FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 03.03.10
Contact: Brian Drayton
Phone 510-387-7466
Email: Brian@richmondspokes.org
RICHMOND COMMUNITY BLOCK PARTY
The Richmond Community Block Party is scheduled to take place rain or shine at
the Craneway Pavillion in Historic Ford Point, Richmond, CA on April 18, 2010
from 1-5 PM. The Richmond community at large is creating an extraordinary free
event reaching out to unite everyone in Richmond; there will
be something for all
to experience and enjoy. The celebration is designed to bring together the many
organizations that are deeply committed to Richmond in the spirit of a
neighborhood block party; complete with food, music, activities and dancing for
all! Over 5,000 people are expected to attend this first ever event and for many,
it will be the first time in 40 years seeing historic Ford Point restored to it’s
original glory. “I remember riding my bike around the empty parking lot when I
was a kid, the windows were blown out, it was abandoned, now it’s spectacular
and something to be proud of!” recalled Doria Robinson of Urban Tilth, who has
been a citizen in the Richmond community most of her life.
Inside and Outside
the Historic Craneway Pavillion to Lucrutia Edwards Park Dozens of community
programs from “Arts to Zen Gardening” will be represented in an “expo" format
inside the Craneway Pavillion encouraging residents to try something new.
Richmond Children’s Foundation, Urban Tilth, Richmond Spokes, and PAL are a
few participating organizations. The Craneway Pavillion will also feature a jam-
packed Local Artist & Craft Gallery to explore. Outside, on Harbour Way South,
there will be a performance stage
with live entertainment, dance performances,
comedy, local talent, a vibrant children’s activity area, food vendors and fun!
Bring your picnic & and
a blanket down the Bayfront Trail to Lucretia Edwards
Park and enjoy the activities going on outdoors. Kayak demos, bicycle rides,
drumming, a climbing wall, skateboard ramp and other surprises are in store for
active partygoers on the park side. This is slated as a grand scale event; over
5000 people will attend including community organizations, the local
businesses, and individuals of every age, ethnicity, and gender. Together,
we
will deepen pride and the connectedness in Richmond.
The event will close
off Harbour Way South and a multitude of the community’s food vendors from
every culture will be featured for a “street food”
atmosphere with tastes from
around the world. The City of Richmond has historically supported annual
community gatherings and festivals to build
civic pride. This event is staged to
be “The Flagship” and kick off all of Richmond’s community summer events,
bringing everyone together early in
the year to reconnect with one another.
Easy To Say “YES”
Our committee is designing the outreach to incorporate community input and
feedback at every level of the planning, staging and dismantling of the
event
without a budget. “At this time, funds are tight for sponsorship, so we’re paving a
different way to accomplish our goals and get to yes by
requesting specifics and
using our local Rolodexes. Everyone working on the event has really stepped up
and outside their level of comfort in making
requests,” commented Jessica
Gelin, Regional Sales Manager of Vetrazzo, LLC. For example, one community
member asked a local artist to work on an
event flyer, another to create a
Richmond Event Calendar for 2010 so we can all participate without relying
solely on cash donations. We’d like to be
able to have a shuttle service to and
from the event site; if for example, the community churches would be willing to
set this up for members of the
parish…while we’re hoping someone decides to
offer, if they don’t, we figure there’s no harm in asking, it’s easy enough to say
yes.
Coming Together
Everyone is invited to experience the civic pride, the unity, the stewardship and
the greenness of Richmond to create a NEW story for the Bay Area about what is
really going on in Richmond …on a positive note.
Another big feature will be
the distribution of a printed community calendar of events designed by a local
artist. The calendar will also be connected
to an online resource guide to family
activities, museums, special events, that residents and visitors can experience in
Richmond. The business
tenants SunPower, Mountain Hardwear, Title Nine,
Vetrazzo, occupying Ford Point will also become a natural part of the event and
engage the community
about what they offer as a business and share what it
brings to the city. Unifying our neighborhoods and residents with the business
community will
bring a sense of pride and prosperity to our community with
youth, working residents and seniors as they reconnect with one another.
Say “Yes” to Participate
The planning committee for the Richmond Community Block Party welcomes
new members for food vendor qualification, event staging, talent procurement,
and PR. We have some donation items it would be great to get an easy “YES”
on. The performance stage, kid’s arts and craft supplies, face painters,
etc.
Please contact Brian Drayton or Jessica Gelin if you’d like to participate in
committee and planning work or at the event. The next meeting is at the
Boiler House at Ford Point on Thursday, March 4 at 6 PM.
###
Brian Drayton
Brian@richmondspokes.org
510-387-7466
Jessica Gelin
Regional Sales Manager
Vetrazzo, LLC
Jessica@vetrazzo.com
510-593-3597