‘Block Party’ walls no party for some in Kennesaw’s reality TV neighborhood
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sunday, June 21, 2009
A reality TV show currently being filmed in Kennesaw may be called “Block Party,” but for some residents of the Annandale community in Legacy Park, it’s more a bother than a bash.
A 20-feet-tall “rock wall” made from canvas lines Fairlawn Downs. Curtains close down the street when crews move equipment. The neighborhood hums with the noise of generators and stays bright with set lights. And now, onlookers joyride through the area, curious about the work of a professional film crew.
Elissa Eubanks/eeubanks@ajc.com
Allen Massey, 50, the President of the Homeowners Association for Legacy Park, walks his dog Hunter through the back lot of a reality television show tenatively titled ‘Block Party.’
Elissa Eubanks/eeubanks@ajc.com
Anthony LaBorde, 25, walks with his son Ethan LaBorde, 4, in the Annandale neighborhood inside their Legacy Park community in Kennesaw.
These are some of the complaints residents have against this temporary slice of Hollywood in their backyards.
“I pay $600 a year in HOA fees to live in a quiet, kid-friendly neighborhood,” said resident Anthony LaBorde, as he carted his toddler son by the set. “It’s been just the opposite of that for a month and a half.”
And about that wall, that imposing structure shielding the homes of the eight participating families from view, giving the otherwise quaint and quiet suburban neighborhood of roughly 1,750 homes a cartoonish feel: “It’s big. It’s gray, and it’s a pain in the a—,” LaBorde said.
Resident Mike Altman, whose home is a couple hundred yards from the enclosed set, said the large equipment, traffic disruptions and flux of onlookers has created a safety hazard for his neighborhood. Upon the film crews moving into Legacy Park, Altman posted a “no trespassing” sign on his front door.
He believes the residents of Legacy Park should have had a say in whether a reality show could come to Annandale.
“I moved out here for the peace and quiet and security, and the HOA and the City of Kennesaw took that away,” he said. “It’s upsetting because the HOA didn’t let us in on the decision.”
Legacy Park HOA President Allen Massey said CBS got permission from the association but did not need it. He said CBS didn’t need the HOA’s permission to come to the community as they are filming on private property and had the consent of each of the involved families. While the homeowners could be cited for building a 20-foot wall, it would have been far more costly to pursue fines and legal actions against the homeowners than to allow the show to proceed, he said.
Massey said the national exposure to Legacy Park will be a boon to this suburban neighborhood with walking trails, tennis courts, pools and parks.
“I think overall it’s going to help us out,” he said. “And hopefully, when people relocate to this area from across the country, they’ll think of Legacy Park.”
Kennesaw Mayor Mark Mathews, himself a resident of Legacy Park, said the show is helping local economy with its 200-plus crew living, dining and playing in the city. Rough estimates from the visitors’ bureau suggest the crew spends about $175 a day per person, money going into the pockets of local businesses, he said.
He noted CBS has also used local resources and hired crewmembers from the area.
Wes Daniels is among them. He’s heard a mix of good and bad feedback from residents, he said, some telling him to “go back to California.”
“But I’m from Marietta,” he said, explaining the complaints he heard were mainly about traffic during the set-building stage.
While Annandale resident Amanda Morgan doesn’t have to drive past the wall, she said most of her neighbors are excited by the filming in Legacy Park.
“I don’t see it as being a problem — it’s more an advertisement for the community,” said Morgan, who has lived in Annandale for two years. “We haven’t been affected at all — it just looks odd when you come in.”
Resident Jim Davis’s front door once faced a row of two-story homes, but now looks onto “the wall.” Film crews pass his house daily and curtains have blocked off both ends of his street.
But Davis is taking the long view. After all, the show should wrap up in mid-July.
“I’m not a big reality TV fan, but I’ll watch it because they’re my neighbors.”
