Current and former residents of Sandhill and Texas Alley take a lot of pride in their neighborhoods as evidenced by the more than 500 people expected to attend a reunion celebration Saturday.
Sandhill and Texas Alley are two of the city's historic black neighborhoods located off Washington Street and residents have been working for months to organize a reunion from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday at the corner of Walnut and West streets.
The event is open to the public and will include bounce houses, horse rides, board games, card games, Bingo, softball games, a fire truck on display and plenty of food, including a hog, Brunswick stew and chicken. A large tent and portable toilets will be at the event. The cost is $30 per family. T-shirts from local business Team
Sports and Signs will also be for sale.
Streets around the area will be blocked off that day. Parking is available at Grace United Methodist Church and Washington Street Community Center. Golf carts will transport any residents unable to climb the hill to the event.
The idea for the reunion came up because friends and family were always getting together at funerals and decided they needed to plan a meeting on a lighter note, said resident Avis Williams, who chaired the reunion committee.
The committee started having planning meetings and have already bonded through the process, having breakfast at one person's house one meeting and lunch at another's the next time.
Finally, the details were organized and a date set. Covington Mayor Kim Carter is going to read a proclamation declaring Sept. 10, 2011, to be Sandhill-Texas Alley Day.
Williams said the neighborhood has done a great job of cleaning itself up.
"We've seen a transformation. People have a done a meticulous job landscaping and putting out flowers. There's a renewed sense of pride in the community. Even though we have so many vacant and boarded up houses, we've worked with the landowners to get some demolished and get lots cleaned off," Williams said.
"We just want to talk about how wonderful we feel growing up in Sandhill or Texas Alley. We want people to know we grew up in the greatest place, in the greatest community in the best city."
