The borough marked Breast Cancer Awareness Month on Oct. 19 with a Breast Fest block party at the Tanner Street parking lot.
The event was organized by the Tyanna Foundation, created by a group of five sisters whose mother, Tyanna Barre O’Brien, died from breast cancer at 48 when her children were adolescents.
The foundation attempts to make cancer treatments more comfortable for patients. Sara O’Brien is one of its co-founders and an organizer of the party.
“Our mom was a very funny human,” she recalled of Tyanna. “That’s why we do Breast Fests, these fun events where people eat, drink and be merry.”
The block party was the first of its kind in the borough. There were also Breast Fest events in Baltimore; Maryland; and Dewey, Delaware, earlier this month and in July.
Haddonfield hosted its event because two of the O’Brien sisters live in the borough and used their their local connections to make it happen. Local businesses King’s Road Brewing Company, Haddon Hall and Hot Dawgs – all or adjacent to Tanner Street – were Breast Fest sponsors.
“The Haddonfield community, our friends at Haddon Hall and this block really came together for us,” O’Brien noted.
The brewing company sold shirts that read “Boobs and Beer, That’s Why I’m Here” and donated proceeds to the foundation.
Tanner Street was decorated in a mix of pink and green, pink for breast cancer awareness and green for the Eagles, who played earlier in the day. A trunk was covered in a large sheet of brown paper with large containers of green, pink and white paint and brushes, allowing guests to paint their own designs and slogans.
Even the portable bathrooms carried the Breast Fest theme with three pink commodes.
Music was provided by live band Lackadaisical Lemon; member George Callahan has a personal connection to O’Brien.
“It was awesome,” he remarked. “It was a great event. I had a blast and I think my bandmates had a blast.”
Breast Fest offered information about how to get properly screened and tested for breast cancer, including instructions on self-checks that statistics say are the first step in a majority of breast cancer diagnoses.
“We’re really grateful, because we just don’t want anyone to die of breast cancer ever again,” O’Brien noted. “No more deaths because of breast cancer.”
Michele Mink was one of the two women handling sales at a beverage table.
“I thought the block party was amazing … I love downtown Haddonfield,” she enthused. “I feel like everybody had a wonderful time.”
