Saturday evening Germantown’s Maplewood Mall was brought to life with a coordinated block party for the entire community.
G-Town Radio, whose studio is on the mall, and the Germantown United Community Development Corporation were amongst some of the organizations that put together the event.
Kristin Simms, of the Community Development Corporation, noted that it was a collaborative effort and many volunteers helped as well. “I haven’t seen Maplewood this lively in years,” she said.
This was the first block party for Maplewood Mall and organizers were expecting at least a few hundred people to show up. The mall was filled with vendors, seating, music and numerous activities for children.
According to Tom Casetta of G-town Radio, a lot of people were very enthusiastic about it. “We’re re-imagining what Maplewood Mall could be,” he said. Organizers hoped to bring life to the street, get people out and enjoying themselves.
Jim Bear, Station Manager at G-town Radio, began talking to and passing on the idea of the block party to residents and store owners along the mall earlier this year. “Everyone was very supportive,” he said.
Bear was appreciative of many actively engaged residents in the Germantown community who helped spread word of the event. He said they also put advertisements in newspapers and hung posters in stores.
Bear mentioned how there is already a lot of talk of future plans for the block and “as of now that energy is there,” he said.
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