Photos and text by Andrew J. Whitaker
Community members and residents of Hampshire Heights in Northampton came out Saturday for food, music and kids’ activities at the first Hampshire Association of Tenants Community Block Party.
As the smell of food from Alex Marrero’s grill filled the community-center lawn, a group of men played Dominos, while kids enjoyed balloon games and tug-of-war.
“We have been organizing and planning for a while with a goal to do a couple of events a year to pull the community together and improve living conditions,” said Edgardo Cancel, a board member for the Hampshire Association of Tenants.
The block party, which highlighted Puerto Rican culture, featured Don Pedrito Alvarez singing “Songs from the Mountains of Puerto Rico” and demonstrations of horseback riding by Jose Rupero and David Gonzalez on the Paso Fino, Puerto Rico’s national horse.
Cancel said by this time next year,
organizers hope to have a new playground for the kids, along with a vegetable garden and flower bed. They also plan to continue to have events like this one to bring together not only Hampshire Heights residents, but the entire community.