Block Party Idea: Baked Goods Auction

Planning a block party is a great way to meet your neighbors but can get overwhelming. However, this block party is simple to plan, is something that everyone will enjoy, and won't break the bank.

Setup and Planning

Planning and setup preparations are fairly simple. You will want to set up plenty of chairs. You will need a table for the baked goods and a table where people can receive their tickets. You will also want to find an auctioneer; you can enlist a friend or get a professional auctioneer for the party.

Make sure to ask everyone to bring a baked goods item

Set up your ticket questions. When you talk to people about bringing a baked good, you can ask them if there is something that very few people know about them. Then set up a paper that says things like: "Who has been to Tahiti?" and "Who worked as a jewelry store clerk during college?" and so on; only your questions should reflect what you find out about people.

Create auction paddles by stapling a paper plate to wooden paint stirrers. Use a black marker to write different numbers on each paddle.

The Party

As guests arrive hand them copies of the questions and a pencil then encourage them to talk to people and get to know each other. Explain that for each question they fill out, they get ten tickets and that the tickets will be the "money" they have to bid with for the auction.

As people finish their questions have them come to the table to have their answers checked and redeem their tickets. They should also be given their auction paddles.

When you feel that people are ready, have the auction begin. Hold up each baked good and let people bid for them. Everyone will have fun with this, and will enjoy being able to leave with a treat.