Planning Your Block Party : Just Being Neighborly : In cities across Southland, people are getting to know their neighbors and, in the process, having some fun.

Barbecue grills sizzle. Neighbors chat while children of all ages giggle and run through the streets. Long tables are loaded with mouth-watering, homemade dishes.

Sound like a get-together in a small Midwestern town? No, it’s a scene that’s played out hundreds of times throughout the year in cities all over Southern California: the neighborhood block party.

From Malibu to San Dimas, Pasadena to Long Beach and everywhere in-between, the block party is alive and well. Whether it’s an affluent area or an inner-city neighborhood, the goal is the same: You get to know your neighbors and, in the process, have some good, old-fashioned fun.

In Southern California, where summertime is “block party season,” the Fourth of July ranks as the most popular party day, with Memorial Day close behind. Seasoned party planners, such as Long Beach’s Bertha Beginski, said that now is the perfect time to start planning for a Fourth of July block party.

Beginski, a gregarious grandmother, has been coordinating July 4 block parties for her Petaluma Avenue neighborhood for four years. Every year, Beginski’s quiet, “middle America” neighborhood of homes in the $230,000 to $260,000 price range comes alive for an all-day party in the streets.

As in most Southern California cities, Long Beach residents must first obtain a block party permit. In Long Beach, permit seekers are required to submit a petition signed by 100% of the residents on a block. Beginski starts gathering signatures and collecting cash contributions from the 32 homes on her block two months in advance.

“I don’t ask for a specific amount for the party; I just ask for a donation,” said Beginski, who receives an average of $5 per household. She pays $25 for the city permit and uses the extra money for drinks, paper goods, games, prizes and decorations. “We try to keep it as simple as possible by asking the neighbors to bring a side dish, something to barbecue and their own chairs.”

The party kicks off around noon with a parade down the middle of the street. An enthusiastic group of neighborhood spectators cheers as red, white and blue bikes, trikes, wagons and strollers wheel down the street.

Many neighbors are content to spend the day kicking back with a plate of food and the company of friends. Those looking for a little more action can take part in a volleyball game or an organized relay. Neighborhood favorites include the “water balloon waddle” and “pass the lifesaver with a toothpick relay.”

Residents are quick to point out that their block party is nothing fancy or elaborate, but Linda Schaeffer, who grew up in the neighborhood, comes back every summer for the event. “In a big city, it’s hard to have a small town feel, so you have to create it. The block becomes its own little community.”

Dorothy Taylor, who has lived in the neighborhood for 38 years, sips wine in her front yard with her two longtime friends and neighbors, Dorothy Brandes and Maxine McClure. They all agree that block parties foster a feeling of togetherness and caring for each other.

Miles north of Long Beach, in an isolated Malibu canyon, the neighborhood is different, but the feeling of togetherness is the same. At Sea View Estates, a small enclave of about 85 homes in the $600,000 to $800,000 price range, the annual block party is a 10-year tradition.

Much like the Long Beach block party, the Malibu residents enjoy a potluck meal, volleyball and each other’s company. The children play a pick-up game of “bike polo,” where bicycles substitute for polo ponies and a tennis ball serves as the puck, just as Tom Baskerville did when he was growing up in Santa Barbara.

Baskerville, a 10-year resident of the Malibu community, said that “(Block parties) hearken back to barn raisings in the early days of our country. It’s all about getting together with neighbors and breaking bread.”

Other neighborhoods have learned the hard way that the success of a block party lies in the people, not expensive props. One North San Gabriel neighborhood threw an elaborate, all-day Fourth of July block party that included a professional deejay and a moon-bounce trampoline for the children. Since organizers failed to collect all money in advance, one disgruntled resident was stuck with the tab for the moon bounce and another was out of pocket for the deejay.

Their neighbors two blocks away, however, threw a modest but successful first-year block party using a borrowed karaoke machine for the music and inexpensive props, such as chalk and water balloons, for children’s entertainment. Japanese neighbors added international flavor by dressing their children in yukata (summer kimono) and serving up huge platters of sushi.

But block parties don’t necessarily have to be in summer and they don’t have to be on the block. The Brenner Park Neighborhood Assn. in Pasadena waits for cooler temperatures in mid-September and throws their party in a local city park instead of on the streets.

The event has steadily grown since Henrietta McDade hosted the first neighborhood picnic 16 years ago at her home. “We’ve done it (the picnic) for so many years, it almost plans itself now,” said one organizer.

Participants bring a covered dish and the neighborhood organization uses part of the $12 annual dues to buy drinks and paper goods. Local businesses donate raffle prizes, plaques and trophies.

