Free fun is rocketing into the Rural Municipality (RM) of Hanover this week.
Tayleigh Giesbrecht, recreation programmer for the RM, says two Rec Fun Days are planned at Kleefeld Park—essentially one-off day camps for kids aged five to 13.
"The first one will be July 23 (from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.), that's a Wednesday, and the theme is space," she says. "On July 25...it's Arctic."
Led by the RM’s summer camp leaders, the days will be packed with creative crafts and interactive activities—including building a rocket ship launcher and making a woolly penguin.
Giesbrecht says the Rec Fun Days come in lieu of a summer camp that had to be cancelled.
"We thought, 'What's another way to still be in the community and offer an affordable recreation opportunity?'" she says.
It's the first time the Rec Fun Days are being held in the RM, she says, so no registration is required though parents will need to sign a waiver.
Fun in the park
On top of Rec Fun Days, Giesbrecht says the RM is also hosting Fun in the Park events in several communities throughout the summer.
"We're going to set out activities, crafts, that kind of stuff for the community to come to. Parents are required to stay, but it will be in your community in the morning or afternoon," she says.
These drop-in events are free and will run in the following locations:
Grunthal Centennial Park
- July 21 (9:30–11:30 a.m.)
- July 24 (1:30–3:30 p.m.)
- August 6 (1:30–3:30 p.m.)
Kleefeld Park
- July 21 (1:30–3:30 p.m.)
- August 7 (9:30–11:30 a.m.)
Abe G. Penner Park in Blumenort
- July 22 (9:30–11:30 a.m.)
- August 8 (1:30–3:30 p.m.)
New Bothwell Park
- July 22 (1:30–3:30 p.m.)
- August 8 (9:30–11:30 a.m.)
Mitchell Community Park
- July 24 (9:30–11:30 a.m.)
- August 7 (1:30–3:30 p.m.)
Giesbrecht says families who attend Rec Fun Day or Fun in the Park can enter a draw to win a free spot in New Bothwell's spy-themed day camp.
Written with files from Carly Koop