 Generally, when one drives by and sees a sight such as this, the
first thing that comes to mind is a garage sale. The garage door was
open, but what was inside was not for sale. It was a gift free to
anyone who was willing to take it. It was the gift of friendship,
fellowship and a sense of belonging to a community.
When the city of Lincoln had its first residents back in 1853,
there is a good chance that as families became neighbors, they got
to know each other in a special way. As they broke ground on a new
city, they became frontiersmen in their own right, and having good
relationships with their neighbors was important.
In those early days, neighbors looked out for each other. They
worked side by side to make a good community for everyone. However,
as time advanced into the 20th and 21st centuries, the role of the
community has changed somewhat.
With families today requiring multiple incomes, parents rise in
the morning and head off to jobs. Children go to school or day care,
and then in the evening the family reunites at home.
Once they are at home, though, the tasks of maintaining a home
and a family take up all their time, and soon they find that while
they have neighbors, they know very little about them and really
can't say that they are friends with any of them.
This is a concern that was recently voiced aloud by Lincoln city
police Chief Ken Greenslate at a local Kiwanis meeting. There he
expressed a concern that not all neighbors are neighborly.
One of his hopes for the future is that communities will come
together and get to know each other and look out for each other.
The neighbors on Richland Avenue in the Starkey Acres subdivision
of Lincoln could easily serve as a role model for Greenslate's
aspirations.
The gathering at the Keller home was just the most recent of what
has become an annual Fourth of July tradition in the community.
"How more American can you get than to have a little party and a
parade?" Ron Keller commented.
He continued by saying, "This is just a nice, neighborly thing to
do."
Keller said he doesn't know for sure who came up with the idea of
an early morning block party and parade, but that it is a good idea
that everyone in the community has been happy to keep going.
He explained that each year a different neighbor takes a turn at
hosting the party on their lawn. Food is simple -- doughnuts, coffee
and juice -- but everyone is invited to come and eat and visit with
their neighbors.
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Keller, who is the Lincoln Heritage Museum director at Lincoln
College, spends a great deal of his time dealing with history, but
he also recognizes that people need to focus on the present and the
future.
He said that having the annual party, which is short and very
informal, offers an opportunity to keep up with old friends and make
new ones. As the community grows and changes, new families come in,
and having the annual party is the perfect way for them to meet
their neighbors and gain a sense of being part of a community.
Around 8 a.m., all the youth in the area, plus the adults who are
interested in a nice walk around the block, participate in a
patriotic parade, led by the Lincoln fire and police departments.
Keller said that Mark Miller, an assistant fire chief
living in the neighborhood, is always happy to see to it that the
fire department makes an appearance for the 15-minute parade.
This year, in appreciation for their efforts and at the request
of local honoree Njeri Bere, free-will donations were taken for the
fire department for use at their discretion.
When the parade kicked off, Bere manned the baton and led off the
group of kids on decorated bikes. Young families pushing
strollers and adult walkers brought up the rear.
When the parade was completed, neighbors lingered on the lawn of
the Keller home, visiting, laughing, eating and in general enjoying
the fact that they are all good neighbors and good friends.
"Outside of family and your really good friends, who is more
important than your neighbors?" Keller asked, and then he added, "And that
is what this is really all about."
[By NILA SMITH]
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