Little Bay Park

The Daily Plant : Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Back To School Is Cool!

Photo by Janice Melnick

Little Bay Park in Queens was host to its first Back to School Festival on Saturday, September 9.  On a beautiful sunny day, over 1,000 children and families enjoyed the park and the picturesque waterfront views of the Long Island Sound.

The festival was created to help ease kids back into the school transition by allowing them to be carefree and have fun.  The kids were treated to games, rides, arts & crafts, face painting, and a grand old time.  There were free giveaways, including notebooks and crayons courtesy of the Queens Coalition for Parks, along with Parks rulers, clips with compasses, and chapstick.  Free popcorn and cotton candy was also available for all.

The event was organized by Northeast Queens Park Administrator Janice Melnick with additional funding provided by City Council Member Tony Avella.  The Queens Library participated and provided information and bookmarks.  One highlight was the turtle that the Alley Pond Environmental Center (APEC) brought.  The kids were thrilled to touch a live turtle and the turtle was pretty excited about getting out of his cage to roam the grassy field.

Other activities included the popular horse race game and life-size chess and checkers.  The Urban Park Rangers were on hand, educating the crowd about the benefits of fruits and vegetables – even giving away a few tasty treats.  Central Recreation sent the mobile skate unit and taught kids how to rollerblade in the roller hockey rink.  They also stressed rollerblading safety; an important lesson as we go back to school.

“It was great to see the kids so happy and relaxed.  They were even excited about learning some new things and getting extra school supplies,” said Administrator Melnick.  “I think this will become an annual tradition to help kick off the school year.” 

Written by Susan Friedman

QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

“If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.”

Lewis Carroll
(1832 – 1898)