Kiwanis hosting 'Kids Day' at park

Monticello, Indiana, Herald-Journal
http://www.thehj.com/main.asp?SectionID=9&SubSectionID=32&ArticleID=23868&TM=21894.49

With summer in full swing, and kids throughout Monticello enjoying their days free from the confines of school, one local service organization is offering local youth an outlet for pent-up seasonal energy at the city park.

Kiwanis "Kids Day" in the Park is scheduled for July 21 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. in the Monticello City Park. Touting an early afternoon filled with fun, prizes, games, activities and free food, Kiwanians agreed that the first annual event is one well worth the time of Monticello youth.

"Kids like activities this time of year. It was our thought that they might be getting a little bored, and this will give them something entertaining to do," said Kiwanis member and "Kids Day" committee member Kay Kiser. "And it's all free, which is the really great thing."

According to Kiser, her club caught the kids-day bug after paying a visit to a Kiwanis club located in Winamac. Arriving for an Inter-Club meeting – designed by Kiwanis International to encourage clubs to visit other groups in their district – Kiser said that the club's gathering had been moved to the town's park for their Kids Day activities.

"We said to each other 'Wow, this is something we can do for our community at the park,'" said Kiser. "We thought it would be a great way for us to connect with the young people in town, which is what we're all about."

Launching a Kids Day of their own, the Monticello Kiwanis club has a full slate of activities lined up for their July 21 event. Open to children 12 and under, Kiwanis "Kids Day" in the Park is being provided without any cost to visitors.

Included in the day will be free food served from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., as well as a wide array of activities and games - with exciting prizes in store for participating children. Also visiting the park will be representatives from local law enforcement agencies - including the fire department, police department K-9 unit and the Department of Natural Resources - giving kids a chance to get a closer look at the jobs they perform.

For organizer Mary Walters, the new event added to the busy Kiwanis schedule is one that aligns itself neatly with the group's overall mission of "serving the children of the world."

"The exciting thing about this event is that it serves as a terrific way to reach out to our community ... it matches our mission statement perfectly," said Walters, who encourages young people citywide to check out the activities at the City Park, located on South Main Street in Monticello.

"Hopefully this will be something that can become an annual event for us."