Good Dirty Fun at Mess Fest

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Hi everyone!

Thanks for entering our giveaway for a Family Four Pack of tickets to LEGOLAND Discovery Center at Ridge Hill in Yonkers. Stay tuned next week when we'll announce the winner.

We’re taking a break from our photo series to tell you about an awesome event that happened over the weekend: The 2017 Mess Fest at Kiwi Country Day Camp, a fundraising day of play organized by The Muddy Puddles Project. Tickets were $35 (or you can go for free if you sign up to fundraise a minimum of $100 for the Ty Louis Campbell Foundation which collects money for pediatric cancer research.) For $35 a person, we had high expectations, and we were blown away by how much there was to do at every age level.

Missed the fun? Read on to find out how you can host your own Mini Mess Fest birthday or block party to benefit the Ty Louis Campbell Foundation.

The event was from 11am to 4pm at the expansive grounds of the day camp. Visitors had access to four swimming pools, a lake with slides and logrolls, kayaking and paddle boating, basketball courts, tennis courts, a climbing wall, a golf driving range, a zip line, two playgrounds, mini golf, and much more. You could spend the whole day on those alone, but the Mess Fest also had tons of additional (messy) activities, including a food fight area, muddy puddles to jump in, splatter painting, a “kiddie car wash” foam machine, whipped cream pie toss, mud pit, and dirty dunk.

A balloon pop, arts and crafts, temporary hair color, balloon twisting, face painting, henna tattoos, nail art, three inflatable activity slides, a giant slip n slide set up hillside, an obstacle course, tye dye station, bounce station, candy sushi making, kiddie bingo, sensory art, and treasure hunts.

Not enough? There was also entertainment by magicians, a band, and character appearances by Disney princesses Aurora and Anna, Star Wars figures, and Peppa Pig.

There was so much to do and so much space to do it in that there were very few lines. We spent about two hours having a blast before we had to head out to accommodate naps, and I wish I had been there all day to be able to experience everything. There’s plenty of room to walk around and the grounds are stroller friendly. If you want to get muddy and covered with paint, you can, but if you want to stay clean and dry, that’s easy too.

Our 2.5 year olds had a blast on the inflatables, the foam machine, and playing in the sand by the lake. The food for purchase was delicious and reasonably priced (or maybe it seemed that way because we just got back from Disney World). There was Peppa Pig merchandise for grabs at suggested donation and a raffle of Peppa-themed prizes. We went home with a free bottle of laundry detergent from sponsor Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day. There was a special VIP area for children and families affected by pediatric cancer that featured toys and giveaways. This was one of the best local events we’ve ever been to, and we can’t wait to be first in line next year to get tickets. Put this on your radar for summer 2018 and don’t worry, we’ll remind you next year.

If you missed the event but want to get involved, you can visit The Muddy Puddles Project website or the Ty Louis Campbell Foundation website. You can donate, purchase merchandise, or even host your own Welly Walk Fundraiser or Mini Mess Fest. Some volunteers will be entered to get the chance to win a meet-and-greet with Peppa Pig.

Click here to view instructions and downloadable materials for your own Mini Mess Fest or click here for information on hosting your own Welly Walk.

That's it for this week! As always, check our website for events and weekly library programs. And don't forget to tune in next week to see if you won the family four pack to LEGOLAND in Ridge Hill.

See you next time!

Andrea