It’s that time of year again when parents need to start thinking about what their children are going to be doing over summer vacation.
The first ever Summer Youth Fair has been scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 1, at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel in State College from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to help solve this problem. The admission to the fair is free along with on-site parking. This event, sponsored by Penn State Continuing Education, will provide parents and children the opportunity to learn about numerous different camps and activities in the area.
The Summer Youth Fair should make it easier for parents to learn about local programs so that they can make a better informed decision. Before this year, a fair was not available to highlight all the area camps.
“All of the metropolitan areas have community youth fairs so that parents can come out for one day, collect all the information, and then make a decision on the spot or go back home and make a decision,” said Lisa Clapper, marketing manager for Penn State University.
Some of the camps that are scheduled to attend the fair include: Woodward Camp, Centre Region Parks and Recreation, Hemlock Girl Scout Council, Beacon Lodge Summer Camps for the Blind, several church camps, and several YMCA summer camps.
Penn State also offers summer youth programs that will be represented at the fair. They include: sport camps, science programs, music opportunities, cooking, stamps, weather, web-page design, web-video, communications, and fly-fishing, as well as others.
“Our research shows this is the time of year that parents are collecting information so that they can make a decision in March or April,” said Clapper of when parents start seriously looking at summer camps for their children.
Parents who wait until the last minute to look for a camp usually have a more difficult time. The quality programs begin filling up now, so that is why the Summer Youth Fair is a good opportunity. Parents can gather information at the fair and register on the spot or take the information home and register at a later time.
The youth fair at the Penn Stater is also a nice way for parents and children to spend a day together. Many family activities are planned for the event.
“Rebecca Peterson, director of Action Potential Science Experience, will be doing ‘Harry Potter-style’ experiments,” said Clapper. “There will be Penn State wrestlers and Coach Troy Sunderland signing autographs.”
There will also be clowns from local church organizations at the event and some sporting equipment, like basketball hoops, set up for kids to play with.
Children from first grade to a senior in high school can register for many of the camps. For more information, log on to www.PennStateYouth.org and click on “Summer Youth Fair”, or contact Judy Hall or Pam Logan at 863-5100.
