By Ken Lay
A warm day is always good for ice cream and several East Knoxville residents turned out for Town Hall East’s Neighborhood Scoop Party on Saturday, September 3 at Tank Strickland Park.
The ice cream social was an attempt to help the residents of several East Knox County neighborhoods residents become active at some level in their respective communities.
But the event packed fun for people of all ages as residents participated in cake walks, played lawn games such as bocce ball, had ice cream and some participated in a book swap. There was also a fire truck on hand for children to view.
Music was provided by the Old City Buskers, a local Dixieland jazz band.
The day was meant to be fun but it had its serious side as well.
“The biggest thing that we want to do is preserve these neighborhoods,” Town Hall East President Doug Toppenberg said. “We want to preserve the older homes. We want to keep them up and we want to keep the yards mowed and keep the streets and the sidewalks clean.”
Toppenberg also noted that the event was an attempt to get the area businesses involved in their respective communities.
Town Hall East Vice President Millie Ward said that Town Hall East serves as an advocate for the neighborhoods on the east side of town. And while the event was meant for enjoyment, she said that Town Hall East was seeking residents to serve on various committees.
“We have meetings about five times a year and we want to be an advocate for each of these small neighborhoods,” Ward said. “We want to be an advocate for safety, recreation and good schools.
“These are all important to us and we want to bring the people of these small neighborhoods together.”
Amber Houser, who serves on Town Hall East’s Board of Directors, agreed.
“This serves as a membership drive for us,” she said. “This is a community action group and we’re here for our schools, our parks and recreation and our neighborhoods.”
The Old City Buskers were pleased to have an opening in their schedule so they could provide entertainment for the day’s festivities.
“We were asked to come out here and the Old City Buskers are a band whose music is good on warm sunny Sunday afternoons,” said lead singer and banjo player Jeremy Brantley. “Our music is well-suited for a warm summer afternoon.”