by Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative
When the Town of Essex offers its annual Family Day event to the community, it always has a great turnout. And, participation continued to be steady during this year’s instalment on Monday, with around 180 people registering to participate in the activities, in addition to the walk-ins that were able to join in as space allowed.
From the Essex Aquatics Center, the Town of Essex offered crafts, bouncing castles, sports activities, and a swim session, all for free.
Making the activities offered on Family Day free, was thanks to a partnership the Town of Essex has with Pathway to Potential, which provides funding to the Town to ensure families can enjoy the activities for free.
Cynthia Cakebread, Manager of Recreation and Culture for the Town of Essex, said Essex is fortunate to be able to have a partnership with Path-way to Potential, which offers discretionary funds that support events like the Family Day activities.
In addition, an open gym pickleball session was held at the Maedel Community Center and skating sessions were available at the Essex Center Sports Complex.
“We have more options this year. We always anticipate the Family Day activities will be well attended, and it was,” Katie Bortolotto, Assistant Manager of Recreation Programs, said, as youths enthusiastically explored the activities set up inside the EDHS gym. “We see a lot of the families come back year-after-year.
The Family Day activities are a great way to draw in area families to explore the Town amenities and recreational programs that are available. Cakebread hopes that those who may not be aware of the programming the Town offers will be connected to that information by attending these free family sessions and be enticed to return to participate in registered programming in the spring.
“We are a lot more than just the pool and an arena,” she said, noting that since the Town hired its Assistant Manager of Recreation Programs in 2010, there has been a 2127% growth in revenue at the Recreation Complex.
Coming up, the Town of Essex is preparing for its March Break Camp, regular camps, and leadership programs. That will take the Town of Essex Recreation Department into its spring programming session.
To learn more about the programs available log on to essexconnect.ca.
Town staff members are also looking forward to the Bites with the Bunny event which will take place on March 24 at both the Essex Center Sports Complex and at the McGregor Community Center. Pre-registration is required to participate in this event.