How to start a First Friday

How to start a First Friday

by Arthur Schwartz

Maybe you read my first article on First Fridays. Since that article has been written North Park has gone through a lot of changes. Our community continues to gentrify, and with that comes transition. Density continues to increase, traffic continues to thicken, but our neighborhoods continue to blossom and mature. After living in this community for 17 years it's refreshing to see all the new faces. On a darker side, it's no secret that North Park has experienced a bit of a crime wave recently. In all the years I've lived in this community, it seems like it happens in waves. And we all know a great solution is to form a Neighborhood Watch. Nothing is more proactive than to take some form of constructive action. I will say from experience that the concept of First Fridays also have their merits. For example, our neighborhood, has been hosting parties on a monthly basis for the last 5 1/2 years. Whether there is a crime wave in our community or not, we continue to break bread together a monthly basis. The result is, by default that we watch out for each other. And it is in that spirit of consistent nurture for one another that we keep our neighborhood safe. On a more global scale, have we not lost our sense of world community? So the easiest place to start to regain that feeling is in our own neighborhoods. With that said I am encouraging each of you who are reading this article to take the next step and regain that sense of community in your own neighborhood. If you're still reading, you're probably wondering how I start one of these. I will take you through step by step of how to get started. I promise you it will be one of the most rewarding experiences you will ever have in your life. It will also transform the face of your neighborhood forever.

Steps for successful launch of First Fridays:

1. Make a commitment that if you take this on you'll nurture it for a period of 18 months.
2. Purchase a clipboard and print a flyer with the time and date to launch your First Fridays, preferably the First Friday of the month.
3. Pick a beautiful afternoon and take your lovely spouse/significant other and knock on every door on your street.
4. Introduce yourself, let them know you're not running for office or collecting any money (this usually gets a chuckle).
5. In one minute or less, let them know you're putting together a neighborhood potluck, and you'll be hosting the first one.
6. At this point in time, I wouldn't explain the whole concept of First Fridays, because your goal is just to get people together for one night.
7. Hand out the flyer, ask them for their e-mail so you could send a final reminder (not everyone will give it to you).
8. Okay, now it's party night-have nametags ready for people.
9. Have your clipboard there and encourage people to sign up for future months.
10. Typically, we have these booked out for most of the year.
11. If you want to go high-tech like we have, we also have a distribution set up in a Yahoo group.
12. The Yahoo group is convenient, because we setup the parties for the year and automated e-mails go out on a monthly basis reminding everyone of next months gathering.

There you have it. Here's how I look at it. One Friday evening of every month I don't have any social decisions to make. I know I'm going to be there as long as I'm in town. I also know without a doubt, that great food will be there every month. And because our neighborhood has grown into a big family, you can guarantee there will be no shortage of laughs. We definitely have a history together. If you just paid $500,000-$800,000 for a home in this community, for a 1200 ft.² house why not enjoy the neighborhood and get to know your neighbors?

I hope you've enjoyed this cookbook on how to set up a First Friday. For groups of 10 or more I'll be happy to come by your home, and walk you through the steps. I can be reached at 619-253-5514. My e-mail address is ArturoSchwartz@gmail.com