Neighborhood block party helps maintain community connections

The air was filled with music, the aroma of roasting hot dogs and meandering bubbles between May Greene Garden and Christ Episcopal Church on Fountain Street on Saturday.

It was all part of the third Neighborhood Connections block party, which brought together apartment dwellers, homeowners and business owners from around the area.

From the barbecued food to the music and dancing, the block party included all of the traditional components. It also included some nontraditional elements, such as Cape Girardeau Mayor Jay Knudtson dropping by on his motorcycle.

Several of the adults present said neighborhood traditions have changed since they grew up, but the need for neighbors to physically come out of their houses and interact with one another seems to be one that's becoming important again.

Southeast history professor Bonnie Stepenoff pushed her 7-month-old grandson up and down the block as he watched the action from his stroller. Stepenoff said neighborhoods -- as she remembers them -- will come back because history goes in cycles.

"We have to preserve more than the buildings," she said. "We have to preserve the spirit. Block parties are a good tradition."

The Family Counseling Center, which lies within the Neighborhood Connections boundaries -- from Spanish Street on the east to Sprigg Street on the west, and from Independence Street on the south to North Street on the north -- also had some residents in attendance, though some are neighbors for a short time.

Donna Oliver, living at FCC for a week, is originally from Charleston, Mo. She said being there made her feel peaceful.

"Block parties went on when I grew up, but they were dance block parties," she said. "The police won't let you have them anymore in Charleston. They break it up."

Knudtson, on the other hand, officially promoted the event "Cape's Neighborhood Nights" during October with a proclamation to encourage people to stop and get to know their neighbors at a get-together, day or night. Five block parties have been scheduled for this month.

Cpl. Ike Hammonds, a liaison between the Cape Girardeau Police Department and the Neighborhood Connections group, said the problem stems from neighbors being unfamiliar with one another. "In the '60s and '70s we knew each other. Kids today sit in front of the computer."

The Neighborhood Connections group, also a Neighborhood Watch community, gathers regularly to address issues and facing the neighborhood and find solutions. Out of five watch groups in Cape Girardeau, two meet regularly.

"This is a proactive community that wants to keep the apartment buildings and homes up," Hammonds said. "They send out a message that says they won't tolerate an overflowing Dumpster or things of that nature."

cpagano@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 133