A recent Block Grant award helps residents of Elkhart’s Greenleaf Condominiums plan a music event along the upper St. Joseph River
The Vibrant Communities Block Grant program, designed to support residents in creating positive change throughout Elkhart County, is now open and accepting project submissions. A recent Block Grant award is making it possible for an Elkhart condominium community to host a neighborhood music event along the upper St. Joseph River.
According to Greenleaf Condominium Social Chair, Nancy Nicholas, Music on the River—June 27 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.—presents an evening of music, community engagement, and enjoyment under the stars along the picturesque St. Joseph River. Local band Q sonics performs at the event, intended to bring residents together from Greenleaf Boulevard and the surrounding riverfront neighborhoods through music, dancing, and a fun and welcoming atmosphere. Although the party is for residents only, anyone on the river—be they on a boat or raft—is welcome to listen and enjoy the music from their spot on the water.
“Elkhart has long been known as a Music Capital of the World, and there have been neighborhood music gatherings along this stretch of the upper St. Joseph River for more than 15 years,” said Nicholas, a resident at Greenleaf. “It’s sort of a tradition for river community folks up this way to get in their boats, follow the sounds of music, and enjoy the opportunity to listen from on the water. Music on the River is an extension of that local theme. When we received word of our Block Grant funding, it certainly was a wonderful feeling, and we’re thankful for the award.”
Uniting neighbors with music and fun
All residents of Greenleaf Condominiums and the surrounding Upper St. Joseph River area are invited to the event, which Nicholas anticipates will draw around 100 guests and dozens of boats that will anchor near the event on Greenleaf’s landscaped east lawn. Greenleaf residents plan to adorn their balconies along both the Greenleaf Avenue side and the river side with festive lights and buntings.
“Folks will be driving down Beardsley Avenue and saying to themselves ‘Oh man, something cool is going on over there,’” said Nicholas. “Since I became social chair at Greenleaf last year, I’ve had so many wonderful volunteers in our condominium community step forward to help. We’re largely a senior community, but we have many talented people in our community. We have experienced business people, teachers, members of the media, and artists. We’re just as enthusiastic as anyone else, and we’re grateful that Elkhart County values the ideas of all its residents.”
Elkhart County Block Grant funding encourages community input and ideas and allows residents to take the lead in beautifying and revitalizing Elkhart County’s diverse neighborhoods. Submissions are welcome for small, simple projects such as block parties, tree plantings, garden installations, and neighborhood clean-ups, and residents are also encouraged to apply for more substantial proposals like new public seating areas, art installations, community events, playground updates, increased neighborhood safety measures, and enhanced streetscapes and community spaces.
Small projects require a community match of 50% of the Block Grant funds awarded, and medium and larger projects require a community match of 40% of the Block Grant award. Matches can be made financially or through in-kind donations of goods or services, further encouraging residents to invest their ideas, time, and services to energize and enrich the areas in which they live. Block Grants are available for funding up to $2,500.
Previous iterations of the Block Grant program have funded projects including a community brunch at Greencroft Middlebury, a neighborhood musical gathering in Goshen, and an ice cream social event for Goshen’s Canal Street Cul-de-Sac Neighborhood. The program also previously distributed awards to help restore a fountain at Elkhart’s Melrose Manor community that had once been a cherished neighborhood landmark.
Elkhart County residents over the age of 18 can review the Block Grant application form and submit their ideas via the program’s application page.
Nancy Nicholas, social chair at Greenleaf Condominiums in Elkhart, helped the residential community plan its Music on the River event. The June 27 event, along the picturesque upper stretch of the St. Joseph River, was made possible in part through the award of Vibrant Communities Block Grant funding and intends to bring residents together from Greenleaf Boulevard and the surrounding neighborhoods through music, dancing, and a fun and welcoming atmosphere.
