I Love the Nickel Block Party

4101 Lyons Avenue,Houston TX 77020

29 October, 2022

Description

We’re igniting history by telling the newly unburied story of Fifth Ward legend Elnora White. The Whites were a black power couple in the ‘40s that owned several properties, including Louis White Grocery. Elnora White was an active community member. In the 1940s, she took part in the dawn of the civil rights movement in Houston. She was even once arrested for standing up and talking back to a white man in her own store. Louis White Grocery is now a designated historical landmark with the city of Houston, and is eligible for the national register list through the state of Texas. No longer serving the community as a grocery store, the now vacant building will be restored by Urban Healing HTX as a space for local nonprofits to operate during the week, and as an event venue on the weekends. In honor of Elnora White and Louis White Grocery, we will be engaging with the 5th Ward community with a block party to celebrate its history as the oldest community in Houston. The 1600 Block of Benson St. will be covered with Houston’s finest chalk art alongside food trucks and No Limit Trucks of Texas. Then, in a field across the street from Louis White Grocery, there will be more than fifty vendors activating and selling products to attendees. In the spirit of Halloween, costumes are encouraged, vendors will be handing out candy to the children. There will also be plenty of entertainment with performances celebrating the history of the Fifth Ward. Performances include Afro- Latino cultural dance, hip-hop battles, folkloric dancers, a Michael Jackson impersonator, DJ K-Tron and saxophonist Brent Nabors. Along with the performances, the block party will have plenty of activities for the kids including a bubble and drone station, two life-size dinosaurs and an under-the sea mermaid. Tickets are complimentary, come early and celebrate the wonderful history of Louis White Grocery and the Fifth Ward community.