A free back-to-school celebration is returning to Bruce Park Tuesday evening. The Downtown Windsor Community Collaborative is hosting its second annual Meet the Vikings event with support from Windsor manufacturer Viking Pump. The event will feature free food, live music, inflatables, children’s haircuts, bicycle activities and a backpack giveaway filled with back-to-school supplies for students returning to class in September. Community developer Alex Song says it’s the biggest gathering of the year for the organization and stands above the weekly neighbourhood gatherings held throughout the warmer months. “Late Tuesday afternoon is the Super Bowl of block parties. We run a block party neighbourhood gathering every Tuesday at Bruce Park from April to Thanksgiving,” Song said. Song says hundreds of families are expected to attend and organizers have lined up plenty for residents to enjoy. “We’ve got barbecue, halal hamburgers from King’s Meat Market. We’ve got free haircuts, cotton candy, a live band, inflatables. We’ve got a backpack back-to-school giveaway,” he said. He says the gatherings have helped strengthen connections among people living in the area. “It’s really proved that our grassroots approach of the DWCC has been taking a hold of the neighbourhood where we’re seeing, even without our presence, we’re seeing a lot more people come to the park,” Song said. Song says about 400 backpacks will be distributed through advanced registration and while supplies last. The event runs Tuesday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Bruce Park in downtown Windsor.
