The third annual JeffCo Family Fun Day will be held Saturday with plenty of free activities. It will be held from 9 a.m. to noon outside the First Baptist Church of Arnold, 2012 Missouri State Road.
The Jefferson County Drug Prevention Coalition and Jefferson County Health Department sponsor the event.
Brianne Zwiener, communications manager for the Jefferson County Health Department, said no admission will be charged to take part in Family Fun Day, which will include bounce houses, treats from Kona Ice, a petting zoo, face painting and a balloon artist.
She said several new activities will be held this year, such as visits from Spider-Man and Cinderella, a balloon wall photo station, cotton candy-spinning, the Bubble Bus, music and the Health Department’s Smoothie Bike that allows attendees to make their own smoothies.
“The event is being held on the same day as the First Baptist Church of Arnold’s Strawberry Festival,” Zwiener said. “We hope this draws a bigger crowd for both events and provides something for everyone.”
The Strawberry Festival, a quilt auction and craft festival with fun strawberry foods, will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. inside the church. It is a fundraiser for the Missouri Baptist Children’s Home.
The Family Fun Day will be held outside the church under two large 30-by-50-foot tents, said Jillian Bissell of the Jefferson County Drug Prevention Coalition. It will be held rain or shine.
“(The tents) will help provide shade and protection from the elements since the event is outside,” Bissell said.
Zwiener said the first 500 community members who attend will receive food vouchers that may be redeemed at the Strawberry Festival.
“In our first year, we had around 250 attendees,” she said. “Last year we had 439 attendees. Because of the location at First Baptist, plenty of parking is available on site. We want to remind folks to bring a bag to carry all the goodies they get, and wear sunscreen. We will have lots of fun for kiddos of all ages.”
Two bounce houses will be outside. One is smaller for the younger children. The other is an obstacle course for the older kids.
The Health Department will have a bike rodeo for children to teach them about bike and scooter safety on a fun and interactive course. Families should bring their children’s bikes or scooters and helmets.
The Rock Community Fire Protection District will hold a spray-down for children at 11:30 a.m., weather permitting. Attendees will have the chance to check out a Rock Fire firetruck and a Rock Township ambulance.
Zwiener said more than 20 community partners will provide free activities, games and giveaways. Information about free or low-cost summer activities for families in Jefferson County will be provided.
She said it will cost about $9,500 to put on the event, and most of that will be funded by the Arnold Tourism Commission. The Health Department’s Maternal Child Health contract funding provided about $2,600 to promote the event through print and digital marketing.