St Mary residents feted at Kiddies Easter Wonderland

PORT MARIA, St Mary:

Hundreds of children and parents packed into the sports ground at Clembhards Park in Port Maria, St Mary, last Monday for a family fun day and gospel concert, Kiddies Easter Wonderland.

The inaugural event, which also featured a kite competition and live interaction with Disney and Sesame Street characters, proved to be extremely popular with the local children, who flocked in their dozens to make good use of bouncy castles, trampolines, and computer-games room.

According to the event's promoter, Alene Berry, Kiddies Easter Wonderland was launched for the purpose of providing quality entertainment to children, young adults, and their families during the Easter-holiday school break.

She told The Gleaner: "Today we're bringing some entertainment to the community of Pagee in Port Maria, St Mary. There are lots of different things going on and all kinds of events, including bounce-abouts and rock climbing.

"This is our first time putting on this event, but we thought it would be a good idea to bring this kind of thing to the people of Port Maria because I don't think the children of this community get the opportunity to experience events like this very often.

TO BENEFIT THE CHILDREN

"There are lots of children and young people in and around the town-of-Port Maria area, but there was nothing going on for them over the Easter weekend, so we decided to put on an event especially for their benefit."

Berry, who runs the Bounce Out Party Store in Ocho Rios, St Ann, noted that it was important to remember the nation's children, particularly those living in disadvantaged and underdeveloped areas.

She added: "During periods such as the Easter holidays, I really think there should be an event in every area so that young people don't have to go out of town to find something to do. An event like this is a good idea because it provides entertainment for them and also helps to build up the local community."

rural@gleanerjm.com