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By Daniel Curtin
Hometown Weekly Contributor
Tents with lanterns glowing brightly spread across Kelly Field behind Bates Elementary School as families came out for an evening in the great outdoors last Saturday night. Children helped their parents set up the tents at the second annual family campout, hosted by the Wellesley Recreation Department and the Natural Resources Commission. Thirty people showed up to last year’s first campout; twice as many signed up for this year’s iteration.
Brandon Fitts, the deputy director for the Wellesley Recreation Department, was helping people sign in and making sure that families were set up and comfortable for the night.
“The idea of it is to have it be a laid-back, relaxed event. Unplug, put your cell phones away for the night, just spend some family time together,” Fitts said. “A lot of the kids here are under six years old, so it’s marketed as ‘come try out camping for the first time, and if it’s successful, maybe you can go do it for real.’”
All sorts of fun activities were spread out on the field for campers to enjoy, from giant Jenga and Connect Four to assorted spots. As parents and children finished setting up the tents, they enjoyed tasty wraps and other provided snacks.
The night featured the adventure of the outdoors, with many of the comforts of home thrown in for good measure. It was a step up from camping out in the backyard, but not as much work as having to drive up to the White Mountains in New Hampshire.
Jo Kaplan Lee was at the campout with her family. She had attended last year’s campout with just her oldest son; now he was helping hand out lanterns to the families as they arrived for the night.
One of the many fun activities at the annual campout.
Lucas Lima came out to camp with his five-year-old son. Lima and his son have gone camping before and enjoyed the different activities set up for the families.
“He loves camping, so I think it is a good opportunity to meet the other kids, and I can meet the other dads and moms,” Lima said.
Later in the night, once the sun went down, families enjoyed the warmth of a fire, where they roasted marshmallows and made s’mores.
The event will look to grow next year and continue to provide a nature-filled, fun, family event.
