MOUNT VERNON — The 7th annual Family Fun Day at the Knox County Fairgrounds on Sunday afternoon was the equivalent of an expensive amusement park, without the expense. No Ferris wheels or roller-coasters were in sight, but they weren’t missed because there were inflatables, a fire truck, games, music, dancing and free food instead.
The event ran from noon until 4 p.m., and 1,500 people arrived in the first half-hour, said Jennifer Odenweller, executive director of United Way. Free healthy lunches were given to the first 2,000 people. More than 6,000 people attended in 2007; more than 4,000 were at this year’s event.
“Yes, I do believe the numbers were down,” said Odenweller, “but quite frankly, I think it made the event more comfortable. For an event our size, that number is ideal. I had concerns last year because we couldn’t efficiently serve 6,000 people in a four-hour window of time ... even though it is a free event, we heard some frustrated families waiting in line [in 2007]. I was very concerned that we could have seen those numbers reach even higher levels this year ... I didn’t see impatient people waiting in long lines [this year] and that felt very good to us.
“We purposely stretched our activities down past the back of the grandstand and up three levels so that things were more spread out, allowing for a better flow of participants.”
Children and adults alike found plenty of fun to share. The Agricultural Museum, log cabin and one-room schoolhouse were open for tours, and the petting zoo was a popular stop.
Kate Alden and her daughter, Robin, from Danville, brought their dairy cow and two of their calves; the Aldens were volunteering at Family Fun Day for the first time. Children especially liked looking at the calves, and adults were amused at the sight of Allisyn the calf peacefully napping with Robin’s friend, Stacey Jones, 16, inside the pen.
The Smith family — Tim, and his sons Noah, 9, and Matt, 14, of Fredericktown — signed up for the “Amazing Race: Family Edition,” sponsored by The Seventh-day Adventist Church Ohio Conference. Families visited designated locations together to win a family photo and have a chance to win a digital camera. Tim’s mom, Darla Smith, got them started on the race, then left to volunteer at the Head Start booth.
Sasha Deever, 6, was at Family Fun Day with her brother, Jacob, 4; her father, John; and Lisa Swaim, all of Mount Vernon.
Although the petting zoo was their first stop, Sasha already knew what she liked best.
“Getting to pet the animals,” she said.
Becky Knight of Mount Vernon followed her sons, Donivon Desich, 7, and Dailon Sapp, 5, as they raced toward the Ohio Department of Natural Resources trailer set up to simulate hunting and teach hunter safety.
“Donivon loves anything about hunting,” Knight said.
Volunteers Vaughn Thomas and John Yarman, and ODNR Wildlife Officer Bill Bullard, helped the boys digitally “shoot” a gun at a moving light in the back of the ODNR trailer.
“This is a laser shot program,” said Bullard. “It simulates guns, whether it’s a trap shoot, ducks or doves. It’s a way for kids to get a feel for guns without having a B-B gun or something like that.”
Inside the merchant’s building, Wildlife Officer Mike Miller, John Yarman Sr. and Norman Lower manned the ODNR booth, handing out plastic bracelets and temporary tattoos, as well as life history literature for children to read.
Family Fun Day also provided a corn toss, crafts to make, shuttle rides, 4-H archery and family photos, plus karate demonstrations, a dance contest, balloons and cotton candy, free ice cream and popcorn and Frisbee golf. A disc jockey played music, and one mother and her young children danced down the hillside to “The Electric Slide.” There was also a teen style show, a fire truck display and a car crash display.
Odenweller said a heart-warming moment unfolded just before the event ended.
“A little girl cried her eyes out not wanting to leave, and having missed her normal afternoon nap. I asked her if there was something I could do to make her feel better. She stopped crying, gave it some serious thought and said, ‘Tell my daddy I just can’t have any more fun today.’ A bottle of water calmed her down and the family kindly helped us clean up ... before they went home so everyone could take a nap. I think we wore them out, but they said that all five of them had a blast.”
