BELOIT (7/01/2015) —Part pep rally, part block party, organizers of the second annual Unity in the Community event are excited about the way this year’s family- and community-oriented happening is coming together.
On Saturday, July 25 from noon to 6 p.m., several blocks of Beloit’s Switchtrack Alley (located in the Merrill neighborhood on the city’s near east side) will be closed to traffic and open to the entire community.
“Unity in the Community is comprised of local residents whose primary goal is to unify the citizens of the city of Beloit, and make our community a better place to live,” says the Rev. Keith Stamper, one of the event’s organizers. “Beloit is a great place to live, work, and raise children and we want to display all that our all-American city has to offer!” Community members organized the event last year, after a rash of violent incidents caused them concern.
Unity in the Community will include booths and vendors, ranging from local employers accepting job applications to college and military recruitment officers, to medical services. Representatives from the Beloit police and fire departments will be on hand, and the afternoon will also feature live, family-friendly musical entertainment in genres from gospel to rap. Community Action of Rock and Walworth County is co-sponsoring the event, and will have Fatherhood Initiative program participants on hand to help the event run smoothly. Free beverages and food will be provided.
Last year, attendees worked on setting a Guinness Book world record for the longest Soul Train, and this year they’re aiming to top that endeavor with an attempt at the largest group of people dancing the Whip.
For more information about the event, contact Keith Stamper at (608) 346-1981 or via email at shonuff57@gmail.com.
About Community Action
Community Action is a 100% local, not-for-profit organization, operating a broad spectrum of community programs aimed at preventing and reducing local poverty in Rock and Walworth counties. It operates the Fresh Start program, offers child care, at-risk youth programming, teen parent support, women’s health care, senior benefits counseling, homeownership programs, affordable housing units, home weatherization and rehab, assistance in dealing with a housing crisis, food for area pantries, and shelter for the homeless.
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