Clinton Family Day This Saturday!

“We had a gentleman who was doing a science experiment—had a little hovercraft-type thing—” Lois Ruggiero, coordinator of Clinton Family Day, recalled, laughing, “and circuits were blowing. We had to shut down some things so he could finish.”

Running a large outside event isn't easy.

“We’re constantly running out of ice,” she continued, listing the minor inconveniences she’s encountered in running the, now, six-year-old event. “We’re always doing ice runs.”

“The popcorn machine broke last year,” she went on. “The gentleman that we rent the waterslide from was on the phone with us and said, ‘Oh, I have one.’ [So], we had to rent a popcorn machine.”

“[But] we’ve been very fortunate,” she concluded, again chuckling, and added, “Knock on wood.”

Ruggiero has coordinated Clinton Family Day since its founding, having introduced the idea herself to a government sub-committee. Clinton hosted an intergenerational event like Family Day in the past, but on a much smaller scale.

“We were thinking of projects or events that we could do in town to get the community together and show children that there are events that you can do with your family that are fun and that [don’t] involve drugs and alcohol,” Ruggiero explained. “We got a committee together and off we went.”

The first iterations of Family Day were humble and pieced together with private funds and town subsidies. It has since blossomed into a free, family-oriented day of games, arts and crafts, activities, and prizes geared towards children ages 4-12 and their parents.

Ruggiero has turned planning Family Day into a family affair herself, enveloping daughters Kimberly and Andrea into the organizational committee. The group operates with streamlined efficiency, requiring but a few months of preparation to iron final details and track new initiatives.

In addition to Ruggiero and her daughters, others who volunteer on the Family Day committee include Amy King, Nancy Popp and Nancy William.

This year, she assured us, every participant will walk away with a prize. “The children know that they have to be busy and active,” she said.

Parents, too, are encouraged to get involved. “We don’t want parents just dropping off their children,” Ruggiero said. “Some of our races include the families’ interaction. We’re trying to reinforce the family unit.”

Popular attractions, like the tug-of-war, obstacle course, and waterslide, will make a repeat appearance this year (“They absolutely love the waterslide,” Ruggiero explained). A few new, exciting attractions will also be unveiled.

“Our sandcastle [contest] starts earlier,” said Ruggiero. “The children can start building as soon as they register.” Registration for the sandcastle contest, which has boasted as many as twenty participants in the past, begins at 8:30 a.m.

A schedule of events is attached as a .pdf file to this article.

“I’ve always been involved with the youth of the community,” Ruggiero said of her 30-year career volunteering, “through my job or [work] in other organizations. I believe in the youth in our community and I believe we should support them and let them know that the community cares about them.”

Through her years running Clinton Family Day, Ruggiero is most proud of the volunteer service provided by children who have aged out of Family Day’s demographic. “That’s probably the biggest ‘thank you’ that I could ever imagine,” she said. “It wouldn’t be possible to put on the event without the volunteers who show up.”

“I think that, in itself, it is worth the many hours of preparation,” she continued. “It just gives you a great feeling. Everyone has a smile on their face…it warms your heart.”

Clinton Family Day is Saturday, July 16, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the town beach. Free parking is available at town hall, where a free shuttle bus will transport attendees to the town beach and back. For more information on Clinton Family Day, visit www.clintonparkrec.com or call 860-669-6901.