The Block Party

For the past few weeks, the guests have been asking "When is the block party?" Under pain of excommunication, all of us have been sworn to secrecy and have answered, "Sometime this summer." Today was the long-awaited event. Right after Mass, all of the staff plus a group from western Pennsylvania and some local volunteers went out into the street. We blocked the end of the street with sawhorses and put all of the tables from the dining room into the street. Father Pat, a friar from Greenville, SC arrived with some parish teenagers and set up his sound system. He was our deejay for the day. Mark drove to Boston Market to pick up 600 pieces of barbecue chicken and cornbread. We also had potato salad, watermelon, ice cream sandwiches and soda. At 11:30 we opened up for food and the music began. Some of the guests would rather dance than eat. And dance they did--to old time rock and roll, the Macarena, electric slide, the twist, Michael Jackson imitations to "Thriller" and even to the chicken dance.

In addition to the food and music, we had face painting, pony rides for the children, clowns, floating duck game and a water balloon toss. About 2:30 the rain came down, but it didn't end the party. People kept on dancing in the rain or standing under the tents set up along the street. It actually helped to cool us down since the temperature was over 90 with the humidity factor.

What was so cool about the day was to see all the guests and the staff having so much fun. The friars and sisters were dancing with the guests, the young college students were playing hula hoops with the children, the friar deejay was involving lots of people in the music, and 92 year old Patrick was passing out forks and napkins. St. Francis Inn is always a beacon of hope here in Kensington, but for a few hours this Sunday, the entire street was transformed into a festival where all of God's children could have fun together.