“There’s a lack of things to do without having to spend an arm and a leg to do them,” said Ray Brown of Groton, the president of the newly formed organization Promoting Peaceful Unity.
This year, Brown and Vice President Darnell Williams of Ledyard founded the nonprofit organization in an effort to bring the community together throughout the year for special events and entertainment.
The festivities provided by the organization kick off with the Groton City Summer Classic on July 26 and 27 at Washington Park in Groton. Spread out between the softball field and basketball court, Brown and Williams have planned a weekend filled with family-oriented activities and a 3-on-3 basketball tournament.
Williams said event-goers can expect to enjoy blown-up moonwalks, arts and crafts activities, visiting cartoon characters, relay races, and more.
“This is free to the public,” Brown added.
“The only charge is for the teams to participate in the 3-on-3 basketball tournament because there’s a $2,000 top prize for the adult division,” Williams explained.
Williams and Brown are looking for 16 adult teams and 16 youth coed teams to participate in the tournament, but they encourage as many teams as possible to sign up.
“We want to implement a lot of activities for the youth and adults as well during different times of the year,” Williams said. “We want to promote a peaceful atmosphere in the community. It’s for everyone to come together and have a good time without having to worry about looking over your shoulder...We want to provide a safe environment for safe activities.
“Life in general is what brought us to start this organization and promote peace and unity,” Brown continued. “There’s been a lot of hardships in both of our lives, and this is a positive thing that we’re doing. We’re trying to take a step forward in this neck of the woods, in New London County, to show that we are here to do something for these children.”
Brown said the idea for his organization began last year when he considered hosting a basketball tournament, but he and Williams decided to postpone the date until this summer. Williams said he’s glad they waited because they were able to add more activities to the overall event.
“We have a lot of big sponsors,” Williams continued, naming Mohegan Sun, Coca Cola, Sprint Nextel, Bernie’s, the Groton Town Fire Department, and the Groton Elks Club. He said with the help of local organizations and businesses, they also will raffle off prizes, such as an autographed basketball donated by the Connecticut Sun and a boost phone and starter kit provided by Sprint Nextel.
Williams talked about hosting dance competitions and free-style battles in the future, but in the meantime he hopes local residents will visit the Groton City Summer Classic and simply have a good time.
“So if you’re strolling through the park, you see the moonwalks and you want to come down and start jumping around, come down and start jumping around,” Williams said.
For more information, call 860-984-5573 or 860-501-7338, or send e-mail to dnycwilliams@yahoo.com, brownray92@yahoo.com, or makewayproductions@yahoo.com.