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St. John Fisher School to Host 'Southside's Biggest Block Party'

 St. John Fisher School will host "The Southside's Biggest Block Party" from 5:30-11:30 p.m. May 17 in the church parking lot at 10200 S. Washtenaw Ave. in Beverly. Nearly 1,000 people are expected.
The Southside's Biggest Block Party
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BEVERLY — South Side block parties can be epic affairs, and St. John Fisher School is planning a block party that aims to top them all.

"Southside's Biggest Block Party" is set for 5:30-11:30 p.m. May 17 in the church parking lot at 10200 S. Washtenaw Ave. in Beverly. Nearly 1,000 people are expected, according to event coordinator Megan Scarsella.

Proceeds from the event will go to the school, she said.

"In order to keep Fisher competitive and allow for things like new technology, fundraisers are always needed," Scarsella said.

It costs $30 to attend the block party, and attendees must be 21 or older. Traditional block party food — such as hamburgers and hot dogs — is included in the admission price. A cash bar will be available. Entertainment will be provided by the One Night Band, which plays an assortment of cover tunes.

The event was inspired by Old St. Patrick's Church in the West Loop, which annually hosts the World's Largest Block Party, Scarsella said.

St. John Fisher's claim to hosting the largest such event on the South Side is really more of a tongue-in-cheek declaration to promote the party than a verifiable fact based on attendance, Scarsella said.

The first-ever block party fundraiser comes almost a year after St. John Fisher's Boiler Bash. The event was intended to raise money toward the $250,000 cost of a new boiler system for the school. The party raised $89,000, Scarsella said.

Boiler Bash "really just turned into a St. John Fisher reunion of sorts," she said.

She hopes to duplicate that success this year with the block party. Scarsella said she believes the event will become an annual affair, much like Fisher Fest, held in the St. John Fisher parking lot. Fisher Fest features a carnival and draws as many as 1,000 people per day in September. The four-day affair raises money for the parish, Scarsella said.

She said the block party has the potential to become an equally captivating event with one slight difference.

"It's a fundraiser for the school," she said.