NORTHAMPTON — The Parson Block Party, a free, family-friendly street festival with music, giveaways, hands-on activities and small-business showcases is coming to Florence.
The Sphere Northampton and the storefronts of the Parson Block invite the public to the Parson Block Party to “rock the block” on Sunday, Sept. 28, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., along Maple Street in Florence.
This event is open to the public and welcomes all ages for a celebration spotlighting local small businesses with interactive activities, music, prize giveaways and plenty of chances to browse, shop and connect with neighbors. Current participating businesses for the block party feature The Community Classroom, Sip413, Bookends, Iyengar Yoga of Western Massachusetts, and Doyle’s.
“Parson Block Party is our love letter to Florence’s small-business community,” said the Sphere Northampton Leadership Team in a statement. “Bring the kids, meet your neighbors and help us rock the block.”
The Sphere Northampton co-founder and Chief of Connection Christina Webster told Reminder Publishing the idea behind the event came from The Sphere Northampton looking to promote community through Florence and its small business owners.
The Sphere Northampton is a nonprofit organization that supports women and nonbinary entrepreneurs in Western Mass. through providing educational resources, professional trainings, networking events and more.
The Parson Block Party event comes after a social summer series that was hosted by The Sphere Northampton and included monthly events focused on networking and bringing the community — both residents and business owners — closer.
“It was about community building, less focus on business skills and more on just supporting each other,” said Webster.
Webster added that since being in their space on Maple Street, she and co-founder and Chief of Momentum Megan Allen, have been able to connect with more and more local business owners on the block and in the Florence downtown area. She added that this has strengthened ties among small business owners and an event like the block party will present these businesses to the public for a unique day of fun, shopping and community support on the block.
“We’re pretty much taking up the whole block. Although it’s not a shutdown, the street event — more of a sidewalk event with the Fire Department involved — it’s family-friendly,” said Webster. “Kids can do touch a truck. We’ve got a bunch of different moreso experiences than like sales for people. It’s really about the community connections that we want to make with people, and I know the businesses that have gotten involved are really excited about being a part of it.”
Webster said this effort all goes back to the emphasis of supporting the small businesses of Florence through a unique community-building opportunity.
“I think in the times we’re in right now, it’s important to find your people and find support in each other. In moments like this, it’s good to connect with the people we serve,” said Webster. “I always say it’s a tiny little valley. Like six degrees of separation, here it’s more like four or five degrees of separation. Especially being in the networking circle, we’re always connecting each other even closer so that there’s an even stronger tie between our networks.”
Webster added the “small but mighty” Florence community thrives off its small businesses and that an event where the community can show its support made sense in line with previous social community events. She added an event like the Parson Block Party will hopefully remind people of the value of shopping locally and keeping dollars within the community.
“We’re trying to keep our money super local,” said Webster. “I think we still have the reputation for having that smaller feel, even though there’s been a lot of development in just the last year or so. There’s already a lot going on that people just don’t know about it, so, between us and the other businesses on the block and the rest of the community, don’t forget about Florence.”
For more details on the Parson Block Party, visit spherenorthampton.com/event/parson-block-party.
Webster added, “I just really appreciate first and foremost the business owners taking time out of their busy schedules to plan something extra because short bandwidth is something we all kind of battle. It just shows their dedication to the community and the people in it that they are dedicating a chunk of time on a Sunday afternoon and evening to connect with those folks and hopefully give them a pleasant Sunday afternoon.”
