By BRIAN DONOHUE
Ron Horton (right) and his son Adam Gradl at the block party. (Photos by Brian Donohue)
Horton has lived on Red Bank’s west side since he was born in 1949. He said he’s attended the block party just about every year since he returned from a stint in the US Air Force in 1971.
The current iteration, organized by a committee headed by Freddie Boynton, marked its 17th year this year.
But neighborhood block parties were a longstanding neighborhood tradition before that and Horton recalls going to them when he returned from a stint in the US Air Force in 1971.
For a neighborhood where many who grew up here have moved away, it’s a chance to come back, reconnect, and keep the ties alive.
“We just keep it going every year,” Boynton said looking out across the hundreds of attendees. “Just to bring the community together.”
Valarie Adams and the Dimension Band perform at the Red Bank Community Block Party.
This year, the Community Block Party Committee honored two longstanding fixtures in the community, barber Gus Carter, who’s been cutting hair for five decades at his shop a block away and Rudolph “Rudy” Sigler, who passed away in May.
Sigler, aka DJ Georgia Boy, served as the longtime disc jockey at the block parties for years.
Brenda Sigler accepts a “Celebration of Life Award” dedicated to her late husband Rudolph for his “remarkable lifetime of dedication, leadership and outstanding contributions” to the annual event.
Angus “Gus” Carter stepped away from his Shrewsbury Avenue barber shop just long enough to accept a “Lifetime Achievement Award” and pose for photos with his grandchild.
Amya Ashanti, recent North Carolina A&T University graduate who recently released a single entitled “Lovin’ Me,” performs at the block party. She was joined by her sister Ashlie LaRay (right). (Photo by Chris Melvin).
redbankgreen editor Brian Donohue may be reached via email at [email protected] or by calling or texting 848-331-8331.
