A half-century of block parties A half-century of block parties (September 16, 2005)

Varsity Park couple preserves longtime neighborhood tradition

By Jenny Baer

Block parties on Varsity Court have been a tradition since 1958, when the Varsity Park neighborhood was still young. Although the days have passed when the 24 families with their 60 children would gather in the court to barbeque hamburgers and pitch baseballs each July 4th, Pat and Jackson Eaves keep the tradition alive with their annual backyard gathering that they hold the Sunday after Labor Day.

The Eaves are the original owners of their Varsity Court ranch house, where they raised four children to adulthood. For the past 15 years, their annual "Varsity Court Get Together" has let people on the block get to know each other on an informal basis, says Pat Eaves.

Maybe that's why residents plan on each block party with such anticipation. "Some people mark it down as soon as they buy next year's calendar -- the first Sunday after Labor Day," said Jackson Eaves.

However, with the busy lifestyle of modern families, the neighborhood is not as conducive to large block parties as it was in 1958 when the Eaves first bought their house. "When we first moved here, people knew each other better because the women didn't work and they had more kids," said Pat.

The early block parties were held every July 4th and revolved around the neighborhood children. They consisted of softball games at Springer school, swimming, horseshoes, a barbeque and, after dusk, fireworks (back when they were still legal).

"It was an all-day thing," Jackson recalled. "Kids would play ball and have fireworks in the street, barbeque on the street. People looked forward to that one thing on our street every year. They did that for a while, then people started going to Tahoe and Santa Cruz [for the holiday weekend]. People moved out and new neighbors moved in with little babies."

As time progressed, Varsity Court's children grew up, and new families with working parents and fewer children moved in. The street currently is home to just eight children of high-school age or younger.

"At the early block parties, parents would meet other parents at one big function," said Jackson. "It was very focused around the kids. Then that era kind of disappeared and now you've got people moving in who don't have kids. Both parents work and most people can't even tell you who lives in the third house down."

With the busy lifestyle of many Mountain View families today, few find time to relax with the neighbors. Thanks to the Eaves' backyard block parties, Varsity Court families can still share an hors d'oeuvre, drink a beer and keep in touch.

"Since we moved into the neighborhood 18 years ago, it's been the social event of the year for us," said Tom Koster, who raised his two sons, both now in college, on Varsity Court.

The new parties are more modest, with about 40 people congregating in the Eaves' lush backyard for three afternoon hours. There may not be fireworks or big softball games, but the gatherings still provide a nice atmosphere for neighbors to get acquainted.

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