with over 100 people attending! Lisa told us the entertainment was the lovely Jan Cleveland and her amazing jazz band. Ted and Michael were slinging burgers and hotdogs like nobody’s business, Goldie set up an amazing kids activity area with a color castle, bubbles, tattoos, and hula hoops, and, as Lisa said, “A great time was had by all!.”
Jan Cleveland and her Jazz Band
We’re pretty much done for the season, but keep us in mind for next year. To apply for a Southern Gables Neighborhood Association block party grant, first please read the suggestions in our article, You Can Host a Block Party! and then let us know by emailing us at SGNA.Lakewood@gmail.com.
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