Family weekend added another activity to its itinerary with the Block Party on Residence Village Strip this past Saturday, Oct. 7. The Residence Strip was lined with food stands stretching from Montgoris Dining Hall down to Donovan Hall.
The event was jam-packed with St. John’s students, students’ families and various staff members. Music was played through the speakers and had many people dancing and bopping their heads to the various tunes.
“It’s like kind of casual, like laidback, it’s a really good environment,” Jeremiah Smith, a junior, said.
The event was held from 4:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. and saw several hundreds of people getting food from different booths, spending time with family and eating.
“My favorite part was the churros—worth all my tuition to get those churros,” Charlotte Sather, a freshman, said.
Several students were at this event with their families as a part of Family Weekend including freshmen Samantha Gribulis and sophomore Celina Chapman.
“I went with my mom and brother. It was nice to show my family the campus and enjoy free food with them,” Gribulis said.
“I went to the Block Party with my brother and my friends. I loved being with my brother, but I wish there were more things to do than just eat,” Chapman said.
The Block Party featured various types of food and was served by Campus Catering.
At the beginning of the Strip, long lines were formed to get hamburgers, veggie burgers, hot dogs and grilled chicken as start to the surplus of food that was given.
Churros, cotton candy, Italian sausage, salted pretzels and make-your-own baked potato are some of the few foods that were available to the families and students.
“The baked potato bar was actually pretty valid, you’re like ‘oh it’s just a potato,’ but then you see all the toppings and stuff and it makes it really great,” Smith said.
As the event continued families and students started to dance to popular dance songs like the Cupid Shuffle.
“I like these types of events because they feel like block parties and we are a true neighborhood with all our buildings,” Sather said.
This event was hosted by Residence Life and showcased the community that St. John’s provides.
“My favorite part was seeing all my friends and introducing them to my brother. The Block Party was great in that aspect; being able to build a community with family and friends,” Chapman said.
