Once again, a portion of 107th Street was closed off on a Saturday afternoon in September for a community gathering.
It was time again for the annual block party hosted by the North Battleford Good Neighbour Network.
The portion of 107th Street between 12th Avenue and 13th Avenue was shut down to traffic between noon and 5 p.m. Saturday. The neighbourhood was transformed into a showcase for music, hot dogs, hamburgers, face painting and prizes.
Event organizer Steven Cormons provided some of that musical entertainment, singing and strumming a guitar from the mobile stage set up in the neighbourhood for the afternoon. Cormons has helped organize these events for the past few years.
The Battlefords and District Labour Council supplied the food, which was free of charge. A number of local businesses contributed as well.
The goal of the event was simply to encourage neighbours to get to know one another and help build a sense of community.
This was their ninth neighbourhood block party. While this particular effort is well established and well known in the community, it is not the only one that's been held in the City this summer. In fact, civic leaders have been encouraging residents to hold block parties of their own.
The idea of holding block parties to encourage community building has taken root at City Hall as part of their efforts to promote public safety. City administration went so far as to waive the $25 administration fee in order to encourage others in the city to hold block parties.
It has been a major part of the City's Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design committee's efforts, as they see block parties as helping build "cohesion," seen as a key CPTED principle.
A number of block parties have been organized and held in playgrounds in the city in conjunction with the City's playground program, and there have been others as well.
