Community members gathered to celebrate the fall season with face painting, seasonal treats and crafts, resource booths, a pump track demo, and sports clinics at Flood Park on Saturday for Fall Fest, a new event hosted by San Mateo County Parks.
Commotion centered around the booths, where organizations set up activities, provided free goodies, and stamped bingo cards that entered people into an event-wide raffle. Prizes included a mug, a fanny pack, or a frisbee.
Volunteer Sally Albert managed the Friends of Edgewood booth, which showcased maps of Edgewood Park’s trails, highlighted service opportunities, and gave informational sessions. “I love events like this that bring the community together and show people from the area what’s available. It’s wonderful for everybody,” she said.
“The use of the bingo cards that get stamped is excellent. People have to stop by the booth instead of just walking by, and we get to talk to them, so it adds a fluid part,” Albert said.
At the American Medical Response table, people spun a wheel for prizes, enjoyed free treats, and took a tour inside the ambulance. “It’s nice to teach kids about something that’s normally really scary, but show them in cool ways so it’s less scary for them,” representative Sara Fitting said.
Stanford Strikers partnered with the park to offer soccer classes that involved dribbling practice, tag, and tips and tricks for kids looking to improve their soccer skills. “We’re very happy to partner with this county and everybody here. We love soccer, kids, and this park,” volunteer Bret Simon said.
Three clinics were available throughout the day, each separated by age group. “The first one was 3- and 4-year-olds. It’s always a huge amount of fun, but a bit of a challenge. Those kids were excited, and they just ran and ran,” he said.
East Palo Alto Tennis Tutoring provided tennis sessions for those who preferred a more hands-on sport. “The emphasis was on fun and introducing these guys to the sport of tennis through enjoyable games,” tennis instructor Lupe Talakai said.
“I liked tennis a lot. We played the jail game, where you would try to get the ball over the net and stay in the boundaries, and I made some new friends,” participant Daniel Huang said.
“The best part has been the kids having fun, with smiles on their faces, and breaking out of their shells. It takes a team effort to get that going, but these guys are a bunch of great kids,” Talakai said.
Tables sheltered by the park’s Oak trees supplied seasonal arts and crafts, such as tree cookie decorating, rock painting, and fall-themed temporary tattoos. Volunteers also led face painting.
Food trucks, including Lilo’s Kitchen and Mister Softee, sold lunch and dessert. Options ranged from fresh tacos and nachos to soft serve, milkshakes, and more.
“It’s so exciting to see Flood Park blossoming into a huge, beautiful resource for the community. I’m proud of the county and the people in the county for supporting this, building something that will last for generations and serve little kids, adults, and everybody,” Simon said.
