Backyard Parties: A Fun Way to End the Summer

Ramona Collins, Tariq McKinney EL, Steve Perry and Sheila Flemming

By Carla Thomas
The Truth Contributor

There’s no better way to end the summer and transition into fall than to host a fun backyard party with delicious food and live music for friends, family, and neighbors to enjoy.

That’s exactly what Shawana Davis and Steve James decided to do on September 17. The couple opened their backyard to over 50 guests. They provided the food and festive setting while Ramona Collins and Friends provided the entertainment.

Davis shares that her desire to have a backyard party was an offshoot from her girlfriends’ gatherings during COVID-19 when Ramona Collins, one of the “girlfriends,” decided to live stream her performances as a way of staying connected to her audience during the height of the pandemic lock down when restaurants and venues remained closed.

Davis says Collins would live stream from each of her girlfriends’ homes and called it Wine Down Wednesdays. As the world began to re-open, and gatherings became the norm again, the ladies decided they wanted to continue getting together, thus evolving the gathering into a backyard party.

Although the original intention was to host just a few friends, as good times, good food and good music would have it, “word spread, and one party led to another and another and it looks like we’ll be making this a yearly event,” says Davis.

Steve Perry, Sheila Flemming, and Tarique McKenney EL joined Ramona Collins in providing good musical vibes that kept everyone singing, dancing and enjoying the night away.