South end bash is a way to connect

Claire Ryan’s latest FUSION Saint John article appeared in today’s Telegraph-Journal:

This weekend, uptown residents will gather under a big top tent at Rainbow Park for South End Days, a weekend-long neighbourhood festival celebrating the people who live and work there.

“It’s a way to celebrate the south end and south ender and bring the community closer together,” says Jennifer Edison, member of the committee organizing the festival.

The committee has built on the momentum of last year’s successful event, and has planned a full slate of events taking place over three days, including barbecues, dances, a yard sale, bingo, children’s activities, and a neighbourhood breakfast and clean-up; events are open to all and free-of-charge. The committee is also keeping their sights set on future years, working to create a sustainable event that will continue to thrive, attracting new neighbours every year.

“The south end has been given a bad name, but the truth is that it is a great place to be,” says Carl Trickey of the organizing committee. “It’s a neighbourhood festival that is encouraging people to come together and celebrate all that is good.” The impetus behind South End Days was straightforward: a way to get neighbours together and foster pride in the community. It has grown in size and popularity, a testament to the fact that the people who chose to live in the area are proud of their neighbourhood and happy to support community events. The south end is diverse, to say the least, but events like South End Days present valuable opportunities for neighbours to meet one another, make connections, and build a foundation for future partnership and collaboration.

The variety of activities slated for South End Days offers something for everyone, regardless of age or economic circumstance. A number of individuals and businesses have pitched in to ensure the festival’s success by donating funds, services and supplies. This support from the broader community has allowed South End Days to grow, without having to compromise its accessibility.

“Those of us living in the south end are proud, resourceful and enthusiastic about what we have and what we contribute to greater Saint John,” says Trickey.

Despite the density of the south end, many of us don’t know the people with whom we share buildings, let alone in other areas of the community. The south end is one of the city’s priority neighbourhoods, but something as simple giving neighbours the opportunity to mix and mingle is a positive first step toward moving an area forward.

South End Days 2009 will kick off on Friday, July 17 at 5 p.m. and runs through to Sunday, July 19 at Rainbow Park.

Claire Ryan works with MT&L Public Relations Ltd. and is a member of the FUSION Saint John board. Her column appears on Tuesdays. She can be reached at cryan@mtlpr.ca