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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels July 5, 2004 Bridge Street residents enjoy block party bash By John Darling Tidings Correspondent It may reek of perdition and sound like World War III, but Bridge Street after dark on the Fourth of July - following a near riot a few years ago - is back to being just a friendly block party on a tightknit, working-class street. After watering their lawns and roofs for safety, families, from toddlers to grandparents, lit screaming, spinning, flashing fireworks and skyrockets in the narrow street, many from the tops of stepladders, while neighbors in lawnchairs or pickup beds sipped beer and renewed acquaintances. A few years ago, it was a different story, one earning Bridge Street the reputation as the hotbed of radical partying and outlawry. "It was terrible - people were coming in from outside and were all over the place, trampling gardens and getting way out of control - but we took measures," said resident Kay Lynne Sherman, 61. The measures were angry pleas by a neighbor group to the city council, meetings of a dozen families with police, who promised and delivered an increased presence on Bridge Street, and a police approach that emphasized communication and persuasion, rather than confrontation, said resident Casey Acker, 46. "A couple years ago, we almost had a riot because high school and college kids were hanging out here, throwing bottles and urinating on bushes," Acker said. "It got pretty bad. The police wouldn't come. Finally, at midnight, 14 cop cars came through two-by-two, confronting a very belligerent crowd. There was a lot of hostility." Police changed the "vibes" on Bridge Street last year with "amazing" tact, she added, asking young non-residents to pour out alcoholic beverages, rather than arresting them, and requesting friends to handle overly drunken rowdies. Sunday night, the police presence was minimal - no patrol cars and only one officer, Teri DeSilva on foot, firmly reminding residents that stepladders in the street were not allowed and that fireworks could not send projectiles more than a foot off the ground. As she tried to speak above the shrieking din, skyrockets hurdled hundreds of feet in the air and exploded, much to the delight of the 100-plus residents lining curbs. Residents of the close-together homes have taken safety into their own hands, just as they lead the way with policing. With so much fire flying in the dry season, residents kept buckets of water and fire extinguishers ready on the steps. "I enjoy it a lot and am always keeping my eyes out for bottle rockets that come down still burning," said Stan Pardee, a 41-year Bridge Street resident. Neighbor Skip Robinson said there's no street in Ashland on the Fourth like Bridge Street. "It all should be legal," he said. "It's an anomaly. Bridge Street is one of the last bastions of freedom." His wife, Janice Robinson, called Bridge Street a "wonderful community" that draws its grown kids - and their children - back for the Fourth and the equally merry New Year's Eve. "All my friends like to come here," said their son Lonnie Robinson, 27. "It's one big street party, and everyone loves it." Richard Ferguson has lived on Bridge Street for 21 years and said he does not mind the party. "For most of the time, it's like 'Elm Street U.S.A.,'" he said. "The Fourth of July only happens once a year. We love the party. We encourage it." Still, some neighbors disagree with Ferguson's view. Dennis Huft, a Bridge Street resident for 17 years, said he likes the idea of a block party but more changes are needed. "It used to be nice and family oriented," he said. "But it has become dangerous in the past few years." Huft said that in recent years, he has seen beer bottles broken on the street, illegal fireworks set off and the occasional fistfight. "It started off with the people who lived here. Now most of the people come over here from SOU after the fireworks and be crazy," he said, referring to the firework show sponsored by the Ashland Chamber of Commerce. Tidings correspondent Joel David Steinfeld contributed to this report DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams