Balloonacy for New Years!

At Glass House Collective, we welcome the jolt of electricity a fresh year brings. As we passed out Happy New Year balloons to cars along Glass Street to kick off our first week in January, it felt as crystal clear as ever: we all want to see a vibrant neighborhood, where residents feel proud and safe walking the streets, and businesses along Historic Glass Street directly benefit from more activity and foot traffic.

To liven up our first work week after holiday travels, the Glass House team recruited local block leader, Johnny Patmon and two friendly volunteers, and got busy handing out giant colorful balloons to the passing cars on Tuesday afternoon, January 3rd!

The balloons came to us via the Granfalloon and Zanzibar Studio as a result of our Executive Director, Teal Thibaud, responding to the venue’s owner, Tara Viland’s post on Facebook asking for ideas of where to send a bunch of huge latex balloons to make people happy! After Zanzibar used them for their dance studio promo video, Lacy brought them out to us, stuffed into a large van. These oversized balloons were all the rage for Terra Mae and Dwell Hotel’s New Years Eve parties, so we figured, why not keep the celebration rolling?

Collecting participants, we grabbed four or five balloons each and waved to cars at the corners of Glass Street and N. Chamberlain. The cars honked at our “Happy New Year” signs, and we had a blast trying to stuff the giant balloons through car windows, often having to open passenger doors in order for them to fit!

As much fun as everyone had handing out the colorful balloons, our purpose went beyond just the novelty of the friendly moment. We were also saying THANK YOU!

It’s because of you that these transformations are already underway, and your continued support allows us to forge the key partnerships needed to revitalize homes, build new green spaces, attract and support sustainable businesses, and share our story in creative and compelling new ways!