Saturday, June 10, 11 a.m.—RUTLAND—As part of National NeighborWorks Week 2017, join NeighborWorks of Western Vermont and Rutland Recreation to preemptively kick off summer vacation with a proper block party Saturday, June 10, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.
Organizers are closing down Park Avenue (between Harrison Ave. and Pine St.) for the party complete with a grilled barbecue and ice cream cones around community picnic tables, dancing to George Nostrand and Tom Irish’s live music, lawn games, bike reaces, face painting, and skill building on making compost.
Throughout the day, Master Composters will be providing a how-to-compost workshop and giving away free counter compost buckets. Also, there will be free bicycle maintenance workshops to teach families basic bike repair skills for safe summer riding. Kids are welcome to bring their bikes. At 1 p.m., Rutland Recreation will be hosting two bike races after the Youth Mountain Bike Club puts on a super cool slow-bike demonstration. Prizes for the fastest and the slowest will be awarded, but only if every rider wears a helmet, so be sure not to forget the safety gear.
Rutland Recreation will also be reserving the final seven garden spots in the Northwest Community Garden, so if you haven’t started a plot yet, get there early to sign up. Other community organizations such as the Rutland Free Library, VT 2-1-1, and CCV will be there, and the fire department will be offering tours of the fire safety trailer.
Residents of all ages are encouraged to bring a neighbor to tie dye a shirt and participate in a community clothesline art project at 117 Park Ave.
In the event of inclement weather, check the Facebook Event page for a cancellation notification; organizers are hoping for sunshine to start the summer off right —one festival at a time.
For more information, contact bzanella@nwwvt.org.
