5th Annual Kids to Parks Day held Saturday at Mills Park
Submitted by Kelsey Penrose on Sat, 05/20/2023 - 11:26am
The 5th annual Kids to Parks Day celebration featured music, food, outdoor activities from local organizations, educational booths, the Junior Park Ranger Olympics, and Junior Park Ranger Bike Races.
The whole community is invited to join in on this fun day of outdoor play.
“Kids to Parks Day is a national day of outdoor play celebrated annually on the third Saturday of May. The day connects kids and families with their local, state, and national parks and public lands through thousands of park events that promote discovery and exploration in the great outdoors.” – National Park Trust
Schedule of Events:
10:00am - Mayor Lori Bagwell will read the Kids to Parks Day 2023 official Proclamation and start the day
10:15am - Jr Park Ranger Olympics Official Start
10:30am - Jr Park Ranger Bike Races Official Start
12:00pm - University of Nevada 4-H Dog Club agility demonstration
1:00pm - Jr Park Ranger Bike Races final Race and winners awarded prizes donated by The Bike Smith and Bike Habitat
1:30pm - Jr Park Ranger Olympics end and winners awarded
2:00pm - Kids to Parks Day event ends, kids encouraged to visit other parks and keep celebrating the day
4:00pm – Wheelhouse Best Trick Competition Ends
The Junior Ranger Olympics will be a fun obstacle course consisting of 5 stages that’ll test Carson City Junior Park Rangers on the skills they need to become a future Park Ranger. Skills that will be tested include Packing a backpack, trail maintenance, physical agility, map and brochure sorting, first aid, and navigation. The course will kick off at 10:15am and will award fastest times at 1:30pm. It’s open to kids in grade levels 1st-3rd and 4th-6th. Prizes will be given to all 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners in the two age groups.
Beginning at 10:30am, Kids will be able to visit the Jr Ranger Bike Races station run by the Carson High School Senators Cycling Team to log the best time around the bike track. Kids can attempt as many times as possible to move up the leader board throughout the day. Kids may bring their own bike or check-out a bike depending on availability. The races end at 1:00pm. The Jr Ranger with the best time of the day will be awarded a brand-new Diamondback Bicycle donated by The Bike Smith.
The WheelHouse will be hosting the second annual Kids to Parks Day Best Trick Competition. The comp will begin at 10am and go to 4pm. They will be awarding prizes in the Skate, BMX and Scooter categories. There is $5 competition entry fee and sign ups will be available at the event beginning at 10am.
Bone Appetit Bar-B-Que Grill will be offering food and drinks for the event and will have a special kid’s menu exclusively for Kids to Parks Day. Scoups Ice Cream & Soup Bar will also be offering ice cream options.
Other booths and activities will include: America First Credit Union, Backcountry Horsemen of Nevada, Battle Born Home Health, Carson City Health and Human Services, Carson City Library, Click Bond, Computer Corps, Girl Scouts of the Sierra Nevada, The Greenhouse Project, Grocery Outlet, Messy Kids Art School, Salvation Army, Tazmanian Boxing, University of Nevada 4-H Clubs, and W.O.L.F!
You can find more information about Kids to Parks Day at https://www.carson.org/government/departments-g-z/parks-recreation-open-....
Special thanks to all the businesses that are supporting this event through donations: Bike Smith, Bike Habitat, Defy Sparks, Lisa Huffman, Nevada State Parks, Play it Again Sports, and Sportsman’s Warehouse.
If you'd like to be a volunteer for the event, set up a last-minute booth or activity, or any other general questions, contact Park Ranger Tyler Kerver at tkerver@carson.org or (775) 283-7307.
Parking will be available in and around Mills Park at 1111 E. Williams St. Carson City, NV 89701.
