Family fun activities

It was nice to see all of the children enjoying the activities at the "end of summer beach bash" that was held recently. I really enjoyed watching the tug-of-war and the watermelon-eating contest -- those kids really looked like they were having a lot of fun. One little gentleman was very intelligent with his clothing choices -- seems like he didn't want to get all messy while he was chowing down on that watermelon! Coming up next is our annual "Haunted Boardwalk" event on October 25th, beginning at 6:30 PM. This is one of those events that the children look forward to all year while talking about what fun they had last year. Speculation is always rampant about what kinds of delicious horrors will show up on the north end of the boardwalk at the "very" haunted house. Each year seems to top the last one! My household is looking forward to being delightfully horrified again this year! October 31st is Halloween and our Trick-or-Treat starts at 6:00 PM -- it'll have to be quick trip to the last Farmer's Market of the season so I don't miss the little trick-or-treaters that always visit our house. This year, there is a pumpkin contest at the Haunted Boardwalk with the winners to be exhibited at the Halloween night Farmer's Market --- sure don't want to miss that! It's great that our Town is getting back to offering more family-oriented activities that all of our citizens can participate in and have fun! Sometimes in the past it's seemed as though people forgot that a great many of our residents are children who need things to do and places to play. Not knocking the Boys and Girls club but it's only one part of the equation and not the be-all and end-all of providing children's activities in Town. We need to remember that children need playgrounds and "unstructured" play time, too. Those opportunities are what help them learn to become independent, problem-solving citizens in their own right. After all, they're the ones who will be running our Town when they grow up. What do we want them to remember most about their childhood here -- how it was always so much fun with many things to do or how there was no place to play and nothing ever got done because all of the adults kept arguing and fighting with each other over what was best for them? Think about it.....