Within a month or so after moving into your new Fulton Home, if you make a little effort, you’ll have gotten to know some of your neighbors. As a “veteran” homeowner, you can participate in a few ideas to strengthen your neighborhood’s connections. You may want to try one or more of these ideas.

Plan a block party. Choose a central location and a Saturday afternoon/evening. You can do a “bring your own entrée,” with grills hot and ready for cooking. Include a pot-luck for side dishes and desserts. Consider featuring a children’s table or two with party favors and a teen table with music to help normally shy youngsters to get to know each other.

Create a babysitting resource: People with young children and the teenagers looking for babysitting work will appreciate a way to connect with each other. This can either be printed or online. It would be nice to include a few parent recommendations and an idea of costs per hour and any restrictions.

Put together a roster of neighbors: Names, addresses, phone numbers and emails allow neighbors to stay in touch. This is also a good source for who to contact if you notice someone has left car lights on or something suspicious is occurring on a neighbor’s property.

Assemble a dog-tracking list: Photos of neighbor dogs, along with their names, basic behavior and names and addresses/phone numbers of owners can help lost pets find their way home quickly. Someone who is not comfortable approaching a strange dog can still contact an owner based on a photo. Dog owners will appreciate neighbors letting them know if Toby or Gracie has slipped out of the yard and is wandering loose.

Take an active role and you can help make your new Fulton neighborhood a special community for you, your family and everyone who lives there.