An annual effort that started in 2018 launching Wilton’s first “Big Block Party Weekend” and its mission to “build community one block at a time,” is making its return to Wilton this summer.
Now under the umbrella of “Block Party USA,” an organization started by one of Wilton’s initial Block Party Weekend founders, this year’s block party events have been scheduled for June 8-9 and Sept. 7-8.
The idea for community-wide block parties was brought to Wilton by the Wilton Youth Council’s Free Play Task Force in a effort to strengthen neighborhood connections, create opportunities for face-to-face conversation, and empower children’s free play,
The inaugural weekend brought together more than 1,200 Wilton residents for approximately 40 block parties. Residents reported that the joy and benefits were felt immediately and continue to grow.
Vanessa Elias, the co-founder and co-chair of Free Play Task Force, was so encouraged by the feedback she was hearing from residents that she founded Block Party USA in 2023 bringing the idea nationwide to combat the loneliness, social isolation, divisiveness and the youth mental health crisis. Since then, Block Party USA has brought neighbors together in buildings, streets, sidewalks, and yards to help people around the country connect and heal within their own neighborhoods.
“I founded Block Party USA as an easy way to achieve connection, civility, and community — and especially to foster free play for kids, which is proven to reduce anxiety and boost their independence,” Elias said. “Neighbor talking to neighbor, away from devices and enjoying face-to-face time. I believe gathering for a block party just once a year can have a profound ripple effect.”
The idea has gotten attention from media, authors and experts. Wilton’s block parties were featured as a powerful tool for positive change in the New York Times bestselling book Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic—And What We Can Do About It. Block Party USA was named an Aligned Organization of Jonathan Haidt’s NYT bestseller The Anxious Generation to help shift childhood from phone-based back to play-based.
In addition, Elias was selected for The Aspen Institute’s Weave Speakers Bureau and has met with Sen. Chris Murphy and other community leaders to share her Block Party USA passion project to address the epidemic of loneliness and social isolation.
Keeping the Block Party Tradition Alive in Wilton
Elias and the Wilton Youth Council are once again encouraging Wilton residents to connect with their neighbors to plan block parties on June 8-9 and Sept. 7-8. If those dates don’t work, Elias said, choose weekends that do.
“The goal is just to make it happen. Each road, building, or neighborhood chooses their own day and time. Whether you’re a block party veteran or new to your neighborhood, let’s keep up this beloved annual Wilton tradition and show our country how one community can cultivate a culture of showing up for one another in countless ways,” she said, adding, “Gather your neighbors, fill the coolers, dust off the lawn chairs — and keep it simple and “old fashioned.”
To help residents organize block parties in their neighborhoods this summer, Elias has a downloadable free Block Party USA Guide and offers two 30-minute Block Party USA Zooms on either June 17, 2024 or June 26, 2024 to learn from others.
The Block Party USA Guide helps with tips on how to plan a fun and unpretentious event — from inviting neighbors by dropping off flyers to each home, to encouraging neighbors to bring a favorite dish from their family table.
“Keep it simple!” Elias said. “No expensive venue. No decorations or favors. No elaborate menu. Nothing staged for social media consumption. Block parties are about putting away phones, meeting and enjoying neighbors, and fostering more free play for children.”
Benefits Far Outweigh Concerns
There are a lot of reasons why people may be reluctant to have a block party. They’re concerned no one will come, or that they don’t have the right space, or they don’t have the time or money for it to look perfect, or they may have had a falling-out with a neighbor.
“The positives after the block party will far outweigh your initial reluctance, even if just a handful of people attend. Your neighborhood will be more connected, you may feel safer and will have someone to call nearby if you are short-handed or have an emergency, and block parties may even increase home values,” Elias said. “Just this week, a woman mentioned to me that she told a new neighbor about their annual potlucks, and she replied “Yes, my real estate agent told me!”
Among the potential benefits from holding a block party are::
- Block parties encourage free play for children. An abundance of free play can make children happier, better problem-solvers, and more energized to pursue learning and develop deep interests.
- The United States is lonely. Block parties offer social connectedness. To address the nation’s epidemic of loneliness and isolation, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy, released The Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community. Be a part of the solution, combat loneliness by rounding up neighbors for a few hours at the end of a driveway or in adjoining yards!
- After block parties, there may be an uptick in teenagers being hired — a win-win! Babysitting, pet sitting, watering plants, mowing lawns, raking leaves, shoveling snow. Part-time paid work helps teenagers build agency and confidence.
- Getting together face-to-face reveals the community has more in common and reduces the differences. Neighbors may vote differently and they may disagree on many issues, but you can still laugh together, offer a helping hand, and share grilling tips!
Neighbors on one street in Wilton reported several daily kindnesses that have sprung up since they held their own block party:
- Neighbors share recommendations on everything from restaurants to home repair.
- They pick up packages from porches when fellow homeowners are away.
- They locate lost dogs, and give neighbors a heads up when racoons, coyotes, and bears are walking the street.
- During power outages, those with generators offer refrigerator space for perishables and charge phones.
- A senior citizen with Alzheimer’s was returned safely to their home after they were seen wandering without a caretaker.
- A neighborhood girl placed decorations by everyone’s mailboxes, including red, white, and blue pinwheels for Memorial Day and oversized heart signs “Friends 4 Ever” and “U R Loved” for Valentine’s Day.