A day filled with family friendly activities at Peoria’s Glen Oak Park traces its roots back to children’s television.
“This day is actually one of my favorite days of the entire year,” Peoria Park District Executive Director Emily Cahill said of the annual Worldwide Day of Play. “Nickelodeon would go dark for a day to try to encourage kids to get outside to play. When we learned about it, we thought that that was something that made a ton of sense for us.”
The park district celebrates its 12th Worldwide Day of Play this Saturday. Cahill says it’s an event that’s continued to expand as it has gained popularity.
“We have grown the day to not only be about the celebration of play, but really talking and engaging kids in all the ways that they can play, not only with the park district, but just in life,” she said.
As part of the free event, children will be able to explore the park district’s “Be Anything!” career expo, which offers an opportunity for kids to meet professionals and explore potential future career paths.
“We know that a kid's work is how they play, and so letting them start to play, to think about what they'd like to be when they grow up, made just the perfect sense to us,” said Cahill.
Activities during the 10 a.m.-2 p.m. event include face painting, bounce houses, carnival games, and obstacle courses. Kids can also visit the Discovery Barn and Touch-A-Truck exhibits, and meet costume characters Daniel Tiger and Katerina Kittykat from the Fred Rogers Productions PBS program “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.”
The park district has combined the Worldwide Day of Play with this year’s Clyde West Fishing Derby, starting at 9 a.m. at the Glen Oak Park lagoon.
The Worldwide Day of Play event is sponsored by PNC Bank. Visitors will also receive a $3 discount admission to the Peoria Zoo and the Peoria PlayHouse Children’s Museum.
