MANCHESTER, N.H. – As if on cue, the snow began to fall Sunday afternoon, putting what was perhaps the final touch on an event that encapsulated the holiday spirit for residents of Holt Avenue and its surrounding neighbors.
Those neighbors, as well as friends, family and others invited by neighborhood residents gathered on Sunday for the second annual Holt Avenue Holiday Block Party.
Along with summertime block parties in the past two years as well, the gathering has become a tradition in the neighborhood, gathering approximately 300 people over a stretch of several hours to celebrate the holidays. This year they raised $920 in donations for the Manchester Fire Department’s Station Eight Firehouse and Manchester Police Athletic League and four boxes of toys were collected for Toys for Tots.
Daniel Mowery, one of the event’s 22 organizers said the event took months of planning, ranging from food and music to gathering the $300 for a permit, half of which Mowery says was donated by State Representative Will Infantine (R-Manchester Ward 6).
Mowery hopes that the event can serve as a template in other parts of the city.
“This is what our city needs to do,” he said. “Instead of having us all of us divided, all of these wards need to come together.”
Lisa Douillard, another one of the 22 committee members that organized the party, echoed Mowery’s sentiments, hoping that the event can serve to not only bring members of the neighborhood together, but also spark a trend of greater neighborhood cohesion.
“(This event) is just us trying to give to our community and make our neighborhood the best that it can be and trying to show Manchester what people can do when they come together, “she said. “Hopefully we can show other neighborhoods that when you come together [Manchester] can be a really great place.”
Ken Labonville of Allied Street lives just a few houses away from where the block party took place and stood in line with his kids to meet Santa Claus at the event.
Labonville says Sunday’s edition of the party drew more people than last year. That added crowd surprised him somewhat since it was about 20 degrees colder than last year, although the change in weather did make it feel a little more like the holidays this time around.
“It’s fantastic, such an awesome turnout, and It’s snowing, that was an added touch,” he said. “This is just a good way to get the community together. Everybody’s really nice in this neighborhood, I’m so glad we can do something like this.”
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