June 6, 2019 - Mayor Tom Henry and Parks and Recreation Director Steve McDaniel joined representatives from the Parks and Recreation Community Youth Center staff at Lakeside Park on Thursday morning to announce the beginning of the 2019 Summer Playground Program.
Children ages 5 to 18 who are still in school, can participate in the program from 9am to 5pm through July 26 for fun, interactive activities throughout the day, and this program is held at five local playgrounds: Hamilton Park, Lafayette Park, Memorial Park, Packard Park, and Lakeside Park, along with the city’s three youth centers: Weisser Park Youth Center, Cooper Community Center, and Jennings Recreation Center. All five playground sites and the Youth Centers are supervised by qualified, trained staff.
Kickball, t-ball, bumper pool, Mancala, basketball, arts & crafts, and field trips are just a few of the exciting activities planned for the summer playground program. Children can also enjoy a FREE lunch or snack provided by Fort Wayne Community Schools.
McDaniel said, “We believe keeping kids active is extremely important in establishing a pattern of wellness, along with engaging and interactive play, like what happens every day in our Fort Wayne playgrounds. Keeping our children active and engaged is vital to the development of a healthy community.”
Families are also invited to three FREE Family Fun Nights featuring games, food and activities. These will be held at Lakeside, Memorial and Packard Parks, and more information about these events can be found at fortwayneparks.org, under Youth Programs.