TIFTON — Tifton youths participated in a summer celebration at the Anthony Bateman Youth Center through the facility’s first Bateman Block Party.
After initial plans to premiere June 22 fell through due to weather, the center was able to put on a party for the community June 29.
Both the center’s multipurpose room and backyard were filled with residents young and old throughout the evening.
“We were trying to find a way to let the community know that we were here; we wanted to do something for the kids,” said Dr. Tonja Tift, youth center executive director. “Although the summer has started, it was a great way to just engage the community in this neighborhood.”
Outside, kids could take a spin through a bounce house or inflatable slide – equipped with sprinklers to help beat the heat – draw over the parking lot with chalk or listen to music from the DJ with a cold drink or snacks from the refreshments table.
Inside, the attendees were free to join the center’s bingo night, held in the multipurpose room, where Tift read off numbers for a variety of game variations, including basic bingo, blackout and four corners.
Tift said the bingo night had originally been planned to be held separately from the block party, first on June 15. It had been rescheduled to June 22 due to weather, where it shared a spot with the initial premiere of the block party, but both were then postponed again due to weather to June 29.
The winners of the night’s games received gift cards of varying amounts, depending on the type of game being played. Goodies such as cups, coolers and water bottles, all emblazoned with the City of Tifton logo, were given away throughout the evening.
Following the event, Tift expressed immense satisfaction with how the party had progressed, citing she still felt “on cloud nine” days later.
While plans surrounding another Bateman Block Party are still up in the air, the center’s executive director said bingo night will remain a staple at the community, held every third Thursday from now on.