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Health & Fitness

Monday Park Playbook: Fall Fun!

Welcome back to a brand new school year! New classes, new teachers, and a great opportunity for your child to try a new activity. Are they artistic? Athletic? Adventurous? We believe that after-school activities can change a child's life. They can help kids develop stronger social skills and help them build supportive relationships with adults other than their parents. After-school activities provide a positive, inclusive environment where kids can learn about collaboration, team work, and good sportsmanship. Most important, they keep children safe and help to protect them from negative and unsafe behaviors.

On August 26, fall registration begins for Des Plaines Park District programs, classes, and events. From archery to art classes, from music to martial arts, you will find a wide variety of choices for kids and teens, and great things for adults and seniors, too. Most classes meet once a week, so you can enrich your child’s life, without over scheduling. Copies of the Spectrum Fall Program Guide are available in all of our facilities and online at www.DPParks.org. Keep your eye out for these exciting events and new activities:

Save the Date:

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September 13-15: Fall Fest, the three-day family friendly festival at Lake Park, returns with free admission, free parking, and free concerts, a full carnival with rides, games and a kid’s midway; delicious food and beverages, including beer and a European-style Wine Garden; a KidZone! with crafts, pony rides, entertainment, and the Interactive PlayZone; adult bags tournaments; a custom car show; a Chamber of Commerce Consumer Expo; a fishing derby; a History Center Country Fair Tent with costumed interpreters; and some of the best bands around. For more information visit www.FallFestDesPlaines.com.

September 22: Punt, Pass & Kick Competition. FREE! Every year, more than 400,000 youngsters nationwide compete in the NFL Punt, Pass & Kick program! PP&K offers boys and girls the opportunity to compete individually against their peers in punting, passing and kicking contests (based on distance and accuracy) in local, sectional, NFL Team Championship and National Final levels. Five age groups are eligible to compete in separate boys’ and girls’ divisions:
6–7, 8–9, 10–11, 12–13, and 14–15. Score!

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October 6: Des Plaines Bike Challenge: a brand new team-based bike event. The route is approximately 9 miles and will take you through Des Plaines neighborhood locations. At each stop, you will be asked to complete a team challenge. When you do, you will get another clue directing your team to the next location.

October 19: Mother and Son Dominoes & Dinner: You and your son can spend an evening playing dominoes, building a fall, and enjoying a great pizza dinner. At the end of the night, we are all going to get together to create one enormous gym-size fall. Who knows? Maybe we can break Ma Li Hua’s 2003 record fall of 303,621 dominoes toppled.

October 25-27: Haunted Hole-O-Ween. This is the weekend when the ghosts and ghouls of the old Mountain View mining town come out to haunt those brave souls who dare to play on their 18-hole mini-golf course at Halloween! Live ghosts and ghouls are on the course beginning at 8:00pm on Friday and Saturday, and 7:00pm on Sunday. Kids who come in costume will receive a special treat for joining in on our fun. Boo!

November 2: Des Plaines Park District Chess Open. Boys and girls in Kindergarten through High School are invited to participate in the first Des Plaines Park District Chess Open, a competitive Round-Robin Chess Tournament. Players will match wits once with every player in their division; divisions are determined by grade. Check (it out) mate!

See you around the parks!

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