This Weekend: Edgewood Neighbors Connect at Progressive Dinner

Edgewood’s annual Progressive Dinner speaks to the heart of a tight-knit neighborhood intent on building connections and bonds between families.

Coordinated by the Edgewood Foundation, 10 different families host dinners at their Edgewood homes, where 10 to 12 neighbors new and old gather to build friendships, connect and strengthen the community.

“Everyone is so busy all year round and it’s a great combination of seeing people you know, and getting to know new people,” said “We make sure people go to new houses each year and it’s a great way to see how other people do things and see their homes.”

The Progressive Dinner is Saturday night at 5:30 p.m., when participants will gather at various homes for appetizers. Preregistration was required to attend the event. About 35 to 50 people will gather at each “appetizer house” until they head to the more intimate dinner parties.

After dinner in multiple locations, everyone goes to a large home on Maple Avenue to enjoy dessert.

Lehrian said the event is perfect for new neighbors because the smaller sized dinner party allows them to make strong connections with other people.

“It’s not a huge party where there are 200 people in the room,” Lehrian said. “When you are sitting down with 10 people from the neighborhood, you will really get to know people there and make new friends.”

The Progressive Dinner has been held every year in the borough for more than a decade. After finishing renovations on her own home this year, this marks Lehrian’s first time hosting a dinner.

“It inspired me to buy a big long table to host dinner and I am really looking forward to that,” Lehrian said. “People have been opening up their homes to me for years now, so I figured it was my turn to do the same thing.”

Pat Schaefer, president of Edgewood Council, said the Edgewood Foundation and the annual dinner have been instrumental in continuing to build community.

“New residents and residents who have been here for a number of years get together and learn about different opportunities,” Schaefer said. “It’s really a wonderful thing.”

Schaefer said the foundation is especially important at a time when the borough’s budget is tight.

“We look to organizations like this to help foster that sense of community we are trying to build,” Schaefer said. “They are really dedicated people who give an appeal to the community. The foundation has always been at the heart of what makes Edgewood -- Edgewood.”

Editor's Note: Pre-registration for the Progressive Dinner was required by the end of January.