On Monday night of September eleventh of 2017, the Erie community took part in the first annual Erie High School Homecoming Block Party. The beginning of Homecoming week began with games, food, friends and laughs. The streets of downtown Erie were lined with booths run by Erie’s athletic teams. There was everything from face paintings at the cross country booth, to arm wrestling matches at the football booth. Karaoke rang from the choir  table, while the tennis team offered a chance to play ping pong against a tennis player. People could also play foosball at the soccer booth, make bows at the cheer booth, or throw darts at balloons at the Volleyball booth.

         As games were played and laughs were shared, Brandon Bird served as the MC of the event. Bird interviewed each athletic team and presented small challenges for each of them. He also had competitions for the audience, such as the dance contest for two free homecoming tickets. In between Bird’s interviews and games, Paul Stecina played popular music that rang out across the block, elevating people’s spirits.

         Students expressed positive experiences at the block party. Senior Cameron Marcucci said the block party had a “Community vibe,” and senior Hannah O’Neil explained that it was “Cool to see all of our athletes and all of our departments in the school here, all joined together like the family that Erie is.”

         However, the real magic began last spring when Courtney Stanesa and Justin Carpenter decided to do an athletic fundraiser. Stanesa explained that “Carpenter wanted to do an athletic fundraiser and we came up with other ideas with some restaurants down in Erie, it was kind of a group effort to come up with something and they suggested doing a block party.”  

         Carpenter wanted the block party to include “Ways to create a lot of excitement within the town and to really get the community involved as well.”

         It was not an easy process; Stanesa and Carpenter had to obtain a permit with the town of Erie, request the space in advance, and communicate with the athletic departments. Carpenter describes that “There were many different pieces and then we had to put those pieces together to create a great event.”

         The ultimate goal of the homecoming block party was to get the entire community involved. Stanesa’s wish was to “ Bring the community together, we wanted the elementary kids to play games with the high school students and bringing those age groups together. That was not what happened, but I think it will catch on in the future.”

         In the end, it was all worth it. Carpenter notes “If you are not constantly working at what you can improve on, then you are going to stay status quo, and we do not want to be status quo.”

         Defeating the status quo is exactly what Stanesa and Carpenter did. They did a phenomenal job of uniting the Erie community; high school students as well as Erie residents mingled and enjoyed the block party. As music played from the speakers and Sweets shop filled with hungry customers, the tight knit Erie atmosphere continued to grow.

         The block party held entertainment, joy and amusement, and resulted in the Erie community growing closer that night as we shared laughs and moments we will never forget. The first annual Erie High School block party was a huge success and will be something to look forward to in the coming years.