PONDERAY — The city is breaking new ground in public relations on Saturday with its first community block party at city hall.

Running from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the event will feature free food, entertainment and previews of current city projects.

“We’ve been talking for the last couple years about ways to get residents and the business community involved in the direction the city is going,” Ponderay Planning Director Erik Brubaker said. “We thought this would be a great way to accomplish that.”

Recognizing that free food dramatically increases an event’s popularity, the Ponderay City Council secured donations within a week for a generous spread. Items on the menu include barbecued hot dogs and smokies, popcorn, lemonade and ice cream sundaes courtesy of Val and Dave Burroughs. The evening will also feature an inflatable jumping castle for the young and young at heart.

While food and fun are well and good, the council hopes that the block party will educate as well as entertain. A variety of current projects will be open for public inquiry, including the management of the Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail, the Dover bus project, a proposed acquisition of new city parks and updates on state projects like the Highway 95 corridor.

“We feel like Ponderay residents and the business community aren’t always on the same page,” Brubaker said. “We’re hoping to serve as a catalyst in bringing them together.”

Booths staffed by knowledgeable representatives will highlight specific projects. Residents can rove from one project to another, asking questions and offering suggestions between trips to the barbecue. Brubaker hopes that this egalitarian approach will bring the community into community management.     

“We need to hear from community members,” he said. “So we’re hoping that a lot of people show up, and we’re willing to feed them to get them out here.”