September 01, 2004

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Palo Alto Online

Breaking the ice

by Jocelyn Dong

After years of driving past one another with little more than a smile or a glance, the neighbors of Loma Verde Place in Midtown did something unusual Saturday: They stopped and talked.

It was the cul-de-sac's first block party, organized by a handful of residents who wanted to bring a feeling of neighborliness to their street full of renters and condominium owners.

Block parties -- once a regular occurrence in close-knit neighborhoods across the country -- are these days used to break the ice among strangers living next door to each other.

"It's much needed," said Kyera Shim, one of the Loma Verde organizers. "We've lost the sense (of community). It's an investment to get to know your neighbors."

Shim used to live in New York, where people had a habit of stopping by each other's homes for coffee, she said. Here in Silicon Valley, they're too busy working.

Neighbor Lori Michel and her husband couldn't recall there being a single block party in the 15 years they've lived in the Loma Verde Village condos. Everyone always thought it would be a good idea, she said, but no one had taken the lead.

Party organizer Nichola Mente, 25, said she'd kept waiting for turnover in the neighborhood to stabilize over the years, but finally decided to forget stability and throw the party. On Saturday, people finally came out to introduce themselves, their kids and their pets, as a neighborhood garage band played "Earth Angel" in a driveway.

Throughout Palo Alto, thousands of neighbors are expected to acquaint and re-acquaint themselves at block parties in September. Last year, the Palo Alto City Council declared both July and September as block-party months, designed to stoke camaraderie and community spirit. During those months, the police department waives its usual $30 fee to block a street.

So far this summer, city residents have hosted 21 block parties, according to code-enforcement officer Judy Glaes. At least 15 more are scheduled for this month.

In some Palo Alto neighborhoods, block parties are a cherished tradition. Greenmeadow's July 4 all-neighborhood party has been going on for 50 years.

In other neighborhoods, the traditions are being revived. Kim Graf and Dan Jan of the Leland Manor neighborhood have picked up where the previous generation of neighbors left off, organizing their July 4 block party since 2000.

Their shindig features a children's parade, and as many as 150 people turn out, Graf said. This year, one creative party-goer showed the kids how to make ice cream in paint cans. The children rolled their ice cream cans down the street to churn the cream inside.

Graf and Jan hail from the Midwest, where Graf called block parties "normal, everyday things." They organized the first party so they could get to know their neighbors.

"I was amazed there were so many kids (in the neighborhood). People don't play in their front yard anymore," Graf said.

Over on High Street, Larry and Martha Taylor's block parties have become so popular, people plan vacations around them. The Taylors' 13-year tradition was even listed by real-estate agents last year as adding value to homes that had been put on the market, Martha Taylor said.

For residents, the parties help break down walls, especially for those who don't have the most common ice-breaker: kids in schools.

"It gives you someone to wave to," she said.

Although the get-togethers serve as a way to enjoy food and neighbors, there are some in the community who would like to see them help neighbors prepare for disasters. Palo Alto REDI offers a tip sheet on how neighbors can organize themselves to handle emergencies, such as natural disasters.

Loma Verde's Mente was not inclined to get residents thinking about emergencies at their first block party, but she did invite both the fire department and police to show up.

In the middle of the party on Saturday, Shim was so excited to get to know others on the block, she was already thinking about next year. Looking at how many more people could potentially fit in the cul-de-sac, she turned to neighbor Rick Vandivier.

"The next one we do, we should do the whole neighborhood," she said. Residents interested in obtaining a block-party permit can visit www.papd.org or call (650) 329-2147. Senior staff writer Jocelyn Dong can be reached at jdong@paweekly.com.

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