As I am writing this I am fresh having attending 6 of the 70 Night to Unite parties in Moorhead. It is such an invigorating night for a mayor. Neighbors are meeting neighbors, having fun, kids are running around laughing, and everyone seems to have a smile on their face. If you were one of the many people that helped organize an event in your neighborhood, THANK YOU! The Internet, through Nerdwallet.com, may have bestowed “The Best Small City in the United States” label to Moorhead, based on real statistics, and Moorhead simply rose up to the top… but this kind of intangible, nonstatistic value really makes Moorhead the BEST.

I made a point of visiting parties in each of our Wards, including one that was in the former Oakport, one of our newest communities. I also made a point of attending new parties. This year, we had 12 new Night to Unite parties. Even though they were new, I can report that they all seemed to be having a really great time. If you weren’t part of a Night to Unite party in your community, you can still plan for next year, or better yet, plan an informal get together with your neighbors this Summer/Fall yet. My own personal neighborhood marked their 20th year this year. We started with a spring informal party. Ron and I invited neighbors to an impromptu barbecue on our front yard… we provided the hamburgers and hotdogs, drinks, etc., and suggested that they could bring a dish/dessert to pass if they would like. We had a fabulous time, and that is how our Night to Unite parties were born. Everyone had so much fun, they wanted to do another one, and expand our invites… and our neighbors offered to do certain parts. If you have one later this summer/fall, and would like to invite myself and/or City Council, don’t hesitate to do that. We love meeting people in our community. Kudos to Leann Wahlin for her work organizing the parties, city staff and council for stopping at parties all over our community, and Sam’s Club for offering the 2 $250 Gift Certificates. If you would like to know more about Night to United, there is information on the City’s website, www.cityofmoorhead.com, and put Night to Unite in the Search box. #MoorheadNeighborhoodsAretheBest