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Sitting in the Putnam Fire Department fire truck is always popular. More photos Wed. night on our FB page: Putnam Town Crier & Northeast Ledger. Linda Lemmon photos.
Victoria Huynh, 7, of Danielson, concentrates on coloring.
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — Healthy Kids Day — it’s a longstanding tradition and a tradition full of volunteers.
Amanda Kelly, executive director of the Hale YMCA Youth and Family Center, said: “Healthy Kids Day is a national YMCA event that typically happens in April at YMCAs throughout the country. The focus is on inspiring youth and families with physical activity, outdoor fun and creative ways to learn and grow and to feel like they belong to something greater. Due to the pandemic, our YMCA hasn’t had a full Healthy Kids Day with community partners since April of 2019.”
But Healthy Kids Day was here even before the Hale YMCA opened in 2016, she said. “And was run entirely by volunteers! In fact, this was fifth year running Healthy Kids Day since the Y opened and it ran for three or four years in our area by volunteers prior to that.”
This year’s edition saw 100 children and their families.
Activities/vendors included:
Two inflatables, slide and obstacle course from Henry’s Inflatables, Music by DJ Drew Daley, Archery, Gaga, a fire truck from Putnam Fire Department, Face painting provided by Simone G., an Obstacle Course provided by Northeast Opportunities for Wellness (NOW), Yard Games provided by Jump Zone.
Kelly said the event had many community partners including: Northeast Early Childhood Council, Day Kimball Hospital, TEEG, Drug Free CT, Senior Resources, Boy Scouts, Generations and The Last Green Valley
The highlights were definitely the dancing, the inflatables and archery which will be happening at this fall at the Y and at YMCA Camp Cutler next summer. DJ Drew Daley and Simone face painting and dancing all added to the party, she said.
Kelly said the feedback from children and families was overwhelmingly positive. “The kids said over and over that the YMCA had a great party! One YMCA member had her grandchildren visit from an hour and a half away and she thought it was a great event for children,” she added.
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