This Sunday, Emerson Valley is holding its annual block party on Main Street from 6 PM to 10 PM. All traffic between Birch and 2nd Street will be blocked off to accommodate the event. The local stores are set to participate by having vendors selling special goods along the road in the center of town. A collection of tents and temporary marketplaces will be erected, giving residents the opportunity to walk along the road and purchase food, trinkets, and other wares. There will be a variety of entertainment options, including bands, jugglers, mimes, magicians, storytellers, and dancers.

The restaurant My Fair Ladle will be offering their famous three-cheese potato soup, and Cheryl’s Hobby Shop is going to have Russian dolls carved in the image of vampires, werewolves, zombies, and ghosts to get into the spirit of Halloween. The Powell Brothers Funeral Home is going to have their yearly photo-op where you can get a picture of yourself in a spooky coffin. Hector Powell has assured residents that there won’t be a repeat of last year, when they had to close early because they’d run out of coffins for their actual funerals, forcing them to take back the show coffin.

City Council member Aaron Hodge is in charge of the block party this year, despite his controversial attempt to bring the event to an end two years ago. According to sources, after thousands of residents arrived at City Hall to protest the motion, Mr. Hodge realized just how important it is to the town. This caused him to change his viewpoint on the necessity of the block party.

“For years, I was hearing people complain about shutting down Main Street and blocking off the center of town,” Mr. Hodge said, explaining his former position. “I had wrongly believed this was the prevailing feeling in town, but as you know, that proved to not be the case.”

As a longtime resident of Redwood Avenue, which is two blocks south of Birch Street, I can sympathize with Mr. Hodge. Main Street traffic becomes untenable, which made it a pain in the neck to get to work, even though the Gazette’s old headquarters was only a few blocks away. I would end up having to take a long, loping route to avoid the congestion. There was always something eerie about the rest of town during the block party. Main Street is packed, but everywhere else is virtually empty.

The only other people active in other parts of town during the block party seem to be our local teens. I’ve often seen them sneaking off to Blackwood Forest, probably to get drunk while their parents were preoccupied. (Editor’s note: We would like to remind you that the drinking age is 21, and we do not condone underage drinking. The only alcohol anyone under 21 should have is the communion wine during church.)

Even the Gazette will be getting into the spirit of the season at the block party. Our own William Cooper, Sarah Donovan, and Libby Barton shall be available for photo-ops and autograph signings. They’ll also be giving a short presentation on what it’s like to be a journalist. It’s strange they didn’t ask me to participate, but I guess they don’t consider covering local events “real journalism.”

As a special treat for block party attendees, we’re printing out big Sunday Edition for October 6th, and there will be stacks of actual newspapers to take home. This could be the last physical edition of the Gazette for the foreseeable future, so be sure to pick one up and hang on to it. Someday, it could become a collector’s item.

For any questions or concerns about this year’s block party, you can contact us at emersonvalleygazette@gmail.com.

-Martin Fitzgerald, Activities, Emerson Valley Gazette