Among Friends

[Mary Bailey]

When I was a kid my parents did "progressive dinners" the first house had appetizers, 2nd house had 1st course ....etc.. through dessert, drinks included

People on my block have closed the block for their family parties.

[w1nter]

What a sweet topic..

My mother's neighborhood was always friendly with people waving when you passed. Everyone tried to keep their lawns presentable. My mother spoke to the people across the road, too.

My current neighborhood is not very outgoing as it has a lot of rental properties or properties that go up for sale every couple of years. Hoping my soon to be neighborhood will be more friendly..

[SeaMaiden]

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@Meowingkitty wrote:

Never had a block party either. In fact, I doubt I could pick my neighbors out of a lineup. We too have 6’ block walls surrounding each property and in summer no one in their right mind goes outside unless they have to. Winter would be the only time. I don’t think anyone in our neighborhood would even be interested. It’s just not something we do in the desert. I’ve only lived in Arizona so I can’t speak for other parts of the country, but we pretty much keep to ourselves. An occasional “hi” is about it for the neighbors. 

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@Meowingkitty  Are these  cement block walls for a  purpose?  They sound so ugly. Why not a nice fence? Why concrete....sounds like a prison...just add barbed wire.

[embgm]

Our neighborhood has Christmas parties, breakfast with Santa and the EasterBunny,three smaller version of block parties, an ice cream social the weekend before school resumes in August and a large yard sale. It also has a book club and golf outing in the spring and a camping trip in the summer.  Everyone is very friendly and helpful. Some of these are well attended and some have enough attendance to continue the activity. I have lived here for 24 years and these activities were occurring before we were here.  It's a very nice development. Em

[jeanlake]

Maintenance-provided neighborhood with HOA. 2 - 3 bedroom patio homes - nothing extravagant. Book Club, walking groups, bunco, mens' monthly breakfast, women's monthly lunch, groups of women going to movies, holiday parties and chats by the mailboxes. After living here for a year, when husband was in hospital, a handful of neighbors visited in hospital and stopped by the house during his recovery. Lived in our other home 24 years. All I wanted to do at the old neighborhood was wave; if I was in the mood. Just a different, and friendlier vibe at our new place.    

[NYC Susan]

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@reiki604 wrote:

Wow....I feel sorry for you folks. We have annual Block Parties and have had them wherever we lived for as long as I remember. The street is blocked off (permit from PD) Live music, DJs, rides for the the kids and everyone brings tables and chairs outside their home or apt building with loads of food and drink. They are a blast and bring a neighborhood together. 

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I used to live in a neighborhood that had big block parties every year too.  We also had shared, block-long garage sales, and barbeques, things like that.  Everyone of all ages got to know each other, and it was really  nice.  We all became friendly year-round, and everyone really looked forward to the big events we did together. 

[Mominohio]

Never for me either.

We grew up in a small and friendly neighborhood in the 60's and 70's and this kind of thing never went on. Many families with kids, and we all played together all day every day, and neighbors would stop and pass the time when outdoors working or walking, but no real socialization like that. 

Never had it in any neighborhood I lived in as an adult either. 

Things like that can be nice, or they can be a pain. Nothing I ever really cared to participate in.

[CherryHugs]

The replies were so fun and so interesting to read! Thank you for sharing.  

[hsawaknow]

I live up in the hills and the houses are spaced apart. Aside from the neighbor who is kind enough to let me park in his driveway because our drive way is on a crooked hill and hard for me to back down because I have a 5 speed, I have never seen another neighbor.

Just to add, that neighbor doesn't live in the house, It sits empty so having my car there looks like someone lives there.

[GingerPeach]

I grew up on a court (meaning a no exit short street, as you probably know) and those of us at the end (we called it "the circle") seemed closer as families than the folks who lived on the straighter portion.  Funny how a few hundred feet make such a difference.

Those families on or close to the circle would have block parties, and the kids would have random "parades," which basically consisted of us either riding our pretend horses or pulling our younger siblings around in little wagons.  One girl did have baton-twirling skills as I recall.  The rest of us just kind of walked briskly hoisting our knees as high as we could.  We had fun among ourselves, but I don't remember anybody ever came out to watch.  

Now I wonder what happened to all those kids.

As an adult, I've not lived on a street with block parties, although in the 1970s we occasionally would have, at Christmas-time, one of those eat-the-main-course-at-one-house and eat-dessert-at-another-house rotating host events.  I suppose you could call that a sort of block party.