In East Nashville alone there are over 10 different neighborhood associations with many, many more sprawled across the city. To celebrate and acknowledge the diversity of this ever-growing city, Nashville’s Neighborhood Resource Center (NRC) is hosting the Nashville Neighborhood Celebration — which is exactly what it sounds like. Neighborhoods from across the city will meet on Saturday, Sept. 26, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the convenient East Side locale of Cleveland Park and Community Center.
Every neighborhood has its own wants, needs, and opinions. Enter the NRC’s mission. The nonprofit NRC has worked with neighborhood associations and residents throughout the city for over 18 years, facilitating community action for positive change. It offers itself as a helping hand to the various neighborhood associations, equipping neighborhood leaders with tools to benefit their communities through training and mentoring in classes, workshops, and forums.
The third annual neighborhood celebration will also provide a way for each area of the city to show off their chops. NRC Executive Director Jim Hawk expects anywhere from 30 to 40 different groups to participate this year. Complete with a chili cook-off, a neighborhood battle of the bands, and “The Neighbor Games” (a series of teambuilding activities and challenges), the domains of the city will have every chance to make their streets shine. An informational bazaar will feature government organizations, nonprofits, and businesses looking for ways to strengthen the city’s communities, such as Nashville Public Television, The Porch Writers’ Collective, Historic Nashville, and Neighborhood Health. Neighborhood groups will be allowed to set up their own booths to educate attendees on what makes their community special, as well as share some of their 2015 accomplishments. Aside from promoting neighborhoods, there will be plenty of free activities for all ages, along with oodles of dogs and burgers to munch on from Neighbors Who Love To Grill.
“This is a place to explore what it means to be a good neighbor and what it means to live in a great neighborhood,” Hawk says. “This is a day to promote and celebrate Nashville neighborhoods and encourage all of Metro to make strong neighborhoods a priority.”