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Health & Fitness

Seventy-two year-old Harford Park community thrives

For the last 72 years residents of the Harford Park neighborhood of Parkville have come together in the Harford Park Community Association to keep their community strong and connected.

Harford Park is a neighborhood of Baltimore County and Baltimore City that is bounded by Taylor Avenue to the north, Oakleigh Road and Moore Avenue to the west and Old Harford Road to the east. There are nearly 950 properties in our boundaries which contain thousands of residents and dozens of successful businesses. Many families have been here for several decades, and have roots going back to the earliest homes.

In September 1939 the Harford Park Community Association was founded by a group of residents to promote the improvement and fellowship of the neighborhood. Five years later the association began construction of a community hall at 2522 Linwood Road. In the 72 years since then we have continued to work with residents and local businesses to pursue community improvement.

Construction of the building began in the Summer of 1944 by a decision of the membership to provide as the association secretary wrote in a 1945 newsletter, “a structure in which they can hold their monthly business meetings, and in which they can continue to seek that often used but seldom achieved community - a better place in which to live.” Today our association board fondly refers to this building as both a blessing and a curse. For many of us in this 2011 board of the association it can be like having a whole second house complete with all the maintenance and repairs typical of a 70 year structure.

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We are a lucky neighborhood to have a dedicated building where we can throw our annual haunted house, run regular events such as our professional “meet-and-greet” and neighborhood shrimp feast, host local community group meetings such as little leagues and scouts, and use as a base of operations to help keep our local county park and stream litter free. What other neighborhood boasts an inexpensive rental for neighbors to host their parties and events a few blocks walk from their house? 

Over the next few months I'll be using this space to share more about the fascinating history of the association and the Harford Park community over these 72 years, and what it's like to promote face-to-face interaction among neighbors in the age of Facebook and big screen HD televisions. I hope you'll come back to read more this summer, and leave your questions and feedback in the comments below.

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For more information about the Harford Park Community Association, please visit harfordpark.org or our Facebook page at facebook.com/harfordpark. Our general meetings are held on the first Thursday of every month. The next meeting will be held at our hall at 2522 Linwood Road at 7:30 pm on July 7, 2011. We would like to invite you to join us at the next meeting to learn about our exciting events and efforts to connect with our own neighbors and the communities around us.

 

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