School’s out, and the kids are looking for something to do. Is there anything fun and educational they could do? There is!
Every Tuesday morning, families can go down to Pioneer Park in Kenton County for a weekly event called Art in the Park.
“Basically, it’s an opportunity for kids to come and just be creative,” said Kenton County Recreation Program Coordinator Rhonda Ritzi.
When LINK nky visited Art in the Park this week, they were making things out of paper clay, but in July “we’ll be doing some nature weaving, wind chimes, finger labyrinths, and then fairy houses…,” Ritzi said. “There’s no rules. Just be creative.”
The events are put on in conjunction with the arts nonprofit Art Equals, based out of the Hellman Creative Center in Covington.
“Sometimes people just don’t feel like going into a studio because they don’t feel like they’re artistic enough,” said Art Equals Executive Director Charlotte Reed. “We really try and break down some of those mental barriers. One of the ways we do that is by coming into a park because a park is a nice place where people come and gather anyhow.”
“This is actually just our second time, so just a couple weeks” said Holly Leung, who attended on Tuesday with her kids. “We like it a lot.”
Another parent, Lauren Dedden, also attended Art in the Park with her kids. Dedden said they’d been coming for about a year.
Lauren Dedden’s daughter, Brooklyn Dedden, said she liked Art in the Park because it “gives me more information” about different kinds of art. She showed off her paper clay-caked hands.
“I feel like it’s something different for the kids to be able to get out in the community,” said Lauren Dedden.
Lauren Dedden pointed out that HeadStart, the federally funded preschool program, also attended the events to distribute information. Representatives from HeadStart had set a table near the pavilion where the families were working. A food truck from Seahan’s Coffee had also posted up in the parking lot.
“We really encourage everybody to come,” Reed said. “Of course, a lot of children come, but we encourage all the adults to create with the kids because we really feel like modeling that for kids – ‘I’m an adult, and I can create, and it’s OK,’ keeps them creating throughout their life.”
Art in the Park meets every Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Pioneer Park on Madison Pike. The events are free and open to the public. Check out Kenton County’s events calendar to learn about the planned crafts for each week and see other things going in Kenton County.