Grandparents Day 2008

Sunday, September 7th is Grandparents Day! Yes, it seems like just another Hallmark holiday but sometimes it's good to have an excuse to call Grandma and Grandpa or send them a note to thank them for everything they do. And if you're lucky enough to live close by, even better! Wish them a happy Grandparents Day in person! :)

September ArtWalk

The third and final ArtWalk of 2008 will be held on Friday, September 19th, from 6 to 9 pm! This is a great downtown event featuring many artists' work as well as opportunities to create your own art. There will be great food, live music, dance and gymnastics performances, face painting, musical petting zoo, art scavenger hunt and much more! ArtWalk activities take place mostly on Main Street between 3rd and 6th Avenues - see a map of all the activities and locations here.

From ArtWalk's website: ArtWalk is a free evening of art exhibitions, music, live theatre, dance and children’s activities. A collaborative effort between businesses and arts organizations, ArtWalk transforms downtown Longmont businesses into galleries and promotes cultural arts for three fabulous evenings each year.

Rec Center events

Just a couple of notes about upcoming events at the Longmont Recreation Center:

- They're hosting a Father/Daughter Dance on Saturday, September 6th from 6 to 9 pm. Dads, Grandpas, Uncles bring your special girl to the Rec Center that night for a meal and dancing! Each daughter will receive a corsage as well as 2 5x7 pictures to remember the evening. Register now and you might be one of ten lucky winners of a limo ride to and from the event! Call the Rec Center at 303-774-4800 for more info.

- The Longmont Rec Center is closed September 8th through the 14th for maintenance!

- The Fall Brochure of classes and events came out a few weeks ago. You can always view it online at http://www.ci.longmont.co.us/rec/activities/brochure.htm! It's really easy to see how full classes are or register for them online too! There are way too many cool things to do to list in this post so go check out the brochure and find something great for you and/or your child - dance or swim classes, sports, tumbling and more!

Happy learning :)

Tomorrow is the first day of school for St. Vrain Valley schools. Kids, best of luck this year! Have fun learning new things and making new friends! Learn all you can from your amazing teachers!

Parents, best of luck this year! :) Enjoy your time helping with homework and hearing about your kids' days. If you're not already, get involved in your kids' school and keep in constant communication with their teachers. It really does help create the most positive learning environment possible! Pack a few surprises in their lunches now and then - a silly love note, a napkin with your child's favorite character on it, a sticker, or an extra snack to share with a friend. Speaking of friends, get to know your child's friends and their parents. I'm all about creating a sense of community whenever and wherever possible (you couldn't tell, could you?!) and your child's classroom seems like the ideal place to get plugged in and foster new relationships.

It's also a good time of year to be reminded, whether you have school age kids or not, to slow down in school zones, stop for school buses and watch out for crossing guards!

Here's to a great school year!

Fall 2008 JBF Sale

The JBF (Just Between Friends) sale is a huge consignment sale held at the Boulder County Fairgrounds twice a year. The Fall sale is just around the corner - August 22nd through the 25th. Admission is free and the doors are open to the public from 9 am to 7 pm. It's not to late to consign your gently used unwanted kids items! If you consign or volunteer to help out during the sale you get to shop early - before the doors open to the public. Happy bargain hunting :)

Itty Bitty City

Itty Bitty City starts up again on Friday, September 5th! Itty Bitty City is a drop-in open gym time for preschoolers (5 and under) at the St. Vrain Memorial Building (700 Longs Peak Avenue). They provide scooters, jump ropes, floor mats, bean bags, tricycles and rollerskates for kids and adults to play with. It costs $2 per child and is open each Friday between September and May from 9 to 11 am. It's a great way to burn off some energy especially in the winter!

Dog Swims

Kanemoto and Roosevelt Pools will host dog swims after the pools close for the season! Bring your friendly dogs to the pool for some fun splashing and ball chasing in the activity pools.

Kanemoto Pool - August 19th from 4 to 7 pm
Roosevelt Pool - August 20th from 4 to 7 pm

No people will be allowed to swim and the cost is $2 per dog :)

2008 Festival on Main

Isn't it great that Longmont has so many family friendly events? Here's another one! The 2008 Festival on Main will be held on Friday, August 22 from 6 to 9:30 in downtown Longmont. They close off Main Street during that time and the streets fill with food vendors, great music (Mojomama and Nachomen) and lots of activities. For more information see http://www.festivalonmain.com/. We went to this for the first time last year and I was amazed at how many people were on Main Street and how much there was to do!

LSO Oktoberfest 2008

The Longmont Symphony Orchestra's annual Oktoberfest fundraiser will be held Friday, September 5th and Saturday, September 6th from 4 pm to 10 pm at Roosevelt Park. There will be lots of live music, food and craft vendors and much more! Visit their website for more info.

Outdoor pool closing dates

We've spent many hours this summer at Longmont's great outdoor pools so it makes me a little sad to type their closing dates for the season! It seems like they just opened yesterday...

Kanemoto and Roosevelt Activity Pools close Sunday, August 17th, 2008. Kanemoto usually has a couple "dog swim" days after the official closing of the pool - I'll update when I know more.

Sunset Pool closes Sunday, September 7th, 2008.
Edited 8/27/08 - I just looked at the website again and now Sunset Pool closes 9/1...

Enjoy those last few summer pool days - especially in this 100 degree heat!

Family Field Day

Sorry for the lack of posting lately - our family's crazy busy schedule has me feeling a bit overwhelmed! I'm so looking forward to back to school time and being on more of a routine again! :)

Before that, though, you should check out the Rec Center's Family Field Day! It will be held on Sunday, August 10th, from 9 am to 3 pm at the Longmont Recreation Center.

Fishing Derby - 9 am to noon - $5/child

Picnic Time - Noon - 1 pm

Field Day Events - 1 pm - 3 pm - There will be a Potato Sack Race, Three Legged Race, 50-yard-dash, Ring Toss, Dunk Tank, Arm Wrestling, Tug o' Rope, Seed Spitting Contest, Water Balloon Toss and More! The Field Day portion of the schedule has been cancelled!

Homemade salsa contest - 11 am - $5 per entry

For more information call the Longmont Recreation Center at 303-774-8400.