NORWOOD – Just as a new school year gets off the ground, the Wright Stuff Community Foundation announces its third annual Community Block Party, Saturday, Aug. 28. A great excuse to celebrate summer’s end with friends, family and the entire community, the multi-faceted event combines a parking lot sale, live music, carnival games for kids, delicious barbecue, Olathe Sweet corn, beer garden, and other community-oriented activities such as a car seat fit station, a football team-manned dunk tank and a petting zoo.
“The Block Party has just gotten better year after year – it’s a blast,” says Wright Stuff Executive Director Andrya Brantingham. “We're putting on a classic small-town street carnival, sans the amusement park rides. It’s a fun way for the community to get together, watch their kids play and help support an important facet of the West End. It's also our opportunity to thank the community for its longstanding support of our programs."
Located on a closed section of West Summit St. next to the San Miguel County Fairgrounds, the Block Party hours are 11 a.m.-4 p.m. The flea market/parking lot sale, held in conjunction with the weekly Norwood Farm and Craft Market at the Pig Palace, begins at 9 a.m. Sellers may reserve a 10 by 10-foot space for $15, or donate gently-used kids’ clothing and gear to be sold as a benefit to Prime Time Early Learning Center.
This year’s barbecue will feature homemade potato salad, baked beans, and chicken and turkey dogs. Plates of food will be sold for $5, complete with iced tea or lemonade. Olathe sweet corn can be purchased at a separate booth. For dessert, the Schwan’s truck will be parked nearby, providing ice cream cones and other scrumptious frozen treats for $2. A beer garden will also be open to those 21 and over, featuring micro brew and domestic beer. Live music by Dane Robinson of Otra Vista will keep toes tapping.
What’s a block party without kids’ games? There will be no shortage of fun for the little ones, with organized “carnival” games for all ages, from toddler to adult. Think water games, gunny sack races, bean bag tosses, duck races, face painting, balloons – even a petting zoo. Of course, the always-popular bounce castle will provide hours of hilarious jumping, and new this year, the Norwood Middle School football team will host a dunk tank. Step right up for your chance to dunk TruValue Hardware’s Dennis Eymann or Norwood School Superintendent David Crews, among others. Tickets for kids’ games are 25 cents. There is no charge for admission into the Block Party and Parking Lot Sale.
The Block Party is also a convenient way to check to see if your child’s car seat or booster is installed correctly or even obtain a new seat for a discounted price ($10-$25). The Western Regional Occupant Safety Coalition is sponsoring a car seat fit station from 2-4 p.m. at the Aug. 28 event. Each child should be present so they can be weighed and measured to determine the correct size and style of seat. (Call 970/497-6040 for more information.)
Established in 1998 as a 501(c)(3), the Norwood-based Wright Stuff Community Foundation has continued to serve the critical needs of working families in Norwood, Nucla, Naturita, Redvale and surrounding communities in Southwest Colorado by offering early and continuing education programs. The primary program of Wright Stuff is Prime Time Early Learning Center, offering programs to children from 6 months to 12 years old. Prime Time’s infant, toddler, preschool and One Step Ahead classrooms are dedicated to providing the highest quality early childhood education programs, enhanced by their use of Social-Emotional techniques. With several certified Pyramid Plus instructors, Prime Time is one of five Pyramid Plus demonstration sites in Colorado and the only such site in the region.
Wright Stuff also offers after-school and summer enrichment programs through its Explore! program, which strives to connect kids with the natural world through exploration and immersion in their backyard wilderness. For adults, the foundation provides education opportunities for San Miguel and west Montrose County residents through its free GED classes.
"Youth is our best investment, and that is the Wright Stuff Foundation’s main function in this community," says Brantingham. So, join the entire West End community for a great day of family fun next Saturday. Major sponsors for this year’s event include San Miguel Power Association, The Coach’s Mother, Gurley Land and Cattle Company and San Miguel County. For sponsorship opportunities and more information about the Community Block Party, call Andrya Brantingham at 970/327-0555, ext. 11.
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