Block Party Prep Update

Preparations are well under way for Saturday's block party. I'm amazed to report that 9th District Commander Eugene Roy personally returned my call within one day (on Monday) and immediately agreed to send a squad car to our event. I'm not clear if that means it will be here all day, but I stressed to him that we really want the car there in the evening, because when we've had even minor problems before it was after dark.

We have 60 gift bags with school supplies for the kids--I wish we had a hundred but I've spent quite enough money this summer between my BBQ and this event. Neighborhood Housing Services donated bags, key chains and pens. Thank you!!

We will have basketball, with coaches from a group called In the Paint, a bookmaking project from the Chicago Children's Museum and house blessings and a health survey from Holy Cross/IHM. I bet the kids would rather I got the museum to come and do face painting, but since we have this back-to-school theme going I thought making books might be more in the theme.

Neighbors are stepping up. My neighbor's daughter's birthday party will be part of the block event, and she has gone crazy with food, a cake, probably a jumping jack, helping me get school supplies, her own set of prizes/gifts to go with the party, etc. Peter Pan's parents found us a DJ. Lots of people are promising dishes for the potluck and kicking in a few bucks each for the DJ fund. Ms. Ribs will grill the hamburgers for lunch. Another lady down the street is trying to get donated ice cream and cones.

Two of the Brady Girls came over this afternoon and spent an hour or so helping me get all the school supplies organized into the bags. They did a great job--I just set up everything in an assembly line before they arrived, and then they got right to it.

One of them noticed that the NHS key chains have a mini-measuring tape inside. "Our dads can use those," she said. "At Home Depot, they're expensive."

The Bradys are also planning to organize games like bingo. They wanted to know if it was OK to do that. I pretty much delegated it to them--if they can get the materials for whatever games they want to do, put out a table and run them, they can knock themselves out. I just said that I really couldn't spend any more money on supplies because I've already spent all the money I can on hamburgers, juices, some of the school supply stuff, etc. (In the Paint and the Children's Museum cost money, and I kicked in a pretty large amount toward the DJ, too. My neighbor with the birthday party has gone crazier than I have, though. Next year we will start earlier and I already know who to go to for donated school supply kits.)

Peter Pan wants to organize a soccer tournament. That's another project I had to delegate. We need a coach. Neighbor on 49, I'm looking at you! Watch your email for a personal invitation.