Twenty-Nine Years of Celebrating Families! September 19
Family Day at the Park is celebrating its 29th year of highlighting reading and literacy with a community celebration that is a free family event. This year’s Family Day returns to Weber Point Events Center in downtown Stockton from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 19.
“Family Day in the Park was one of the first events we put on for the community and it’s longevity is testament to how much the community enjoys the one-day event,” said Carrie Sass, who has been organizing the event with her daughter-in-law Anna Sass at SASS! Public Relations. “Since its inception, it keeps growing and the community keeps showing up both to support it and to enjoy the day.”
Family Day is presented by the Library and Literacy Foundation of San Joaquin County and The Record. “We are thrilled to have this annual event that encourages reading and literacy, especially now when so many children have cell phones or tablets that might distract them from picking up a good book,” Anna Sass, one of the event organizers, said. “We typically have about 80 community nonprofits, service organizations and businesses that host booths at the event and we ask each one to host an interactive project that kids can work hands-on.”
Family Day stands out with massive balloon displays welcoming attendees to Healthy Highway, Safety City, Recreation Road, King Author’s Court, Transportation Nation and more. The day kicks off with a mascot parade in Safety City. Last year, the University of the Pacific Power Cat was joined by mascots from Delta College, the Stockton Kings, the Stockton Ports and a whole host of superheroes. Everyone is invited to march along and, of course, there are plenty of photo opportunities. Later in the day, superheroes and princesses from University of the Pacific read stories to the children in attendance. And at King Author’s Court, local authors read their storybooks.
“Family Day at the Park is a truly unique event focused on kids,” Anna said. “The local businesses and nonprofits come up with extremely creative, interactive experiences and the event simply wouldn’t be possible without their support. From taking home a free book and learning about bike safety to exploring the city’s water hyacinth boat, there is an endless variety of activities for kids to enjoy.”
The event features live music, clowns and other performers. There will be food and refreshments for purchase and many of the vendors give out freebies such as free books, treats or little novelty toys.
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