Historical September 1987 report or notice. Original dates, prices and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
Hundreds of Skinker-DeBaliviere residents celebrated National Night Out on August 11 with everything from watermelon socials to beer and pretzel parties.
The headliner event for the neighborhood, and for the City, was Rose Flynn’s third annual “Love Thy Neighborhood” parade. Flynn, 5900 Pershing, together with Ruby Brown, 5900 Waterman, organized the parade which featured a fire truck, clowns, mounted police, and over 150 neighbors “marching” together against crime. Homes along the parade route (Des Peres, to Waterman, to Laurel, to Pershing back to Des Peres) were decorated with signs, balloons, crepe paper, and with residents who enjoyed a front porch view of the procession. Brown served refreshments from her front lawn throughout the evening.
Another cooperative event was a watermelon social at Four Corners Plaza. Karen Largen and Ruth Beckloff invited their neighbors from 5900 and 6000 Kingsbury and McPherson to meet at the Plaza for watermelon, cookies, and lemonade. Home-baked cookies still warm from the oven of Maryann Simms were a highlight for the sixty plus who attended. Other block parties included: 6200 Waterman-McPherson hosted by Sara Newton, 6100 Pershing hosted by Bob and Heidi Dowgwillo, 6100 Waterman hosted by Laura Cheaney, 6100 McPherson organized by Frank Burke and Mary Schmidt, hosted by Mark and Kate Robinson, 6100 Westminster hosted by Dan and Jill McGuire, 6000 Pershing hosted by Kate Kindell, 5900 DeGiverville hosted by Eddie Sanders, and 5700 McPherson hosted by Daisy Wilhite.
And everyone had balloons.
The Central West End Savings and Loan donated 250 plus the helium to fill them. SDCC staff Nancy Farmer and Karen Largen together with volunteers — SDCC directors Eddie Sanders and Jim O’Neal — filled and tied nearly 500 balloons in the 28th Ward Democratic Headquarters. Al Carregan, 500 Rosedale, volunteered as chauffeur and the balloons were delivered from the back of his truck throughout the neighborhood.
The media took note of many of Skinker-DeBaliviere’s National Night Out activities.
The parade, as well as interviews with several neighbors, were featured in stories on Channels 2, 4 and 11 newscasts, and in the PostDispatch and the Central West End Journal. National Night Out is an annual one hour coast-to-coast crime watch project sponsored locally by the St. Louis Police Department and Operation Safe Street.
The SDCC coordinated neighborhood events with Safe Street and assisted block captains with flyers, permits and, of course, with balloons.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, September 1987.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1987_09.pdf, printed page(s) 5; PDF page(s) 5.
