The annual Family Fun Fest held Sunday at Lincolnwood Centennial Park celebrated the beginning of fall and offered families a unique variety of ourtdoor games in an outdoor setting for all ages – from kids to seniors.
Linda Vering, spokeswoman for Lincolnwood Parks and Recreation, said that while the goal is always to get people out to the parks for play time – organizers really wanted to “mix it up” this year.
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“Centennial Park is not a typical park and it has broad appeal,” Vering said. “For one thing it doesn’t have the usual playground feature, instead, it offers its own 18-statue sculpture park, bike path, kayaking, 6.5 miles of North Shore Channel Trail and it’s doggy-friendly too.”
For Family Fun Fest, organizers made use of Centennial’s grassy areas – generally used for picnicking, kiting or frisbee – by offering a D.J. dance party area, bounce house and gaga ball pit, while using other sites for outdoor craft-making, like flexible flyer design.
“We are excited about offering some new games like the gaga pit,” Vering said.
It’s an increasingly popular ball game believed to have been first developed by the Israeli Army as a way to keep soldiers active and agile.
“In gaga, the last person standing is the winner and the kids love it,” she said.
According to park district staff, the purpose of the festival was simply to get families out and moving around.
Diana Abraham-Maczko said she heard about Sunday’s while attending another communitywide event.
“We had so much fun there, I brought my daughter back to spend some time with kids from the local community,” she said.
“Family Fun Fest is a great community event because it gives the kids something to do on this very hot day,” said Lincolnwood resident Michelle Fox.
Gina Grillo is a freelancer.