The 2700 block of Eton St. in East Vancouver has been having block parties for over 20 years. Planning starts in early May at a planner’s home over tea and cookies. Over the years, we’ve built several traditions. One of the traditions is that the block party happens on Father’s Day weekend. There have been years in which the weather was so cold that we huddled in groups in our coats, holding hot drinks. This year, the weather was great!
Another tradition is the food. Everyone is welcome to bring a dish to share with neighbours (we enjoy the cultural variety of foods that people bring), and we provide sausages, buns, condiments, and usually a cold sweet dessert like popsicles or freezies. This yea,r we purchased recyclable/compostable plates and cutlery to cut down on the party’s environmental impact.
A third tradition is music. We have several residents who jam together during the year, and at the block party, they set up and play three sets of classic rock and roll and folk tunes.
Another tradition is having activities for the children and youth. This year, we had a craft table and games set up on the street.
Our block party is an important part of our community’s year. We celebrate fathers, and we celebrate the upcoming end of the school year. We share our summer plans. We learn about new family members, new pets, and we grieve the people and pets we’ve lost over the past year. We also get to meet new neighbours from the 26-2900 block of Eton because we invite all 4 blocks to join us. This year, we had the bonus experience of celebrating our oldest neighbour’s 90th birthday! The youngest neighbour is a pre-schooler.
So, ultimately, the block party is about life. Connecting with people you know and don’t see often enough. Meeting new people and catching up with people who have moved away. Marking the passing of the years, children who enjoyed doing crafts are now operating the craft tables themselves or telling us about their college and work experiences.
On behalf of all of us who participated in the event, thank you to the NSG group for supporting our efforts to build and maintain a community in our part of the city.
Francesca Gorlick
NSG Grant applicant (the link to 6 photos is below)
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/v3qq2wha5oukdhe51xy3c/AH8nl8XJFGARqJCBAVKD2Ns?rlkey=tp8e7wa5p4gu9gryk50e936hd&st=fdz9jw1e&dl=0
