Kemp Street boogie

Peter and Cheryl, the party organisers

Photo by Henry Bruce

Party goers all wore this special badge

Photo by Henry Bruce

Bones was one of two bands that played in the street

Photo by Peter Fuller

Lead singer Ed Winfield

Photo by Peter Fuller

One team in the tug of war

Photo by Peter Fuller

The other tug of war team

Photo by Peter Fuller

Dancing in the road with Brighton Boogie

Photo by Henry Bruce

Plentiful food

Photo by Henry Bruce

Some of the party goers

Photo by Henry Bruce

Sizzling sausages

Photo by Henry Bruce

Street party on 2nd August 2009

By Peter Fuller and Cheryl Hawkins, North Laine residents

Wow! Preparations and organisation all done, and the big day, the day of the first Kemp Street party on Sunday, 2nd August 2009, finally arrived.

Preparations

Dawn broke to reveal the start of a beautiful day. The very last minute preparations - bunting to tie, street carpet to lay, bouncy castle to erect, tables, trestles and chairs to put out, and the 'Road Closed' signs and cones to be put in place -  and suddenly it was 12 o'clock!

Start of the celebrations

The Early Bird Special Quartet' had the unenviable task of starting our celebrations and they did a magnificent job of easing us all into a party mood.  New friends and neighbours to meet and to exchange pleasantries with.... Barbeques came out and people gathered in the centre of Kemp Street to share in the eating, drinking and being merry. The food provided was plentiful, varied and so tasty. Well done to all the chefs, cooks and preparers. An additional bonus was received from Real Patisserie' in Trafalgar Street, who donated a wonderful selection of bread and pastries. A huge thank you to them.

Dance demonstration

We were then entertained by Brighton Boogie' with a dance demonstration and invitations to participate. The enthusiasm, skill and energy were quite literally breathtaking.

More music

Next to carry us along the party spirit were the group Bones'. The music and sound they made completely captured the mood, and soon everybody not actively attending to children or other duties were enthralled and captivated.  The group played songs from many eras continuously for a whole hour!

Other entertainment

All the while children were playing on the bouncy castle, and people were milling around, mixing and seeking information in our History Tent', and browsing through the Bric-a-brac Stall.  There were so many people making sure that everybody was involved. People were also filling in the Quiz Questionnaires', competing for the prize of a Donatello gift voucher, so generously donated - so thank you to them.

Another demo

Another demonstration by Brighton Boogie, with even more participants.  Lots of wrong footing, bumping into each other but lots of laughter too!

Tug of war

Time for games - Tug 'o' War was organised and about 24 neighbours and friends volunteered (?!) and what an event it was!!!  Much straining and barracking, and eventually.... a winning team. Cricket was due next but time ran away from us and the group Bones were already over schedule, so had to take preference.  (Cricket next time - and that's a promise.)  The group gave a final hour's worth of music - it was magnificent, and after much encouragement and encores they ran completely over schedule.

Winding down

The party started to wind down about 6 o'clock,  but it was wonderful to see neighbours still sitting out and entertaining friends up until 9 o'clock when we had to re-open the street and give it back to Brighton.

We had a fabulous time and hope that all those involved and all those that participated did too.

There are too many people to single out, but our heartfelt thanks go to everybody who helped make the day so very special, including those from neighbouring streets - thank you all.

(Click here for more photos of this event.)

[Previously published in the North Laine Runner, No 200, September/October 2009]