Church throws back-to-school block party blast

By Elna Seabrooks
Staff Writer
   HOULTON, Maine — Monument Square was abuzz with activity Saturday morning when an estimated 300 visitors turned out for Military Street Baptist Church’s block party, replete with free hot dogs, games, face painting and haircuts.
“This is part of our Adopt-A-Block program following God’s lead in all of this to meet our neighbors and try to help where we can and encourage our community to just adopt their block,” Rev. Randall Burns explained as visitors and residents mingled in the perfect weather.     Alison Willette’s son Bode played in a “bounce house” while her son Kilian ran nearby with a balloon not far from about 30 other children playing a parachute game on the grass.
As Nathaniel Cady, 30 months, tackled a chocolate ice cream cone, his mother Alisha Cady said the event had something different for everybody. “It’s awesome. I really like it. A lot of people came out to show how much they care about the community.” She drove in from Linneus for the event with Nathaniel, her husband, Nate, and their 8-month-old son Cutler.
Michael Monteith, 9, and Zach Reece, 11, both of Houlton, opted for new identities as the Mario Brothers via free face painting, because they “love video games,” said Reece. But, Reece added, the best thing for him was the ice cream. Monteith said the hot dogs were the highlight of the event.
And, as far as hot dogs went, Doug Thompson said he had grilled about 40 pounds and was still going. The free hot dogs, he said, were “priceless. And, one person said it was the best he had had all summer.”
The large turnout enjoyed picture-perfect weather. “It was so much fun,” said Tammy Goetsch, community outreach director for Adopt-A-Block who added that she was totally thrilled with the way the community responded to the event. Supporters, she said, were responsible for providing ice cream, fresh produce, face painting, games and backpacks filled with back to school supplies.
Goetsch said word got around about the event and she was surprised to see so many people she had not met before. One man, in particular told her that after buying shoes for his children and back to school supplies, the free haircuts “had lifted a weight.”
Tammy Carver, Heidi Warman and Cathy Estabrook gave haircuts to men, women and children. Houlton resident Nicole Folsom, 13, said she was tired of her long hair and wanted a short new do. Heidi Warman gave young Folsom a chic razor cut. The freshly-styled young woman described her new look as “awesome.”
Organizers filled 150 backpacks with school supplies, most of which were distributed on Saturday. A few remain and are slated for distribution to local schools.
Rev. Burns said the Adopt-A-Block program is expanding and the intention is to reach even more neighborhoods in the future.