Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 24, 1995 TAG: 9505250003
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Planning and organization will still be important; just plan for less extravagance and spread the organizational duties around.
Here are some tips to get you started:
Someone should have overall charge, but a group of volunteers makes less work for everyone. Many areas have neighborhood associations with officers or block captains who could be helpful.
nDecide on a specific date and starting and stopping time. The fact that many people will observe Memorial Day on Monday opens celebration possibilities for what might otherwise be a workday. You could start the party with a meal at noon and have activities in the afternoon, plan activities for the afternoon with the meal in early evening or, if you have the necessary help, make the meal an ongoing event.
Decide on the party site. You might choose a resident's yard, a cul-de-sac, a nearby park with playground equipment or - with permission - a blocked-off section of street.
It's probably too late to get permission to block off a street for this weekend. But the fine-weather season is just beginning, and there will be many opportunities ahead. If you do want to block off a street, call for specific instructions, especially any rules regarding the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Your city manager, police department or, in Roanoke County, Virginia Department of Transportation, Planning and Zoning Board and Alcoholic Beverage Control Board can help. Make sure all guests are aware of the regulations, perhaps printing them on a flier that is distributed with the invitation or on strategically placed poster boards.
Remember to consider alternative indoor locations in case of inclement weather.
Organized games and activities add a festive touch to block parties. If your neighborhood is loaded with children, they will love events such as face painting, relay races or obstacle-course games. Enlist teenagers to help. Adults might enjoy a game of volleyball or horseshoes.
Whatever else is going on, food is the ultimate focal point of any good gathering. A potluck is usually easiest for a block party. Ask all the even-numbered houses to bring appetizers or side dishes; all the odd-numbered ones to bring desserts. Or randomly ask the occupants of two or three houses to bring one kind of food and two or three houses to bring another.
One person can donate the main course, or it could be prepared by one or more people with the cost paid out of a general collection. Also designate groups for set up and clean up.
Ask each household to bring its own table settings, beverages and, if not otherwise available, its own table. A makeshift buffet table for the food can be put together with a piece of plywood and sawhorses. If you wish, let the neighborhood kids decorate the tabletop with patriotic drawings, using red, white and blue chalk.
When offering suggestions on what guests should bring to eat, concentrate on easy-to-prepare foods, such as the recipes featured here.
- Food editor Almena Hughes contributed information to this story from Family Features Editorial Services, Inc.
Recipes for:
STEAK ORIENTAL
TEX-MEX CHIPS MIX
TEXAS-STYLE PORK BARBECUE
PARTY PASTA SALAD
ITALIAN SAUSAGE & PEPPER HEROES
CHERRIES `N' CREAM
LAYERED CAESAR SALAD
by CNB