By Jason “DJ Floops” Sookram
On Sunday, June 25, 2023, the Longmoor community of south Burlington held its first-ever neighbourhood mixer in the Longmoor Park, called the Longmoor Park Party.
Longmoor is best known for its close-knit family orientation but the interactivity of the community was severely impacted due to the restrictions associated with COVID-19. Many new families found it difficult to integrate themselves into Longmoor. Once such resident is Longmoor Park Party Committee Member, Jason “DJ Floops” Sookram. He lamented the distant feel of Longmoor even post-COVID-19 and enlisted the assistance of civic-minded Jeff Dowhan and realtor Roshan Basnet, who run the Facebook group called Longmoor Community.
The Longmoor Park Party’s date of June 25 was selected to be in tandem with the Pauline Johnson Elementary Fun Fair (P.J. Fun Fair) and will be held annually the Sunday after the P.J. Fun Fair. The Longmoor Park Party’s aim is to host a community mixer event for old and new families to meet and greet each other with the aim of building unity in the neighbourhood. It is part of the “Love My Neighbourhood” program funded by the City of Burlington. The Love My Neighbourhood (LMN) program is designed to help you form connections, strengthen relationships, and build support systems for your community.
The Longmoor Park Party is a hybrid: 1) picnic/potluck, 2) block party, and 3) sports day.
Attendees were encouraged to walk to the event with their own picnic. The music was supplied by Jason “DJ Floops” Sookram, the pizza was supplied by Jeff Dowhan and City Pizza, and overall administration and applicable costs were covered by realtor Roshan Basnet. The hydro was donated by the Norville and Henderson families.
The kids were treated with pizza, snow cones, pholourie, and juice. Some enjoyed storytime with books read from the Turner Drive Book Exchange, while others flexed their artistic muscles with sidewalk chalk. Parents were not left out, as their mental acuity was tested with trivia about the Longmoor community and they were rewarded with sponsored prizes.
What an engaged afternoon of good clean fun and networking: mission achieved.
