Bounce houses, bookbags and boxing inside a brewery: Unity Day in Norfolk all about sense of community

When Sofia Pope searched online for events Sunday in Hampton Roads, she came across a listing for a back-to-school giveaway at Maker’s Craft Brewery in Norfolk.

She had been browsing MyActiveChild.com frequently to keep her 7-year-old daughter entertained throughout the summer.

“It’s their last bang before going back to school,” Pope said as her daughter and new friend ran up beside her.

Pope took her daughter to get a cotton candy-flavored popsicle when they met a 6-year-old girl whose grandmother operated the Robinhood Ice Cream truck parked on the lot. It was a perfect location to make a new friend.

Fifteen bounce houses filled two lots between Rugby Street and 25th Street, off Church Street. With a food truck parked in front of the brewery, and live music playing inside, the event was serving its purpose — to bring the community together.

Tickets were $25 for children and $30 for adults. The taproom and lawn remained open to the public, but each person wearing a wristband could indulge in the festivities and grab a complimentary bookbag filled with school supplies.

Unity Day was open to all ages, even the bounce houses. But after 6 p.m., only adults could hang around for after-hour activities including live musical performances from local artists Bobby Blaze and Era Hardaway.

Jeffery Lewis, the event’s organizer, felt a sense of accomplishment when he woke up Sunday morning. For weeks he’d been planning his second Unity Day, which was privately funded by himself and other donors.

He said during a phone interview Friday he wanted to put together an event that would engage people from multiple cultures. Lewis, of Norfolk, chose Maker’s Craft Brewery because he said it’s a place where people from different backgrounds can come together and interact with someone they wouldn’t typically encounter on a daily basis.

Aside from selling craft beers, co-owner Felicia Mariani said one of brewery’s focuses is to host community engagement and charitable events.

“Why not utilize this space,” Mariani said, standing behind a bar outside.

To ensure there was some form of entertainment for everyone, Lewis partnered with Dominique Vaughan, who helped transform the brewery’s event space into a boxing arena.

As part of his “Gloves Up, Guns Down” initiative, Vaughan organizes boxing matches for “at-risk teens.” Each match serves to help youth find an alternative to gun violence through his nonprofit, Revolutionary Visions.

“If we have other (activities) where there can be more than one event inside of one, then we can have a festival,” Lewis said.

Although multiple people made the event happen, he was the brains behind it all.

Finding different ways to get people together sparked the idea for Unity Day, Lewis said. Through his organization, Culturefication, Lewis aims to create that sense of community that younger generations have lost over time.

When he was younger, he went to events in his community that he could enjoy with friends and family — something he doesn’t see happening often anymore.

But if the people have a good time, Lewis believes they will come back for more.

Sierra Jenkins, 229-462-8896, sierra.jenkins@virginimedia.com