More than 20 Long Beach residents will open the front yards of their humble abodes to welcome neighbors new and known to the second annual Citywide Ice Cream Social on Saturday, June 20 from 2:00PM to 4:00PM.

This is the fifth citywide celebration that local nonprofit We Love Long Beach has organized in the past year. Most recently, residents held yard sales, tree plantings and potlucks for the Citywide Spring Cleaning in April. In February, the organization brought the inaugural Citywide Neighbor Breakfast to over 30 kitchens in an effort to encourage residents to build positive relationships and stronger communities.

According to We Love Long Beach, the inaugural Citywide Ice Cream Social held last year attracted more than 500 locals to over 31 different locations throughout the city.

“We’re breaking the mold on how a nonprofit organization can reach the community,” said Scott Jones, We Love Long Beach co-founder and executive director in a press statement. “Instead of hosting events for the residents of Long Beach, we’re asking residents to host events with us. The response has been fantastic—it has far exceeded even our own expectations.”

He said such events prove that “neighbors are itching for an excuse to connect with one another,” and We Love Long Beach wants to “give them as many excuses as possible,” as connecting with one another often results in stronger blocks and neighborhoods. 

Citywide Ice Cream Social attendees are encouraged to share their experience on social media with the hashtags #WeLoveLB and #ScoopDogg.

We Love Long Beach strives to create citywide events that help hosts foster hospitality in an effort to help neighbors create lasting relationships and safer and healthier communities. The organization’s vision is to “connect neighbors one block at a time.”

Anyone interested in hosting an Ice Cream Social on June 20 is asked to contact We Love Long Beach at [email protected]. For those interested in attending, addresses of host locations are available upon request.

Follow the organization on Facebook by clicking here or on Twitter @welovelb and Instagram @welovelb. And don’t forget to click here to find out how you can win a free ice cream party on June 20. The deadline to submit an entry is June 5.

Photos courtesy of We Love Long Beach.