They say when life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade. Webster residents George Baker and his wife Melissa have a different take: when life gives you leaves, make a huge leaf pile and throw people into it.
That’s exactly what took place last Saturday, and has every year for almost 20 years, at the Baker home on the corner of Klem and Holt roads. In a column I wrote about the event for the D&C back in 2014, Melissa recalled how the Leaf Party tradition began:
In 2004, our little great nephew Trevor was born. That fall he came to play in the leaves at our house, since we have numerous trees and many leaves. He came the next year and the next year after that, until this year we had our 11th annual “Leaf Party.” As other nieces and nephews were born and then our own grandchildren (Ryan, Brendan & Nolan Moorman), they added to the fun.
The idea is to start with a monster pile of leaves, add a bunch of fearless children and two strong people who can toss them, one by one, into a thick bed of leaves. After “one, two, THREE!” and huge wind-up swings, each child is launched into the soft leaf pile. Adults are not immune to the tossing ritual, either, especially those (like me) who say “I want to be tossed!” (Check out the photo below.)
The celebration has grown every year and now includes not only family members, but neighbors and lots of other friends. Everyone enjoys hot chocolate and a variety of baked treats, and drivers who go by the house wave and honk their horns.
Simply put, the annual Leaf Party is a celebration of family, friends, laughter and life’s simpler pleasures.
“The things I enjoy about these parties is all the smiles from the kids of all ages,” George wrote.
It’s kinda like the unofficial end of the season get together in our neighborhood. Having a yard full of people enjoying their time with each other and having fun, what more could we ask for? Over the years it has also helped bring our neighborhood a little closer together. We feel good about sharing snacks and hot chocolate with everyone and watching them make great memories for each of us.
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(posted 11/17/2023)
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