Street Party - over 40 years of tradition on our street, Toronto, Canada




We have been living in the Don Mills area of Toronto for the past three decades. Our two sons grew up in this lovely middle class neighbourhood. While I have heard horror stories about  neighbours not getting along and  at times even suing each other, we have been very fortunate that our neighbours have all been nice and friendly and we have never had any issues with anyone.

The only regret I have is that for the past three decades I was a full time working mom and was extremely busy working and raising two young children, therefore unable to take part in the neighbours get togther.



A Potluck Party - Every Family brings a dish to share




  This year, for the first time I was part of the planning committee for our annual street party that has been a tradition on our street for over 40 years!

 Though the committee only met once at Lynn's house, we kept in touch with emails and did all the planning and task assignemnts online.



The Potluck - each person, in this case each family brought a dish to the party. We had food from different enthic origins reflecting our diverse cultures.

Our street party took place on a Wednesday evening  in early September and the weather was a balmy 70 degrees at 4:00pm.



Lots of food for everyone!



We took out tables, got chairs, prepared drinks and even games for the kids to play. Lot of neighbours started coming out form their hosues, some with children in tow. Some people who used to live here,  moved away but still came back for this annual event.



It was great seeing neighbours meeting each other and exchanging news and catching up. Since Canada`s winter is long and we stay indoors for more than six months of the year, it was great opportunity for neighbourly visits and chats. The weather cooperated and it was a fun evening.

 The party was a success; we had over seventy neighbours at our party and even the city councillor, Denzel Minan-Wong, dropped by to chat for a while.

The best part about this street party was I got to know a few neighbours and make some new friends. We even started our own weekly ladies coffee hours on Tuesdays in the morning from 10am-12pm.

We rotate our meeting place and have coffee at a different house each week. We met for three weeks already. Next Tuesday will be at our house and I look forward to hosting it. Finally, I am enjoying this sense of community and getting to know our neighbours really well! The joy of retirement and having time to enjoy our beautiful community and its inhabitants!

R.T. Toronto, Canada

Oct.1, 2012