Second Baptist Church at 503 West Vine Street is throwing a block party on Saturday, May 14. The event will start at 2 p.m. and last until 5 p.m. when the Singing on the Grounds gospel concert will begin. Both events are open to everyone and are free to attend.
The church has a history of doing regular block parties as community outreach, said event supervisor Joe Medley.
“We did one about every year before COVID,” he said.
Medley has been the event organizer for many of them, but this year he stepping back from that demanding role, he said.
“We have a really good group of younger kids,” Medley said. “They are doing the work. I’m kind of helping them put it together.”
Medley and the youth group have arranged for the day to start with free food cooked on the church parking lot.
“Crossroads Minstry is teaming up with us to do the cooking,” said Medley.
The men of Crossroads Ministry’s substance abuse recovery program will be on hand cooking hamburgers and hot dogs.
The church owns the machines for making cotton candy and snow cones, said Medley, so those sweet treats will be available as well. The church will also be making popcorn.
Five bounce houses will be inflated and ready for the children. The churches owns four bounce houses and is renting a fifth for the block party.
The church youth group will be doing face painting for attendees and two church families will be bringing animals for the children to experience. John David and Kathleen Pattillo will bringing horses and Marilyn and Gary Taber are bring an alpaca, said Medley.
There will games as well, including a cornhole set for some of the older attendees.
There will be gifts for the event goers as well, care packages that include a Bible.
“This year we’re giving out New Testaments to the kids,” said Medley. “Our purpose is to plant a seed. Maybe one day they will need it and remember us.”
At 5 o’clock the Allen Family will be setting up to perform live music for the Singing on the Grounds portion of the event. The Doniphan-based bluegrass gospel group will provide a two hour concert for the older event goers.
Anyone with questions about the block party or the Singing on the Grounds can contact Second Baptist via their Facebook page.