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FAIRMONT -- Kids Just Want to Have Fun, a subcommittee of Project 1590, is gearing up for its Mother-Son event, to be held from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Nov. 7, at Bowlmor Lanes in Fairmont.
"We have really enjoyed being able to offer our two annual events. We do the Father-Daughter Dance in February, and that stayed steady in what we offer, but we've tried to switch up the Mother-Son event a little bit over the years, just trying to catch a bigger range of ages and find what the families enjoy doing," said Kids Just Want to Have Fun chair Laura Olsen.
After utilizing the Bethel Evangelical Free Church and the Southern Minnesota Educational Campus in Fairmont for previous years' events, Kids Just Want to Have Fun decided to make the move to Bowlmor Lanes for the Mother-Son Event for the first time last year.
"We had a lot of good feedback and a lot of people who wanted to do it again. So, we thought we would give it a go for the second year," Olsen recounted. "We were kind of looking for an activity that we could capture a wider range of ages, and bowling fit that well. The bowling alley had reached out to us a few years ago, wanting to partner with us or support us in different ways as they were changing ownership and building their family-oriented atmosphere."
The event, geared towards boys and their adult women guardians, offers unlimited bowling, pizza, cookies and beverages for $10 admission per person.
Citing the event's success last year, Olsen shared that Kids Just Want to Have Fun is anticipating another successful attendance.
"We have pre-registration. So, if there are larger groups that want to make sure that they all get on the same lane, we’ve allowed them to reserve a lane. There's a Sign Up Genius page they can use for that. At this point, we've already got over 40 participants registered. Last year, we got a lot of people who came kind of the day of and added to that number, too. We're looking forward to a good group," Olsen shared.
She explained why family and parent-child-focused events are important for the community.
"Life is busy for a lot of families, and I think it's good to have something already planned for you that you can more or less just show up to enjoy, and enjoy time with your children, or, you know, we get a lot of grandparents who bring their grandchildren, aunts and uncles bringing nieces and nephews. I think it's nice that we can provide something that's already planned, already coordinated for you. You get to show up and just enjoy your time with those kids in your life. Our group is a lot of parents and we recognize the importance of that. We're grateful to be able to offer that to people within our communities," Olsen said.
Kids Just Want to Have Fun's goals for these events are to see families having fun. In addition, the event proceeds will support future projects and offerings by Kids Just Want to Have Fun. Currently, the subcommittee is looking to refurbish the Fairmont Free Mini-Golf Course and the Five Lakes Centre indoor playground.
"Bring your kiddos, bring your friends. We've seen a lot of moms who have kids that are of similar age, who are reserving bowling lanes together, and they're going to enjoy each other's company as well with their kids. Money raised for these different programs and these activities goes right back into our community. Hopefully that will help people continue to want to participate and support our group, and we're always looking for ideas for our next project or other ways to give back to the community and different events and activities we can provide," Olsen said.
To reserve bowling lanes at the Mother Son Event, visit signupgenius.com/go/60B044EA4AA29A2FF2-66471908-motherson. For additional information about Kids Just Want to Have Fun, future endeavors and to share ideas, visit facebook.com/kidsjustwanttohavefun1590.