Hawthorne Road in East Norwich was blocked to traffic on Saturday, June 12, as residents of the hamlet held their "First Annual Block Party." It was a great day for children and families. The day started at 11 a.m. with a jump castle, replaced by a giant slide in the afternoon. There was a DJ for the kids that kept them happy playing games for prizes. As the children dropped out of the game, they got a prize-so everyone was happy.

Families brought food to barbecue on a community grill, courtesy of the East Norwich Fire Department. The local firemen also brought some tables, tents and chairs to create a friendly area at the back of Susan Cove. Ex-Chief Jake Jarvis said it made it easier for everyone to stand around and talk, and he was right. It looked as if the area had been designed to have block parties.

Vicki Walsh and Sean and Diane Rainey, Tom Egan, Jake Jarvis, Terry and Mary Ann Kelly, Gina Oliver and Theresa Orlowski worked together to organize the block party. Sean Rainey and Mary Ann Walsh were the major organizers, walking around and putting fliers in mail boxes and collecting the money for the event.

"There are 35 families involved," said Mr. Rainey.

"I didn't know there were this many people in the neighborhood," said one of the residents. That also included the number of children! There were about 225 people at the event, including friends, family and kids. With the street blocked off the children were able to ride their bikes and trikes, up and down Hawthorne Road, many wearing helmets.

There have been block parties organized recently by Laurette and Chris Kovary but this was a first for the new group. The Kovarys and their children were at the party having fun and relaxing, this time.

Residents have seen the attractive sign announcing East Norwich on the corner of Route 25A and Hawthorne Road. Mr. Rainey said that was a project of several residents getting together to create an entrance to the community.

The group of active East Norwich residents also worked with the East Norwich Civic Association to create the Martling Garden, at the corner of Hawthorne Road and Martling Street. "It runs for 100 feet. The whole community got together to create it with the help of the East Norwich Civic Association, and several merchants: the East Norwich Cleaners, La Pizzetta and the East Norwich Deli," said Mr. Rainey.

Jake Jarvis said, "Sean Rainey, Tom Egan and Terry Kelly got funding from residents for the Martling Garden on Martling Street. They did a phenomenal job and Sean's maintaining it on weekends. My wife Caroline and I see that it is watered and it is beautiful. It's across from our house."

One of the organizers for the June 12 event, Mr. Jarvis said, "The planning for the block party started in January and February. It took a lot of planning and hard work. We expected to have 40 to 50 people and had over 300 in the 12 hours of the party. It was a fantastic success. Much better than anyone expected. The next day the fire company was there at 8 a.m. for coffee and a cleanup. I brought my truck and Robbie Aasheim brought his. We got our brooms out and cleaned up the street.

"It will definitely be an annual event. We're thinking of doing something in October possibly. We are lucky to be living in an area with such nice people. The idea of the event was to get people from other blocks to get to know one another and we think we definitely did that," said Mr. Jarvis. "One of the highlights of the day was when my friend Norman Shettek showed up with two horses and a buggy. It was the biggest hit. He gave every child that was there, a ride.

"There was a DJ at 7 p.m. and for an hour and a half, the kids danced. If a person moved when the music stopped, they were eliminated, but each child was awarded a prize for his efforts," said Mr. Jarvis.

Mr. Rainey, who is also the East Norwich Civic Association vice president said on Saturday, "I'm happy the roads are being done. The town is doing what they said they were going to do and the work will be done in the fall. There were 150 signatures on the petition we submitted to the town. It showed the community was united in wanting to have it done. It was a long time waiting," he said.

The East Norwich Civic Association will hold their elections on Thursday June 24 at their meeting at the Community United Methodist Church of East Norwich. Meetings start at 7:30 p.m.

"Community involvement is what is making things happen. The things wouldn't have been done without the support of people for the last two years," said Mr. Rainey. "Incorporation shouldn't be dismissed. It should be looked at as an option," he added.