Brenner Park residents encourage the preservation and improvement of the historical, turn-of-the-century homes in the neighborhood by asking neighbors to vote every year for the best-maintained and the most-improved homes on each block. The coveted plaques are given to winners at the picnic.

In another part of Pasadena, the Linda Vista area, residents wait until Halloween to throw their block party. The main organizer of the neighborhood Halloween party, Martha Brown, said, “If the Little Rascals gave a block party, this is what it would be like.”

The highlight of the “kid-planned, kid-operated” event is the costume parade through the blocked-off street. While the kids enjoy the parade and a variety of game booths and crafts, parents sit back and enjoy a simple potluck dinner of hot dogs, salads and chips.

Block parties provide more than just an opportunity for pure socialization. Sgt. Rick Faulkner of the Los Angeles Police Department said police-sponsored Neighborhood Watch groups encourage block parties as a way to increase safety and reduce crime in a neighborhood.

Marie Collins of South-Central Los Angeles added, “The only way to be protective of your neighborhood is to know who your neighbors are.” However, after coping with uninvited guests at their block party two years ago, Collins and neighbors decided to take their party on the road. Last summer 14 families on the block caravaned to Hollywood Park in Inglewood to enjoy dinner, the horse races and the company of friends.

Twenty-five years ago, Charles Reich, in his book “The Greening of America,” decried the absence of community in America and described the suburbs as “places of loneliness and alienation.” Neighborhoods throughout Southern California have discovered that block parties are one antidote for that loneliness and alienation.

And, as Brenner Park resident Ernie Sanchez pointed out, block parties are “a great way to sample the food of an exceptional group of cooks.”

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Block Party Checklist

Two months in advance: Send out a questionnaire to determine interest and time availability. Choose the best date and get city approval. Recruit neighbors to help with planning, setting up and cleaning up.

One month in advance: Send out invitations. Assign each house the responsibility of bringing one dish, from appetizer to dessert. Make arrangements to borrow or rent umbrellas, tables and chairs. Plan games and activities. Contact local fire and police departments if you want them to attend the event.

One week in advance: Confirm guest list and make name tags. Shop for disposable goods, game materials and prizes.

On party day: Set up road blocks, tables, chairs, umbrellas and trash containers; decorate. Purchase ice and beverages and place in large tubs. Set out name tags. Relax and enjoy the fun.

After the party: Take down road blocks. Make sure utensils and dishes are returned to owners. Take down tables and chairs, clean up. Start thinking about next year’s party.

Getting Permission

Procedures for obtaining a block party permit vary from city to city. Call city hall and find out:

--How much is the permit? Fees vary from nothing in San Gabriel and other cities to $312 in Los Angeles.

--Can the fee be waived? In Los Angeles, the $312 fee is waived in 95% of the cases, usually when associated with a Neighborhood Watch group.

--Is insurance required? Los Angeles requires insurance for the event and recommends a company that offers a policy to L.A. residents for $80. Most cities do not require insurance. If organizers are concerned about personal liability, they should check with their home insurance carriers regarding coverage.

Additional questions to ask:

--Do I need a petition from the neighborhood?

--Do I need to attend a city council meeting?

--Can alcohol be consumed in the streets?

--Is there a curfew?

--Does the city provide road blocks?

How Does L.A. Compare?

Number of block party permits issued per year in major American cities:

Los Angeles: Almost 400.

Long Beach: 77.

Chicago: Between 2,500 and 4,000.

New York: Over 5,000.

Atlanta: 500.

Seattle: 44.

Child’s Play

Keeping children entertained at a block party is child’s play.

--Water play: Provide wading pools in front yards for wading and splashing. Designate an area on the street as a Water Fun Zone and let children “go at it” with water balloons and water guns.

--Chalk: Provide a bucket of chalk and let artists of all ages transform sidewalks into works of art.

--Bubbles: Make homemade bubbles: two cups dishwashing soap, four ounces glycerin, one gallon of water. Provide empty juice cans, strawberry baskets, plastic straws and other recycled materials as bubble-blowers.

--Bikes and trikes: Turn the street into a trike and bike roadway. For an additional challenge, let children maneuver through an obstacle course of plastic safety cones.

--Sandbox: Fill a sandbox or portable wading pool with sand and throw in 200 or so pennies and a few nickels, dimes and quarters. Provide strainers and let children hunt for the buried treasures.

Party Tips

--Keep it simple.

--Collect all money in advance.

--Include both names and addresses on name tags.

--Recruit teen-agers to help in planning, setting up and game supervision.

--Ask neighbors to write their name and the name of their potluck contribution on a 3-by-5 card.

--Encourage neighbors to bring dishes that reflect their ethnic backgrounds.

--Consider weather and lighting conditions. Will umbrellas be needed for shade? Will street lighting be adequate when the sun goes down?