Block Party Brings Students, Cyclists To The Sound

Fifty neighbors gathered in the sun on Sunday to celebrate the City Point and Hill communities with popsicles, bikes, and boats. 

That was the scene at the Sound School at 60 Water St., where community members hosted a block party for the first time since the start of the pandemic. 

Some of the many groups to table at the event included student club, parent groups, food vendors, voter registration drives, city youth summer camps, and the Youth and Recreation Department. 

Sound School students took adventurous attendees out on boat rides on the Sound, and Bradley Street Bike Co-op members offered free bicycle repairs. 

The warm day called for ice pops and cupcakes — and the local vendors present were well-prepared. 

Hill Alder Carmen Rodriguez said that this was the first neighborhood event of the summer season. 

The neighborhood’s block party ended up being on the same day as the Sound School’s Waterfront Festival – and with the way it turned out, they’ll be doing it like this from now on. ​“This is what New Haven is all about,” she said. 

Cheers rang out from the annual Sound School alumni vs. students softball game. Parent Advisory Council President Dina Secchiaroli explained that the funds raised at the festival will go towards three capstone scholarships for current Sound School seniors. The scholarship amount will entirely depend on how much student and parent booths made on Sunday. 

The booth for the school’s Sexuality and Gender Alliance was especially colorful. 

Jacob Smith and Jenae Epps, both juniors at Sound School, are rivals for president of the club next year. They were selling merchandise and baked goods on Sunday. 

They said the club sponsors pride events like the day of silence and raises money for The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention organization. They said the funds they raised at Sunday’s event will go towards making their club bigger and will help them host an event modeled after one they attended called True Colors. ​“They had spoken-word poetry and a concert. It was a really safe place, where you get to be yourself with no worrying about who’s around,” Smith said about True Colors. Epps hopes that the alliance will end homophobia at the school as they continue advocating for themselves. 

Another student booth represented the Dive Club, which offers scuba licenses up to the rescue diver level. Savannah Klemenz, a fellow Sound School student, said that it is a very collaborative atmosphere, and she likes to play chess and Uno underwater. The money they make will go towards helping the club buy gear and cover the costs of field trips. 

Many attendees arrived in style: on their bikes. The New Haven Coalition for Active Transportation (NHCAT) had miniature cones set up to guide riders through a practice course and practice starting and stopping. More experienced riders took on the cones as a race. 

Vice-chair of NHCAT and city parking authority director Doug Hausladen described the non-profit as having the mission to provide free bicycle education, and free helmets, to all New Haveners. NHCAT is helping universities, businesses, and communities become bike-friendly by providing more safe bike storage areas and showers. They are also working to build a bike friendly culture throughout America, for example by rethinking the requirements of office attire. 

The Bradley Street Bike Co-op cranked away at bikes needing a tune-up. Kai Addae, a bike mechanic, described the co-op as a ​“tool library”, where people are encouraged to fix their bikes on their own at a much cheaper rate than a full-service bike shop. They sell fully functional used bikes at around $200 – 300 and are always accepting donations and volunteers. 

Four Sound School alumni were happy to be visiting for Sunday’s fest. 

Jillian Vallejo, Mak Bethke, Julian Driebeek, and Kyle Driebeek agreed that coming back felt great. The four couldn’t stop smiling as they explained why they loved, and love, the people and town surrounding Sound School. ​“We know that whenever we return, the community will embrace us,” Vallejo said.