The Get On Board community celebration on Saturday had something for everyone.
There were games, playground equipment and raffled prizes for children. Donated new furniture and clothing were raffled for adults. Food, music and entertainment were provided for all.
Event organizer Laurie Johnson-Wade said they wanted everyone -- black or white, young or old, New Kensington resident or not -- to feel welcome at JFK Playground behind New Kensington's city hall.
"This is the sense of community that I remember," said Johnson-Wade as she took a brief respite from the heat under a tent.
Despite the glaring sun and temperatures edging toward 90 degrees, the park was full of laughing children and chatting adults.
"We went through 300 bottles of water and 500 hotdogs in a couple of hours," said Johnson-Wade, gesturing toward the food tent where the grill was manned by Larry Rowe, a retired New Kensington-Arnold School District teacher.
Johnson-Wade and Hank Commodore of Leechburg, a former New Kensington-Arnold administrator, planned Saturday's event as a way to promote a sense of unity and give people a chance to interact.
"These kids from the projects and other rough areas have an opportunity to be together," Johnson-Wade said. "There's no fear. There's a sense they can just relax."
Some of that relaxation gave way to physical exertion when Valley Vikings head football Coach Troy Hill showed up with some footballs and lead a large group of children through stretching, calisthenics and drills.
Included in the group was Jennifer Ward's two young children, including 3-year-old Sydney, who was dwarfed by the older children around her.
"She's going to be such a tomboy," Jennifer Ward said. She said her son, Nathan, 6, would particularly enjoy Hill's instruction because her son wants to start playing youth football.
Ward said she learned of Saturday's party from a young boy who knocked on her door that morning.
"It's a good thing to have for the community, especially for the kids," said Ward, who recently moved to the city.
Hill's wife, Lisa, a New Kensington native, sat on a nearby bench with two of her daughters, Tayah, 8, and Brittany, 13, watching the football drills.
"This is a positive thing," Lisa Hill said. "There are a lot of positive things in Arnold and New Kensington that a lot of people don't know about."
Johnson-Wade said she encountered some skepticism from people who questioned how the block party atmosphere would oust crime from the neighborhoods.
"It's the little things that add up to the big things," she said. "It's inch by inch."
"It's all about kids," said Commodore. "It's about everybody. Everybody make the community."
