Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — The annual Kids Day sponsored by the Presque Isle Kiwanis Club has been deemed a success, with dozens of children receiving free bicycle helmets and taking part in a variety of fun activities.
Sherry Locke, chairperson of the Presque Isle Kiwanis Club’s Kids Day festivities, at left, and Deirdre McMahon, club treasurer, pause to watch two unidentified youth at the Forum on Aug. 25.
“Kids Day was held on Saturday, Aug. 25, at the Presque Isle Forum. Preparation for this event was done primarily via e-mail, as the event changed little from the previous year and very little face-to-face time was needed,” explained Club Secretary Susan Watson.
KIDS DAY, hosted by the Presque Isle Kiwanis Club, was a big success, thanks to several volunteers, including, from left: LaNiece Winslow, club president; AJ Cloukey, club past president; Sue Watson, club secretary; and Diane Green, club past president.
Watson said it was truly a group effort to come up with activities designed to entertain children of all ages.
“This year’s event took all of our volunteers to pull together to create a fun and safe place for area youth. We had 17 Kiwanis members at or involved in the event, along with friends and family as support,” said Watson.
She said the day was pulled together by the Kiwanis group as well as many members from the community.
“Having over 40 volunteers from the community to assist really made this day possible,” said Watson.
About 271 game cards were collected and reviewed, with the average age of participants being 5 to 6 years old.
“I believe a more accurate number would be somewhere around 350 children, as a lot of the older children opted to not participate in the carnival games but spent time in the inflatables, creating a helmet, getting their faces painted or enjoying lunch. In addition to the 350 children, we also hosted parents and grandparents throughout the day,” said Watson, noting, “In the hours from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Forum had at least 500 people involved in this year’s Youth Day in one form or another.”
