Port Vue children enjoy Fun to Be a Kid Day

Firefighters turned on the water cannon to help the kids cool off and give them puddles to play in.

By JIM BUSCH
For the MVI

Despite the 90-degree temperatures, a large crowd of children and their parents gathered Sunday afternoon to celebrate Port Vue’s 28th annual Fun to Be a Kid Day.

The baseball field adjacent to the Port Vue Recreation Center was transformed into a wonderland for the borough’s children with games, craft tables, a bouncy castle, an obstacle course, an inflatable slide and a petting zoo.

The event started with remarks from Council President Mark D. Tortorice, retiring state Sen. Jim Brewster and state Rep. Nick Pisciottano, who joked that Brewster would be scaling the climbing wall after the opening ceremony.

Local and state officials also recognized two Little League teams. The officials took turns presenting medals and shaking the hands of the Port Vue Athletic Association’s age 10 and under team, which finished second in its division. They repeated the process with the 8 and under team, which went undefeated.

Tortorice spoke about the history of Fun to Be a Kid Day. Born and raised in Port Vue, he was a junior councilman when he came up with the idea of a day dedicated to the borough’s children.

As a young athlete, he felt bad for the kids who weren’t members of a team and didn’t receive any recognition. He wanted to create a day that would recognize all of the borough’s children. He’s happy about how the event has grown over the years.

“The first year we had 30 kids and a budget of $300, this year we have 300 kids and a budget of $10,000,” he told the crowd. “We love doing this for the kids. It’s great to see them all having so much fun.”

Everyone who attended the event received a colorful T-shirt. The back of the shirts listed 40 local busi- nesses and individuals that donated to Fun to Be a Kid Day.

At the registration desk, Port Vue kids were entered into a drawing with a chance to win one of 16 new bicycles. The bikes ranged from sidewalk bikes for toddlers to full-size mountain bikes, and each one came with a matching bike helmet.

The ballfield fence was lined with booths staffed with volunteers from local organizations where kids could try their hand at games of chance and skill to win prizes. The groups participating included the Port Vue Athletic Association, the Port Vue United Methodist Pre-School, the Port Vue American Legion, and the Port Vue Citizens

Committee.

At the Port Vue Police booth, parents could pick up a package of information on keeping their kids safe while their little ones met “Officer Chase,” from the television show “Paw Patrol.”

The kids enjoyed playing games of skill at the Vigilant Hose Company No. 1 booth, but they enjoyed what the fire company had for them in the recreation center parking lot even more.

Firefighters used the water cannon on their pumper truck to create an impromptu spray park for the kids. The children loved skipping through the cloud of cool water and engaging in the favorite childhood pleasure of jumping in puddles. In the sweltering weather, even a few adults cooled off in the cascading water.

Kids lined up to take their turns in the inflatable bouncy house, obstacle course and giant slide. Brave kids strapped on safety harnesses and attempted to scale the climbing wall at the corner of the field. The boys and girls of Port Vue proved themselves to be quite agile while their proud parents and grandparents help their breath and looked on.

One of the most popular attractions, particularly for the younger kids, at the event was the petting zoo. Kids got to pet and feed goats, sheep, cows and little pigs.