By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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BELVIDERE — The Belvidere Township Park District is taking a bevy of games — from bag toss to a kid-safe version of ax throwing — on the road this summer with its new Park & Play Mobile activity bus.
The district unveiled the pop up outdoor recreation station on Tuesday with a play session in front of its administration building on Lincoln Avenue. This summer, you’ll find the former 15-passenger bus at all sorts of stops from the upcoming Build-a-Bike giveaway on May 15 to Up in the Air on Sept. 9, among dozens of other locations.
“Every two to three weeks we’re at a different neighborhood park, and we’ll set up and hopefully people from those surrounding areas will come out and join us,” said Aly Graham, superintendent of recreation. “We’re excited to bring the party to different areas.”
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The Park & Play Mobile was a 2006 passenger bus that carried youth for after-school activities, but after 18 years on the road the district needed a new vehicle for its young passengers. Graham was instrumental in creating the new use for the vehicle, but she said it was a districtwide collaborative effort.
“We thought, we can’t continue to use it to transport passengers, but let’s think of something else,” Graham said. “We were able to purchase some equipment and create this idea and put it into reality.”
The district won a $2,500 grant from the Community Foundation of Boone County to convert the bus into a mobile station for games. It’s filled with footballs, soccer balls, oversized Jenga-style and Connect Four games, bag toss, crafts such as painting and other activities. There is also a kid-friendly version of ax throwing with plastic blunted axes that stick to a bristled target.
Carlos Villarreal, recreation supervisor for facilities and programs, will be in charge of bringing the Park & Play out into the community this summer. He said he looks forward to bringing more families outside and, hopefully, giving them the opportunity to learn about other park district programs at the same time.
“We want to bring the opportunity to them, (and) bring families back together and enjoy being outside again,” he said.
The activities are designed for all ages with games that parents can enjoy playing with their kids.
“No matter what the Belvidere Park District does, we get groups from all ages,” Villarreal said. “If we can incorporate something that can adapt to that we’re going to go 100% all in. Even adults love having fun and it’s still competitive.”
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas