A summer full of fun.
That is what the 2015 Summer Fun program was for many children. The camp is a program put on through the Town of Drumheller that takes place at the Badlands Community Facility.
One of two Summer Fun program coordinators, Lucy Deitzer, said this summer they changed up the program a bit.
“We just brought in some new fresh ideas and threw in some field trips we have never done before, and some themes that we hadn’t tried before and it turned out really well,” she said.
“The kids seemed to love it and they just kept coming. Parents would talk to other parents, new faces in town that just moved here got their kids in it to really start helping them make new friends and it was really great,” she told inSide Drumheller.
Deitzer said it wouldn’t have gone as well if it wasn’t for parent and community support.
She mentioned that the average numbers for children attending Summer Fun were about 30-35 per week with the majority falling in the high 20s to low 30’s.
“The beginning of the summer we even hit 48, close to 50. It is a program that needs to grow I think and really utilize the wonderful facility we do have for children’s programming,” she explained.
Deitzer explained that she and Brandon Schneider are the Summer Fun coordinators and along with them were three Summer Fun activity specialists, Georgia Page, Miranda Margus and Mitchell Toffan.
“Mitchell, Miranda and Georgia - we couldn’t have done it without them,” she said.
This year, Deitzer said the program tried to step outside of the usual field trips on Thursdays throughout the summer and ventured outside of the Drumheller area.
She explained the staff took the children to Calaway Park in Calgary, the Calgary wave pool, the Telus Spark Science Centre, the Royal Tyrrell Museum, the Atlas Coal Mine and Rosebud Theatre for the production of The Wizard of Oz.
“We got all the kids tickets to The Wizard of Oz. They got to experience a play, some of them for the first time ever,” she said.
She also mentioned that the staff had a few fun BBQ’s for the kids as well as planted trees with the seniors.
Now that the summer is over, Deitzer said the coordinators are getting ready for flex days during the school year.
“We are planning for flex days now so anytime the kids don’t have school on Friday’s, Brandon and I will do programming with them, take them for a full day of fun crafts, the fieldhouse, and swimming,” she said.
