Neighborhoods aren't as tight knit as they once were. Everyone is so busy with work and driving their kids to after school activities and fixing up their own homes that most people who live in Edmonton homes near one another often don't even know the names of their neighbors. They simply don't have the time or energy to reach out. If you want to be forever associated with bringing the people on your block together as a community, you might consider throwing a block party. Here are some tips on making it a memorable one.

Get Everyone Involved

Block parties will disrupt the running of the entire neighborhood while they're on, so you really need to include everyone on the block when you're doing your planning. Knock on doors, put notices in mailboxes, or put up flyers around the others' Ajax condos announcing a planning meeting. Then make sure everyone has something to do, whether it's fundraising, arranging food, planning games, or hiring entertainment. If everyone is involved with the party, they won't complain about it while it's on.

Arrange Things With the City

To have a successful block party, you'll need to block off the streets around your homes in Markham so you can set up food, games, and entertainment on neutral ground. You can also use yards if people volunteer, but most of the activities should be on the road or in the neighborhood park. To close off the park or the street legally, you'll need to apply to the city council. Approach them with your plan, including dates and a map of the streets that need to be blocked off, and they will probably accommodate you.

Go All Out

You want your block party to be a memorable event, especially if it's the first one and you hope to have more. Having a theme is a great start. It might be Canada Day or International or sports related. Have lots of things to do, such as games on the lawns of people's North York real estate, lots and lots of good food, and music that will be acceptable to all (consider hiring a DJ). Decorate the entire block to really get everyone into the festive mood and make sure there are enough open washrooms and places to get out of the rain or sun.

Remember the Kids

Your block party will be made or broken not by what the adults in your Toronto condo complex thought of it, but by what the children thought. So it's in your best interests to make sure things are fun for them. Have kid friendly food like chips and hot dogs. Kid friendly games like baseball or water fights. And don't tell them off for running, yelling, or just generally being kids who are having fun. Kids who had fun will convince their parents to do it again.