Community Corner
Viewfinder: Poppleton Park Neighbors Share Food and Fellowship
Nearly three dozen guests visit series of homes during annual 'Progressive Dinner.'
Spring brings out all sorts of scenes — art fairs, flowering foliage, graduation party tents and couples carrying food platters.
That last sight emerged in a close-knit neighborhood just east of last weekend during a yearly "Progressive Dinner." The event combines evening strolls and a potluck meal.
Thirty-three participants gathered for appetizers, contributed by guests, at the stately home of Mayor Gordon Rinschler and his wife Geri, a Birmingham school trustee since 1996. An hour later, smaller clusters headed to four homes for sit-down dinners and then regrouped at Margaret Ryan's house for homemade desserts.
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Guests mingling Saturday over deviled eggs, diverse entrees, salads, wine and cakes included attorneys, auto executives, technology workers, an investment analyst, other professionals and retirees. Conversations skipped around topics such as schools, home improvements, golf, youth sports, local shops, the economy, college applications and — naturally — the contributions from everyone's kitchens.
Homeowners along four blocks between Adams Road and Oxford Drive have shared meals this way for about 20 years, providing a convenient way for newcomers to meet neighbors and for longtime residents to socialize.
Note: Alan Stamm, a neighborhood resident, participated in the event.