The Funnest!
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Southern Gables Neighborhood Night Out
Everybody worried about the rain. We were ready, though. We had a “cancel” button ready to press if it was really bad. The afternoon was forecast to have intermittent showers. Even if those predicted showers blew though, we were primed to GO. All the booths would have canopies, many people would bring some sort of rain gear (this is Colorado after all) and we knew we would make the best of it.
Raffle winners Chuck, Amanda, Owen, Dale, Nicholas
About 700 people from all around the Southern Gables neighborhood and the Green Gables School community came out, despite the “it-could-rain-any-minute-now” forecast. And the weather was perfect! Party Pros DJ Rick put on a good mix keeping the party energy going, and “The Dangermen” did a set that had the crowd going wild. If you didn’t see it you just couldn’t begin to comprehend how great a fourth grade rock band can be! Amazing, and the crowd loved it. There were games at lots of the booths, kids bouncing and sliding around in a big bouncy energy absorber, face painting, and lots of neighborly interaction for everyone. Free hot dogs, chips and lemonade, Magill’s World of Ice Cream cups, and popcorn were the walk-around foods of choice as neighbors and friends browsed around the booths and visited with each other. Our Selected Business Supporters and community organizations. showed their stuff, and in the free raffle five people walked off with cash prizes of $50 and $100.
Working together
It took a lot of volunteer effort and cooperation to put on the event. Judy and Doug Whitten bought the hot dogs, chips, and lemonade. Carolyn Wolfrum and Marci DeMott helped the booth operators find their places and get set up. Ken Fischer and Jeff Bair staffed the entrance and gave out the free raffle tickets as people came in. Marcel Guajardo and Jabin Cook handled the grilling. Liz Reed, Donna Gidley, Kathy & Erwin Bunzli, and Belinda Porter worked the serving line. Pam Engel-Livick and Art Zohn helped Heather Dirschl with the drinks, Taylor’s Rentals provided the tables and chairs, and they were wrangled in and out by Roger Hanlon, Erwin Bunzli, Ken Fischer, Jeff Bair, Michael Omar, Bill Whelchel, Lynn Gunderson, Michelle Tovrea, Stormy McDonald, Eric Schneider, a group of Scouts, and me. Westwoods Community Church provided volunteers for the Bouncy Place and the Face Painting booth. There was a smaller bouncy-crawl-through place for the little kids brought by Restored Services, and Our Saviour’s Church did face painting at their booth. Thanks to an overwhelming outpouring of support from civic-minded neighbors, organizations, and businesses, a torrent of volunteer energy transformed the event into an extraordinary community event. It’s something that marks Southern Gables as a unique and special community. Here’s a testimonial:
“Mom, you know this is my FAVORITE time of year right? Because it’s the Neighborhood Night Out. It’s the funnest night ever!”
— Walker C. age 8.
“Mine too.”
— Bruce M. age undisclosed.
Did we get your picture? These were taken by Goldie Barrett, Julia Blair, Carolyn Wolfrum, and Marnie Crowe.
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