Parks Alive in Ironton will have activities for kids

There will be three days of summer fun for kids with a Parks Alive event this week.

The event will be held from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at Etna Park, which is at Fourth and Etna streets in Ironton. There will be numerous activities for children ages 3-12 and free lunch everyday.

Sam Heighton, the director of Ironton aLive, said that on Tuesday, there will be games for the kids.

“Tuesday will be a ‘get acquainted’ type thing, there will be games like corn hole and Frisbee,” he said. “That way we can see how many kids we have and then we can plan the next two days.”

At 11 a.m. on Wednesday, there will be a bike safety rodeo with Matthew Herbert from St. Mary’s Medical Center’s TIPS programs, which tries to prevent injuries from unsafe use of vehicles.

At 11 a.m. on Thursday, there will be skateboard contests.

They will also be giving away two bicycles and safety helmets.

Heighton said that Parks Alive is an anti-drug event and a way to get kids out of the house and let them play.

“For the older kids, when they get up around 11 and 12, that’s when many are first exposed to drug habits,” he said. “We want to show them an alternative. We are going to have people there to talk about being around drugs.”

The Ironton-Lawrence County Action Organization will offer bus rides from the Riverhills Community Center on Ninth Street to the Etna Street Park.

Parks Alive is sponsored by the Ironton On The Move Coalition, the Friends of Ironton, Ironton aLive, Ironton-Lawrence CAO and Impact Prevention.