My outreach assignment last weekend from the Liverpool Public Library took me and my camera bag to the Bayberry neighborhood.
An old friend, Mike Banks, had alerted my colleagues Laurel Griffith and Dave Witkowski when he spotted them out at a previous event that he was cooking up a big celebration from his spot at the top of the Bayberry Community Association.
Picnic ahead.
The community was turning 60. A big picnic was being held in a greenspace between several of their leafy, winding blocks a few miles from the library.
Dave, Cindy Hibbert and Jake Hare would attend with our new pop-up tent and life-sized Angry Birds game to educate and entertain the neighbors. I’d catch images, still and video, for our social media.
Dave and Jake set up.
It was hot and steamy.
People enjoyed themselves, at our tent and at everything Mike had set up, from the bubble slide to the band to the fire truck brought there by the fire fighters from Moyers Corners.
Hover over any gallery photo for a description. Click on an image for an enlarged slide show.
You can find my photos for the library social media off our main site at LPL.org.
Does your community have great parks? What’s your favorite spot for a picnic? How old is your neighborhood, and does your community celebrate together?
Mark Bialczak 
this looks like it was a great event for everybody, mark. i love the parks here too and love to get together with people there. great thing about parks is that all ages can mingle and have fun )
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The all-ages aspect is a great winner, Beth, for sure! Your town is a winner. 🙂
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That looks like such fun, Mark! 🙂
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Hi, Rachel. You know it was pretty hot up here that weekend. But I had a good time before the thunderstorms started. 😉
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Our community has many parks and is about 115 years old. They still get together in the parks,on the major patriotic holidays
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Hooray for your old community keeping the tradition, Rose!
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Warm and steamy is how I remember Syracuse in the summer. And very, very green!
We have parks here in Valencia and it is a struggle to keep them green given our drought, but they manage. There are concerts all through the summer.
Our favorite place for a picnic is the beach, 40 minutes away in Ventura.
Valencia was settled by the Chumash hundreds of years ago, discovered by the Spanish in the late 1700s but founded officially in 1976 as an American Model Community comprised of villages — it certainly is nicely planned, if young!
Great post, Mark. 🙂
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I love hearing about your part of California, Beth. I have left coast envy. ❤ Thanks, my friend.
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Nah – you’re in my fave place. 😀
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You get to go all the cool celebrations!
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I put the bag around my shoulder, and off I go, Paul. I am a fortunate man these days, my friend.
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Looks like everyone had a very good time. The park can be very fun.
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Yes, generations can come together in a space like that, vinnieh. 🙂
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