BROOKVILLE — There will not be a block party in addition to the 14th annual 5K walk to benefit the Pink Ribbon Girls organization scheduled for Aug. 26 in the city.

“We’re choosing not to do the block party,” Gale Colston, organizer of the event, told council at the March 7 council meeting.

The block party, first introduced at last year’s event, was planned to be held downtown.

The block party consisted of such activities as a cornhole tournament, a kids’ activity area, food vendors and a beer garden.

Entertainment was provided by the Bourbon Road Band, who performed on a stage at the intersection of Market and Walnut streets.

Colston said she wasn’t sure why setting up the block party for this year is different from last year.

“I don’t know if changing the date really messed us up or what the situation might be,” Colston said.

In past years, the event took place the last week of September.

Colston told council this year’s event was changed from September to Aug. 26.

“The reason we chose that date is we believe we won’t have any conflict with the school,” Colston explained.

Colston indicated last year’s event took place the same time as Brookville High School’s Homecoming events.

“The second reason is weather and additional light. We have at least another hour’s worth of daylight at that point in time,” Colston said.

Colston said after making the decision to change the date of the event, she has encountered myriad problems.

“It started with our band,” Colston said.

“We had several issues with getting a band and the third person we did call called us back and said ‘I can’t do our event because I’m doing another event in town that night;” Colston said.

Colston indicated the band was performing for a blood drive event sponsored by Brookville VFW Post 3288.

“We didn’t want to compete against anything with the school and we are darned sure we don’t want to compete against the VFW either,” Colston said.

Colston indicated another situation she encountered is problems with the jumping house the organization planned to use in the kids activity area.

Colston also noted it was still not the right time to address the issue with establishing the cornhole tournament for this year’s event.

Colston previously told council a director for the cornhole tournament was needed after last year’s director, Ryan Price, died unexpectedly of a heart attack on Jan. 29, 2023.

“It’s just a little bit too early to address that subject,” Colston said.

“So, at this point in time we are going to stick with the walk,” Colston said.

Colston said the walk will once again begin and end on the Brookville Local Schools campus.

“We will conduct the walk just like before, leaving from the school, coming out on those surface streets where we cross Western and go down Westbrook. We go up Wolf Creek. We come back down Arlington and then go back into the school,” Colston said.

Colston said she is happy the Brookville school community is involved with the walk because the district was a core member when annual event began 14 years ago.

“The school is 100 percent behind us, so we’re going back to that core event that we always did well,” Colston said.

Colston said she hated canceling the block party.

“It’s not because we don’t want to do it. We canceled it because we want to do it the right way,” Colston said.

“That core event has raised so many dollars for a lot of our local people. It’s really important what we are doing. so by all means, we don’t want to do an event that ends up costing us money. That’s when I feel we’re not good stewards of the money we are raising,” Colston continued.

Brookville Mayor Chuck Letner thanked Colston for letting council know of the decision to cancel the block party.

“I appreciate you coming back and telling us. I know you have your hands full. It’s a big deal,” Letner said.

“You’re going back to your core event and I appreciate that because that is where it all started,” Letner added.

According to the Pink Ribbon Girls website, the organization “provides meals, transportation, housecleaning and peer support free of charge to breast cancer or gynecological cancer patients at their time of greatest need.”

Reach Terry Baver at [email protected]