A group of roughly 10 community members, inspired to do something positive for the city, began tossing out ideas on a Bristol Facebook forum, and united by a vision to throw a Block Party for the community, the volunteers met for the first time two months ago and have been planning ever since.
Now, with the support of the City of Bristol and the Bristol Chamber of Commerce, the group is just weeks away from realizing its goal.
And on Saturday, Sept. 19 when Bristol’s City-Wide Block Party takes place from 2 to 7 p.m. at The Patch Downtown (rain date Sept. 20), they’ll get to experience the fruits of their labor along with those they are doing this for — the community at large.
The event will feature upwards of 10 food trucks, live music and dance performances, costumed characters for children, and more. Plus, since it’s at the Patch, people are encouraged to bring blankets, chairs and picnic foods to lounge on or around the green.
“It’s a wonderful gathering for the community,” said Mark Walerysiak Jr., brand and marketing manager of Bristol in a press release. “And what a great story, these folks banding together because of their heart and a desire to bring their neighbors together to have fun and create memories as a community— it’s inspiring, and shows anything’s possible when you decide to do something great.”
The release from the city said, “The passionate group of online bootstrappers, formerly strangers, have come together and grown tight through this simple, yet hopeful event. They encourage the community to do the same on the 19th to celebrate community together. Carolyn Vargas, who is helping spearhead the volunteer effort was inspired to share what she loves about the City on Facebook in the face of negative posts, when other jumped aboard and a positive discussion toward the block party snowballed.”
“There’s so many great things about Bristol,” said Vargas in the press release. “I love it here, we all do. And you have this All Heart culture that’s so true, I see our group reflected in it… That’s why we’re doing this. We wanted to show we have the heart to do great things, to bring the community together through this fun event, to share in our love of Bristol together, to meet new neighbors, and provide a fun atmosphere for all. We hope everyone comes out and has a blast.”
