The Berkeley Place block party was planned for Saturday but was cancelled on Saturday morning due to rain. But to the relief of the block’s children, it was on, rain or shine, for Sunday. "We spent a lot of money on the Space Walk rental so we might as well go ahead with it." my friend, Wendy Ponte, a resident of Berkeley Place and one of the organizers of the event, told me on Saturday night.

My daughter and I arrived around 2 p.m. on Berkeley Place, where big, old trees on both sides of the street meet high up in the air creating a lovely, leafy canopy.  It’s a street of varied architecture: brownstones, wood frames, and lime stones, as well as an equitable mix of private homes and apartment buildings.

Walking toward Sixth Avenue, we immediately spotted the Space Walk in the middle of the block and a banner made from a bed sheet that said in colorful, child-painted letters: Block Party.

On a folding table, special t-shirts designed by a graphic designer who lives on the block, were selling briskly for twenty dollars: A Berkeley Place street sign with a bird parked on it was on the front and the words: My Block is My Home on the back.

Most of the kids were already wearing their newly-minted t-shirts, as were a handful of adults. Also on the table were small signs that said: Poop Stinks. Please Curb Your Dog.

A group of high school girls sold chocolate chip cookies, Dunkin Donuts, Rice Krispy treats, hand-wrapped cholesterol free biscotti, and dark chocolate brownies at a bake sale for Hurricane Katrina.

Farther down the block, two teenage girls, a fold-rock duo, sat on folding chairs playing electric guitars, singing indie songs I’d never heard into a microphone. A small crowd of idolizing young girls sat on lawn chairs making requests. "Blackbird. Do Blackbird," one girl, no more than 8-years old, said. "We don’t know the words," one of the performers, a red head said. "But we can do it anyway."  And they launched into a pitch-perfect duet of that "White Album" classic.

A "Decorate Your Bike " event was planned as was a water balloon toss, and a raffle drawing. Before the water balloon event, I heard one of the organizers on megaphone:" "This is not a water balloon fight," she said emphatically. "This is a water balloon toss."

The kids paraded from one end of the block to the other on their decorated bikes. My daughter and her friend pulled a red wagon of American Girl Dolls. An older woman told the girls:  "I have a Molly doll at home. She’s dressed in a raincoat. I see yours are still in their summer clothing."

South American music came out of the window of an elegant 4-story brownstone. Neighbors holding tall glasses of white wine seemed to be congregating there.

The Space Walk, a trampoline-like bubble for young children, was probably the most popular amusement. An appearance by Spongebob Square Pants, one of the Space Walk guys in a costume, also delighted the children. His long yellow rubber gloves were described by one dad as  "creepy and proctological."

Later in the afternoon, two men in their mid-forties played expert blues guitar for more than an hour. I surmised that one of the men is in the music business, as the stoop sale in front of his house was full of "For Promotion Only" record albums and CD’s. He also donated a Robert Mappelthorpe photograph of Patti Smith to the block’s auction, as well as a stack of signed Patti Smith records and CDs.

My husband set up his "traveling photo studio" and took family portraits, and ‘dog with children’ portraits. Those pictures (some of them are on this post) will be available for purchase at Hugh Crawford’s  web site later this week.

An impressive pot luck spread was was set up around five. A combination of take-out items from the Taqueria and various casseroles and chiles.

Walking home from Berkeley Place, I wondered if there would be any interest in doing a block party on Third Street. It might help the north and south side of Third Street get to know one another; we tend to stay on our own side. A block party is a lot of work, but the kids would probably enjoy the Space Walk. I know we’ve got a lot of great cooks on the block. I’m sure we could get a t-shirt…

I’m a little busy these days: I’ll see if anyone else wants to get involved.