It was fantastic. It was for families. It was fun. And it was a festival.
Barrhead’s second F4 event lived up to expectations, blowing away those winter blues. New attractions like laser tagging, a planetarium and petting zoo gained rave reviews.
“Totally awesome,” “cool,” “just great” were some of the children’s verdicts.
Under bright blue Saturday skies, hundreds of people flocked to Barrhead Elementary School and the Agrena between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. for a feast of family entertainment. Some came from as far away as Whitecourt.
Wherever you turned, something was happening. Wherever you turned, there were smiling faces and occasionally high-pitched screams of joy.
At the BES gym there was a penny carnival, bouncy castle, blow up activities, face-painting and an “angry birds” game, which saw players using a slingshot-style launcher to shoot their targets.
As families wandered between the activities they were entertained by musical trio, The Celtic Crew: Tom Kruse, Mike Kruse and Emily Zdrodowski.
In the nearby amphitheatre long queues formed for a mobile planetarium resembling a giant grey igloo. People crawled through a small opening into a re-creation of the night sky to learn about our constellations.
“Awesome” was 11-year-old Siraj Assaf’s reaction as he emerged from the darkness.
Next door in the library something crafty was going on. Look between the bookshelves and you saw children on the floor in Lego land, constructing a city under the watchful, helpful eyes of parents.
Meanwhile, in the Agrena Multipurpose Room the action had been intense all day as youngsters – and a fair few adults – dressed up like space-age warriors to battle it out with laser guns.
Volunteers Dustin Bilyk and his wife, Ally, reckoned more than 200 people entered the darkened combat zone, which featured a maze of partitions, good for concealment and ambushing an opponent.
“The best part was the number of parents and grand-parents who wanted to have a go,” laughed Dustin.
“I love to do this kind of work. To see the joy it brings makes it worthwhile.”
Eight-year-old Nicholas Bowick and his friend Brent Bombay, aged nine, endorsed Dustin’s word.
“It was great fun,” beamed Nicholas, who scored 2,050 points.
Another new attraction, a petting zoo, was also proving a big hit. Set up in the Zamboni area of the Agrena, it attracted a steady stream of children, who could not get enough of rabbits, lambs and other cuddly creatures.
Elsewhere in the Agrena complex, people enjoyed skating and free swimming, while across the parking lot there was billiards at the Seniors Drop-in Centre.
To make it easier for families to go between BES and the Agrena, organizers had laid on horse-draw sleigh rides, which added a touch of Christmas to the occasion. And for those who felt winter’s chill, there was a bonfire outside the Agrena, and a chance to sip hot chocolate and munch on a hot dog.
Adding to the excitement, random prizes were awarded all day. One lucky family also scooped the grand prize: a weekend getaway at Camp Nakamun.
F4 committee member Dave McKenzie said initial estimates suggested numbers were at least as good as last year: at least 700 people came.
“It was an absolutely amazing day,” he said. “There were a lot of people here from last year.
“Of course, we had some different activities this year and the comments we have been getting have been very good. It was a great event all round.”
“I think we were better organized this year,” he added. “We also had better public awareness before the day. Everything went really smoothly. I didn’t hear of any hiccups during day.”
McKenzie believed the new attractions like laser tag would be brought back in 2015.
For children like Nicholas Bowick and Brent Bombay next February can’t come soon enough.
