Cider Mill Road resident Richard Constant said the last time a block party was held in his neighborhood was in the late 1970s. He said he should know, he has lived in the Maple Ridge neighborhood of Nobscot since 1977.

But over the years, many residents have moved out and new families have moved into the neighborhood. Less than a handful are original residents of the neighborhod, located off Water Street,

So sometime before Independence Day, Maple Ridge neighborhood resident Ronnie Kessler, a mom of two and a Hemenway Elementary School third grade teacher, decided to try to organize a neighborhood gathering. She delivered flyers to her neighbors, who live on Cider Mill, Bacon and Montgomery.

The purpose of the event was to "meet your neighbors," she said.

And yesterday, Sept. 23, the neighborhood held its first block party in decades. About 75-100 people attended the gathering.

Everyone brought appetizers and desserts. The children rode their bikes, created drawing via chalk and had fun with arts & crafts. A Framingham Fire truck was expected to make a surprise visit after Framingham Patch stopped by.