South Park: The neighborhood, not the animated sitcom

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Jocelyn Cunningham, 13, hula-hoops outside her home, where she lives with her parents and four siblings. Her mother, Desirae Cunningham, thinks her house is one of the older ones on their quiet street, likely built in the early 1900s. Desirae says she enjoys the neighborhood because of its community events and interactions with other families.

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Flower petals fall on a rusty, old Chevy truck parked in front of a home on South Kenyon Street. The neighborhood is an amalgamation of the industrial, residential and natural worlds.

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Rose Cano and other members of The AFrican ConeXion Project prepare to perform at Cinco de Mayo near the South Park Bridge. The group aims to unite Latino, African and African-American communities through theater, dance and music.

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The South Park Marina, on the Duwamish River, contains 160 slips and upland storage where boat owners can work on their vessels. The marina has been operating since the1930s, says harbormaster Steve Brown. "This is a working man's boatyard," he says. "It's not tacky or funky, but it's not brand new."

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Ruth Holliday, 8, from left, Damar Johnson, 9, and Mitzi Olivera, 11, jump on a trampoline outside the Olivera home in South Park. The families on their street come from Caucasian, African-American, Asian and Latino backgrounds, and their children often play together. South Park is Seattle's most diverse neighborhood.

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South Park residents gather at Dan Slemko's home and property on the "Sliver on the River" for their weekly bonfire social. After a bad breakup, Slemko says, he used to nurse his loneliness with a fire outside his home. People started noticing, and Slemko started opening up the fire to his neighbors - particularly artists and musicians. Many South Park residents visit and support the meetup, which encourages residents to walk or bike.

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After the children had their fun, the adults were treated to a pinata run of their own during Cinco de Mayo in South Park. The 6-foot-long, 7-foot-tall pinata was designed to dispense hundreds of pounds of candy. Alex Lopez designed the piñata in three weeks and built it with the help of South Park volunteers and King County Roads employees.

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Greg Chavez, 11, left plays basketball with his cousin, Roberto Jr. Chavez, 5, in South Park. "It's quiet," says Sara Chavez, Roberto's mother. "It's starting to shape up and be a decent place to live in." Like many neighbors, Chavez thinks crime has gone down in the past few years.

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The Mariachi Band Ayutla performs after the groundbreaking for the new South Park Bridge. Officials from all levels of government -- federal, state, county, cities, Port of Seattle -- as well as Boeing took part in the event that included feting Cinco de Mayo.

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Paulina Lopez, in glasses, kids around at Cinco de Mayo festivities. Lopez, who's lived here six years, enjoys the diversity of the neighborhood, as well as the friendliness of her neighbors and its proximity to downtown Seattle. An active member of South Park's Latino community, she is trying to encourage more people to get involved.

ERIKA SCHULTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Nicolas Lopez, 5, rides his bike near a neighborhood mural that takes a shot at the bridge closure by referencing the popular "South Park" television series.