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By Amelia Tarallo
Hometown Weekly Staff
It’s rare to have a sunny, warm day in the middle of January. It’s even rarer to find the perfect way to spend such a day. Hale Reservation was ready though, with their already-scheduled annual Winter Family Fun Day on Saturday, January 11. With temperatures touching the higher 60s on the day, the scheduled date seemed more than a little prescient.
Families arrived for the Family Fun Day, where they were greeted by the sight of children running around and families sitting on the porch of the check-in cabin. Some families jumped straight into playing some rounds of ladder ball, croquet, or bucket ball.
Other families walked up the hill to another cabin area to enjoy making and eating s’mores, face painting, and some crafts. Some kids took the time to observe the variety of animal skulls and skeletons on display, all belonging to species that live at Hale. Older kids and their parents took a chance with archery, or took a nature hike around the property.
The Toe Jam Puppet Band excited all of the kids, many rushing back from face painting and crafts to hear some of their favorite tunes. Strumming on guitars, the two band members sang some kid-friendly tunes including “The Car Seat Shuffle” and “The Hokey Pokey.” Everyone’s favorite song seemed to be one about doing laundry, an activity most children don’t typically enjoy. As one band member sang the song, the other ran around the field tossing clothes out of a laundry basket. The kids couldn’t help but giggle as they tried their hardest to put the clothes back in the laundry bucket, only to have them flung right back out.
This is the second year Hale has hosted their Winter Family Fun Day celebration. Last year’s featured more snow and some much cooler temperatures. The warmer weather made the day even more enjoyable for families, who traded their boots for flip-flops.
“We just want people to know we’re open year-round,” said Camp Director Calder Akin. “We run a lot of programs during the summer, that’s what we’re known for. But we like to provide outdoor educational interactive experience for kids and families year-round.”
Though it only lasted a few hours, the event was also a fantastic reminder that the outdoors provides seemingly endless entertainment.
