Neighborhood block party celebrates 10th year

by Laura Bednar

A group of residents on Forsythe, Carlin, Holzhauer, Rehwinkle and Shearer roads have been getting together for a neighborhood block party for the last decade.

The event usually draws between 50-70 people and is held at a different resident’s home each year. This year, Gary and Jen Hoffman held the party at their Forsythe home. The couple also hosted the inaugural party in 2014. Neighbors bring appetizers and desserts to share with the group.

During the festivities, residents participated in a trivia contest about the neighborhood and Sagamore Hills Township in general.

Some questions included the number of stop signs and fire hydrants among the five streets, what the German word Holzhauer means, what Acadia Farms was known for and the Sagamore Hills population ancestry from highest to lowest.

The bonus question had to do with the township’s zoning rules for swimming pools.

Everyone who attends is asked to sign in with their name, email and address to create a neighborhood directory, which is then shared with the attendees.

Some residents have lived in the neighborhood for over 30 years while others have only been in the area for a couple years.

Several attendees said the goal of these block parties is to get to know your neighbors, a time-honored tradition that remains alive and well in these Sagamore neighborhoods. ∞

Photo (above/main) Anywhere from 50-70 people attend the annual block party, which changes location each year.

Jeff Carr, Debbie Carr and Curt McKelvey were on the committee
that helped plan the block party this year.

Gary and Jan Hoffman hosted the block
party at their Forsythe home. Photos by
Laura Bednar.

Families new to the area meet with long-time residents. Gil and Connie (l) have lived
on Rehwinkle for 2 years, the Biada family of Nick, Kelly and their son (head of table)
are three-year residents. Ken and Esther Beilstein (r) have lived in Sagamore Hills for
33 years.