In an attempt to bring citizens together to create a sense of community in a time when people may not feel as actively engaged with their neighbors Newton Mayor Antonio Hoye and some friends hosted the first annual Newton Family Reunion last Saturday.
“This was an event that myself and some people put together for community engagement,” Hoye said. “We just wanted an opportunity for people with like minds to come together and find out what we have in common. That’s really the best way for us to grow and improve our city and our communities by coming together and sharing. We wanted this to be a time where we could build some camaraderie.”
Brittany Watts|Watts Visuals
In addition to some outdoor grilling, 11 area small businesses came to the event which hosted an estimated 300 citizens, Hoye said.
Hopefully, with the success of the first Newton Family Reunion, more events can be held throughout the year and next year’s reunion can be larger, he added.
Brittany Watts|Watts Visuals
Hoye said he and other community members would like to have some similar events to the picnic about once every four months or every other month, depending on interest, he said.
“Going forward we just want to get bigger and better and get other folks involved,” Hoye said.
