Sept. 9: Free Ward 7 block party at Hallsville School thanks to city ‘activation grant’

    Hallsville Elementary School is not longer in service but it will be the site of a back-to-school neighborhood block party on Sept. 9. File Photo

    MANCHESTER, NH – The Manchester Ward 7 Safety Committee has received a second Community Event and  Activation Grant (CEAG) to help Manchester Ward 7 members recover from the effects of COVID-19 pandemic. Ward 7’s focus is on bringing children and families together for a celebration as students begin a new school year. The  Neighborhood Watch Party will be held at Hallsville School Sept. 9 from 12-3 p.m. and is free. There will  be lots of giveaways, music provided by Clyde Bisbee and the Wheelhouse Revelers, Eddy the MPD pony, police and firefighters, games, face and pumpkin painting, clown, bubbles, ethnic dancers, food trucks and much more. 

    The Ward 7 group was founded in 2005 by Captain Debbie Miller in response to neighborhood concerns. The group meets regularly with the Manchester Police  Department, Health Department and DPW at the Ward 7 Firehouse on Somerville  Street. They organize and participate in scheduled park and street clean-ups by collaborating with city parks and recreation, which supplies equipment and materials. 

    Hallsville, built in 1891, was decommissioned in June 2021 and is a unique institution, a small neighborhood school in an old and established Manchester neighborhood. Many of Hallsville’s students were second or third generation of their families. The Ward 7 Safety Committee Block Party is a great way to have a fun day for children and families. The future of the Hallsville Building remains a question,  residents hope for either an early childhood center or a conversion to affordable housing units. 

    “Like a lot of other groups and businesses, we saw the city’s Community Event and  Activation Grant program as a huge opportunity to bounce back after COVID and have another celebration at Hallsville School. A family event like this seemed like a  great way to remind people that we’re still out here trying to make things better in  Ward 7,” says Miller. 

    The event will be held rain or shine.