FAMILY FUN DAY IN THE TOWNSHIP – Voice Of The Township

September is bringing her usual glory this year; beautiful days when the sun seems to be coming in on a different slant, showing off the rich colors of our Midwestern autumn. Just down the road from our office on Superior Street is a new downtown treat. Promenade Park opened up last month, and it is giving us a whole new take on our beautiful river system. I especially like the sculpture at the entrance of the park, called “Convergence,” that celebrates the coming together of our rivers. I can see that idea in it, but I also see other things. Depending on where you stand it can look like rivers, like a rising bird or sometimes even like a white guitar.

With all of this outdoor beauty, it is no wonder that we have so many fall festivals at this time of year. There’s the Johnny Appleseed Festival, the Fort4Fitness Fall Festival, the German Heritage Society’s Oktoberfest to name a few. This year the Wayne Township Trustee Office will be jumping on the bandwagon and hosting our own Family Fun Day on October 12 here at the township.

A little history: for the past eight years we’ve been treating the Wayne Township community to an annual Holiday Celebration in mid-December. We held the first celebration in 2012 at the Roller Dome South in Waynedale. We were amazed when over 2,000 attendees came out to enjoy food, music, skating and prizes. Then we saw almost as many attendees the following year in spite blizzard conditions. When the Roller Dome South closed the following year, we moved our winter party to the McMillen Park Community Center and added new games, bounce houses, a petting zoo and more gifts focused on promoting education.

This year we’ve decided to try something new and change the venue for our celebration. On Saturday, October 12 from 12-3:00 PM, we will be closing off Barr Street and holding a Family Fun Day here on the township property at 320 E. Superior. We will have many of the same activities we enjoyed at McMillen plus more; games, entertainment, fun educational activities all in the great fall weather that Fort Wayne enjoys in October. We’ll have bounce houses, a dunk-tank, drinks and snacks, and activities both inside and out. Several community vendors will be making an appearance, including Francine’s Friends Mobile Mammography.

Click to advertise on this website

At the same time, we will begin handing out applications for the 2020 Recognizing Achievement Scholarship (the RAS) for high school seniors and, for the younger children, the Academic Encouragement Award (the AEA). This will be our eighth year offering the RAS and our fourth offering the AEA.

All of this is done without using Wayne Township tax dollars. We get donations from many community friends and donors, and we raise funds from amongst our own staff.

I am looking forward to an afternoon of camaraderie and fun in the autumn sun, and I invite you, your family and all your friends to join us. I guarantee you’ll leave with a smile on your face.