The Secret Sauce for Community
Ardmore has some creative neighbors who help us add an extra tasty sense of community. The spices they use? These range from a spreadsheet to a concert piano, and from a blank wall to a folding chair.
Over on Watson Avenue, my friend Genie starts by opening her house’s windows and inviting neighbors. A trained pianist, she hosts an afternoon gathering a few times each summer. Her neighbors gather in her yard and enjoy the music, along with wine and snacks.
And on Maplewood Avenue, summer brings movie nights. A sheet is hung on a house exterior and the neighbors bring their kids to see comedies projected. It’s a double feature: remember staying up late and seeing the stars as you lay on the grass?
On Westfield Avenue, my neighbor Amy gathers the names of folks on her block, along with email addresses and kids’ names. This list is so helpful if, like me, you keep forgetting the names of folks you wave to down the street!
And on another Ardmore block, they rotate houses each month or so, hosting neighbors in the living room or yard or out on the deck. Those of us whose families are far-flung get to hold the babies and help watch the toddlers, as parents relax and chat together.
What is the secret sauce that you add to your corner of Ardmore? Share your stories with us at Ardmore.ws@gmail.com.
Your Neighbor,
Kate Mewhinney, ANA President
And speaking of tasty, do mark your calendars for the ANA’s Chili Cook-off and Cornbread Jubilee on February 17, 2024. 
