Block Party

I had spoken with Terry, one of our wonderful neighbors, about doing a block party.  "Give me dates and I will make it happen." she said.  And she did, to the delight of the neighborhood!  Everyone came out for food, crafts, s'mores and a kid friendly movie.

Here are some key planning steps and ideas from our event:

Close your Street
In our town you are required to get 50% of the people on the block to agree to close the street.  A $30 permit and many signatures later Terry had collected the required amount.  The City then drops off signs to close your street.

Check with you local city for requirements in your town.

Spread the Word 
We used the social media site Nextdoor to invite our neighbors.

It's important to remember that not everyone in the neighborohood is online.
Terry created a flyer and placed it in everyone's mailbox.  The Block Party invitations were also distributed to neighboring streets.

On the day of the event, reminders were placed in everyone's mailbox on the block.

Food 
Potluck is a great way to bring the community together.  In our multicultural society the array of food can be fascinating and delicious.  Our potluck table was overflowing!

We had neighbors roll out their BBQ's and people brought their own meat to grill.

A fire pit was set up in a driveway for S'mores and of course, there was Popcorn!

The Movie
As our Block Party was in October we chose Wallace and Gromit - Curse of the Were-Rabbit.  Be sure to keep it Family Friendly.  Don't forget that showing a movie in a public location requires a licence.  We had a group of local small business owners, and neighbors, sponsor the licencing.

Our  movie was sponsored by Terry (organizer extraordinaire and local Realtor), FunFlicks (that's me) and GoWithSlim (a local Plexus natural weight loss ambassador).  Have a table with info for these businesses.

Before the movie we had music and a slide show thanking the sponsors

Your local Police
We invited the local police to come talk about neighborhood safety. It's great for the neighborhood to see local officers in a friendly environment.  They even brought free swag for the kids.  We had a table available for neighborhood safety information and exchange of phone numbers and email addresses.  We even had a brief, unofficial visit from the major!

Kids played tag, we got to see our neighbors and made some new friends.

"Let's do it next year!"
Sounds like a plan.
Paul the Outdoor Movie Guy

Girls Night Out Movie Night

A Girls night out movie night is a great way for ladies, young and old, to relax, giggle and unwind from the constant "go go go" of their busy appointment-filled lives.

Here are some great ideas to help you plan a fabulous evening with your gal pals:

Invites
Get the word out!  You can use a service like Evite to invite your friends.   Evite has a number of movie night and girls night out invitation templates (and it's free!).

Seating
Indoors or out, your guests need somewhere to sit.   If indoors, rearrange furniture and clear out tables to make room for more seating.  If you are outside, consider a BYOCAB -- Bring Your Own Chair and Blanket.

The Film
It's Girls night out, here's your chance to watch that chick flick!  Here are 5 great suggestions:

Grease  It's the word.  Go on sing... no one will judge

Thelma and Louise Road trip for Girls

The Notebook Don't forget the tissues

Love Actually Great movie for the Christmas Holidays

Notting Hill  Hugh Grant at his bubbling best

Not Just for Movies
How about a season premiere or season finale on the big screen?  Parenthood, Bachelor/Bachelorette, Downton Abbey or coming soon the Outlander series.

Food
Popcorn and movie snacks are a must!  You can always theme your food with what you are showing. "Drink tea, there's lots of tea"  with your Notting Hill or Downton Abbey party.

Cheers
Paul the Outdoor Movie Guy (and his wife)