Neighbors in the Woodlea Melrose area gathered for a recent Front Yard Friday, a monthly family-friendly “happy hour” event that brings neighbors together in a casual social setting (photo by Leland Gebhardt Photography).
The city of Phoenix will recognize National Good Neighbor Day on Sunday, Sept. 28, offering an opportunity for residents to “celebrate the wonderful people living around you.” For the past decade, however, neighborhoods throughout the Melrose area, and beyond, have been doing just that through their Front Yard Friday events.
Pam Pawlowski, a member of Melrose’s Grandview Neighborhood Association and a resident in the Melrose area for two decades, related the history of this community building effort, which began in her previous neighborhood, Woodlea Melrose.
In January 2013, the annual planning session of the Woodlea Melrose board took place. One of the themes was to breathe new life into old practices, particularly Block Watch, Pawlowski recalled.
“What we were looking at, was how can we get the results that the city is trying to get from their Block Watch program, which we felt were very old and tired and not being attended very well. We thought they all needed to have a little bit of modernizing. We were looking at ways to get neighbors out to socialize, because statistically, two things became evident to us, through research.
“Number one, is that it is statistically proven to lower crime the more neighbors know each other – know each other’s names, contact each other, that kind of thing. And the other thing that lowered crime was people being out in the front and being visible. One of our neighbors, Carrie Dyrek, said, ‘Let’s try, something like a happy hour. It has to stay out in front, and it will get everybody together.’ With that, the event Front Yard Friday was off the ground.”
The first Front Yard Friday was held on a rainy, cold night in March 2013, Pawlowski said. About 22 people attended the first one. More volunteers kept coming forward to host the event, and after two years, the monthly event was going strong and attracting anywhere from 60 to 80 residents each time.
“Some stay for 30 minutes, some for four hours,” Pawlowski said. “Children play together; animals are by their owner’s side and name tags reveal the names of residents you have not met yet. There is now a waiting list of hosts for this event. It has been the single biggest improvement in Woodlea Melrose in years. More people know each other, look out for each other, care about each other, talk to each other and people are just hanging out in their front yards more now.”
This success meant that more people knew who belonged in their neighborhood and calls for suspicious activity increased by 200 percent and crime went down, she added, “People’s perception of safety increased because they were united.” The personalization of the Block Watch came next, with attractively designed yard signs that say “Neighbors On Watch,” and the acronym NOW has replaced the Block Watch terminology and represents a neighborhood that cares about their homes and residents.
“The air of pride is evident,” Pawlowski said.
Front Yard Fridays took a hiatus over the summer months, but they will return to Grandview in September. The Melrose neighborhood more broadly is gearing up for a lineup of fall events, including an inaugural First Friday event, on Oct. 3, followed by a canal activation event, the Melrose Community Alliance will host its 10th annual Merriment in Melrose Dec. 13, and the annual Melrose Street Fair and Classic Car Show will return Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. Learn more at www.melrosecommunityalliance.com.
Melrose has been built into a special community model where businesses and residents work together, Pawlowski said, and engaging with the neighborhood in a leadership role felt important, “Of all the places that we have lived – we’ve lived in five states, 13 cities – this was the biggest small town and I love Melrose so much and I just wanted to be involved in the community.”
She encourages other residents to join together with their neighbors to build the kind of community that they want to see. It takes a lot of work, but if individuals start small, work to their strengths and rely on one another, neighborhoods can see progress.
“It’s almost like a contagion. If you can get neighbors to one event, they will see how fun it can be to come together.”
Residents who would like to organize their neighborhood, or find an existing organization near them, are encouraged to begin with a City of Phoenix Neighborhood Services Department. Visit www.phoenix.gov/administration/departments/nsd.html.
