Fun for the whole crew at Family Fun Fest in DeKalb

DeKALB – Area residents flocked to Hopkins Park Thursday to take part in fun designed for the whole family.

The DeKalb Chamber of Commerce partnered with the DeKalb Park District and the city of DeKalb to host Family Fun Fest, a local business expo aimed at kids and their families.

Sycamore resident Chad Askeland was helping his wife, Krystle, to push a stroller that seated their kids, Blayne and Hazel. He said he was motivated to give the event a try after his wife found information online, and heralded the event giving exposure to area businesses.

“We got to keep money in the community,” Askeland said.

Chad gave kudos to the DeKalb chamber for putting the event together.

“It brings awareness to things,” Akseland said. “The kids get to play some games, win some prizes.”

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Amari'lee Rogers, 2, from DeKalb, plays in the ballpit at the Westside Children's Therapy booth Thursday, July 21, 2022, during the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce Family Fun Fest at Hopkins Park in DeKalb. (Mark Busch - mbusch@shawmedia.com/Mark Busch - mbusch@shawmedia.co)

DeKalb Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Matt Duffy said it’s exciting to know the event has achieved such longevity that it’s been around 10 years.

“It’s an event that we started off on South Fourth Street,” Duffy said. “We did it with maybe 20 vendors the first year event, to do something for families the middle of the summer. And it just kept getting bigger and bigger. We moved it to Hopkins Park. It continues to expand.”

This year, the event drew 46 different businesses and nonprofit agencies to run vendor booths and showcase offerings, information, giveaways, games and activities.

Duffy said the free exposure that participating businesses get is win-win for everyone.

“We want the families to know about the businesses that we have in the community,” Duffy said. “This is a great opportunity for them. They’re playing games, they’re winning prizes, they’re meeting people, they’re doing fun things. For us, it’s an opportunity.”

Among the vendors with representatives on hand for the event were Elder Care Services, Fargo Skateboarding and Pay-It-Forward House.

Miranda Cordes, owner of Dimensions Dance Academy, said she and her staff make it a tradition to set up a booth at Family Fun Fest. She said it has proved to be beneficial to be at the event in the past.

“We find actually a majority of the kids we know already, which is great,” Cordes said. “We have been able to find new ones.”

At Dimensions Dance Academy, students perform a variety of dance from ballet and jazz to contemporary and tap.

Cordes said this is where the dance academy strives to separate itself from other dance programs.

“We like to be all inclusive,” Cordes said. “We have something to offer for everybody. So, we really have a big variety of ages, classes and abilities.”

Tiffany Tucker of Beauty Leaders Advocating for Change (BLAC), had a booth set up at Family Fun Fest with an activity for the kids to enjoy. She said she wanted to use the event as a way to create greater exposure for her nonprofit, which aims to provide services for mental health, leadership development, community service and academic support.

“We found that this is a way to engage a lot of parents and kids and then our community,” Tucker said.

Tucker said the feedback she’s getting from people at Family Fun Fest has been received well.

“They’re saying it wasn’t what they expected it to be in a good way is what I keep hearing,” Tucker said. “It sounds like we’re just doing a lot mental health stuff, but then the way we do it, we pair it with fun activities. So, the kids are actually surprised that when they come to us that that it’s not what they expected.”

Sycamore resident Jim Cole was perusing the vendor booths with his son. Cole said he likes the concept behind Family Fun Fest. He said supporting local is important because “even the small people have a voice and they should be heard.”

This year was Cole’s first time attending Family Fun Fest.

Cole said he can envision himself making it a tradition to go to Family Fun Fest every summer moving forward.