This article was updated to include information about how the idea for a The Longest Table event in Akron got started.
Tables and love among neighbors unfolded at Lock 3 Park in downtown Akron Saturday afternoon during the first Longest Table community potluck meal.
The free event, sponsored by Civic Saturday Akron, featured live music, encouraged (but did not require) attendees to bring food to share and invited people from in and out of Akron alike to partake in the gathering.
The idea, according to promotional materials about the event, was to create “a moment where Akronites who might never otherwise meet sit side by side and share conversation.”
Andréa Brumley doesn’t live in Akron, but she works downtown. She brought pasta salad and strawberry shortcake.
Envisioning a quintessential Akron event
The Longest Table event itself came a long way to reach Akron. The initiative began in New York, when 500 New Yorkers fresh out of the COVID-19 quarantine were looking for a way to reconnect.
When Longest Table started looking for a host in Akron for the event, Civic Saturday Akron Fellows, including organizer Kate Tucker, came to the table.
“We started meeting in January to envision a Longest Table that would be quintessentially Akron,” Tucker said. “A gathering to reflect the abundance, mutual aid and creativity this community brings together.”
Longest Table Akron was entirely volunteer-led and saw a turnout of more than 200 people between pre-registered attendees on Eventbrite and walk-ups who saw what was going on and wanted to participate.“It’s really exciting to meet people you haven’t met before, and I’ve already made friends,” Brumley said. “I thought this was a good way to network since I’m in Akron all the time.”
The event is not the first of its kind — 500 Plates hosted a similar potluck on the Akron Innerbelt in 2015 — but all share the same goal of uniting the community under the universal banner of beloved family food.
“I’ve seen a lot of familiar faces today, but more importantly, I’ve seen a lot of unfamiliar faces,” said Will Blake, one of the volunteer organizers and the event’s master of ceremonies. “We want to turn strangers into friends and friends into a community.”
The afternoon also served as a way for Akronites to show their community pride. Elizabeth and Charles Roe, who live and volunteer in their neighborhood of Summit Lake, heard about the event through a friend at their church, nonprofit South Street Ministries. The Roes said they hope the event curbs stigmas about downtown Akron.
“We’ve heard people tell us that downtown Akron is scary, or you see it on social media,” Elizabeth Roe said. “We’re hoping this can flip that narrative. There’s so many things to do and so many great people in this great community, and I think events like this help people see that.”
Food proved to be a delicious and healing topic of conversation that also served as an engine for cross-cultural discussion and advocacy. Among the volunteers was Brant Lee, a professor of law at the University of Akron, and Carolina Villa-Nakata, who works for a nonprofit that helps international students.
“When you’re trying to meet your neighbors, one of the easiest things to talk about is food,” Lee said. “So I think that a potluck is a great idea for this.”
Lee brought sesame noodles, a dish he said is great for potlucks because the noodles don’t need to stay warm to stay tasty. His recipe was from his niece, who is attending cooking school.
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“I love the idea of a long table because everyone’s welcome no matter your age, race or whatever demographics you fit in,” Villa-Nakata said. “I think everyone deserves a space at the table, and that’s the beauty of hospitality. I’m glad Akron’s doing an event like this and hope they continue to do more as well.”
