For over 50 years, Lake County Parks and Recreation has cared for some of the county’s most important historical and natural locations. While the Lake County Parks and Rec staff enjoy putting on these tried-and-true events, the team is always creating new programs for community members to enjoy. Two of the latest programs to be featured on the Lake County Parks and Rec roster this summer were Insectival and the Kid Biz Market.
Kara Mackey, assistant superintendent of special facilities and recreation for Lake County Parks and Rec, works to make sure that Lake County Parks and Rec continues to offer fun and interesting programs to Lake County residents.
“Each event is a new opportunity to invite people to our parks,” Mackey said. “Parks are for everyone and we are always trying to reach a broader audience by coming up with fresh ideas for new programs. We want people to leave our events feeling a bit more joyful, a bit more engaged, and a bit more curious. As the saying goes, you can’t ask children to save the planet before you teach them to love it. Every event that we host is an opportunity for children, teens, and even adults to fall in love with the natural world and want to protect it.”
Insectival, which made its debut at Oak Ridge Prairie on July 13, allowed families to learn about insects and the role they play in the ecosystem. Several Lake County Parks and Rec’s partners in conservation participated in the event. These included Purdue Extension Lake County, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, the Illiana Beekeeper Alliance, Highland Neighbors for Sustainability, the Girl Scouts of the USA, and Liubakka Art Studio.
The activities offered at Insectival included face painting, pipecleaner bug crafts, water bug discovery at the Oak Ridge Prairie pond, a bug petting zoo, and even a mini hike in the woods, during which participants could roll logs aside to see what kinds of bugs were living there. Cricket Creamery provided the attendees with delicious ice cream and their choice of topping: dehydrated crickets or gummy worms.
Mackey considers the first run of Insectival to be a success and is looking forward to making next year’s installment even bigger and better.
“We wanted to put on a large-scale introductory nature education program at Oak Ridge Prairie since it hasn’t been programmed as thoroughly as some of our other parks,” Mackey said. “The goal of Insectival was to introduce kids to the world of insects in a way that was silly and fun instead of scary. Our partners in conservation took it upon themselves to bring activities of their own which was an outstanding added bonus. They all put so much thought and care into their stations. Even passersby on the trail would stop to check out the event and be a part of it. Everyone left Insectival full of joy and with a better understanding of the world around them.”
On July 26, Lake County Parks and Rec debuted another new program, the Kid Biz Market, at Stoney Run County Park. This event invited young entrepreneurs aged about 5 to 14 to sell their homemade merchandise to the public. About 25 young vendors participated in the event and sold items like popsicle stick boomerangs, rubber band and beaded bracelets, crocheted creations, and even homemade slime.
Each vendor was asked to decorate their booths and a competition was held for the best booth design. The winners of the contest received tickets to Deep River Water Park and Bellaboo's. A food truck was on-site to provide the attendees with dinner and Snowie Express Bus served up some scrumptious frozen treats for dessert. Mackey and a mother from the community created the Kid Biz Market to offer kids a fun summer project. Mackey enjoyed seeing the young vendors’ creativity and business acumen at work during the Kid Biz Market.
“They knew what other kids would want to buy,” Mackey said. “For example, one of the vendors was a young girl who made super affordable stress balls. She would fill balloons with flour and draw faces on them. Since kids are both tactile and curious, not one child passed by her booth without giving one of those balloons a squish. Another vendor dressed up as the trainer Ash Ketchum from Pokémon and shared his wealth of knowledge about the Pokémon cards he was selling. The kids let their creativity shine and got to do something they enjoyed. They also got to see their efforts pay off, which is a beautiful outcome for this event. The Kid Biz market was a success and we are very excited for next year’s installment."
Mackey and the rest of the Lake County Parks and Rec team plan to put on two more new events as the holiday season approaches. On December 6, they will host the very first ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas at the Mill event at Deep River County Park. This charming Christmas celebration captures the spirit of the timeless poem and features both carolers and lighted trail walks. Attendees can enjoy some hot cocoa by the fire and make their own reindeer food to take home. They will also be able to visit the General Store to purchase candy sticks, maple syrup, and apple butter.
The last Lake County Parks and Rec event to debut this year will be the Glow Skate New Year’s Eve Bash at Deep River Waterpark. At this family-friendly event, which takes place on December 31, attendees decked out in their brightest outfits can ring in the new year by skating along to an awesome New Year’s Eve playlist and participating in the Neon Toast at 7 p.m.
Please visit lakecountyparks.com for more information on the ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas at the Mill and Glow Skate events as well as Lake County Parks and Rec’s other upcoming programs.
