PULASKI, NY – Pulaski’s Family Fun Day was celebrated on Saturday, May 15 under perfect weather conditions.
Pulaski’s South Park was filled with the tents of local crafters and artisans, whose wares were perused by visitors as live music played.
“It’s been a great day to enjoy some nice weather, and a chance to get the kids out of the house and enjoy some family fun,” said visitor Jennifer Taylor. “It’s nice to not have to worry about everything that is going on in the world and with COVID.”
Taylor’s small children smiled and giggled as they explored the tents of the varied vendors set up on the brilliant green grass of the park.
The tradition of family fun day began as an event designed to coincide with the annual village-wide garage sale, adding to the fun and festive atmosphere of the day.
Helping Hands Making It Count Event Planners founder Samantha Stewart and her partner, Deb Catlin, have been seeing larger crowds each of the 10 years that the Family Fun Day has been a part of springtime in Pulaski.
“At least 200 people came through the event two years ago,” Stewart said. “Every year it gets bigger and bigger.”
Last year’s Family Fun Day was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Following the tragic loss of her husband to brain cancer, Stewart decided to turn Family Fun Day into a fundraiser to fight the disease. A portion of the fees paid by vendors is donated to this cause.
Steward said preparations begin one year in advance of the event.
“We get permission from the Village office to use the South Park, and then we begin to contact the vendors and crafters,” Stewart said. “And then we contract in the entertainment.”
The event planners have had to be flexible, due to the restrictions placed on gatherings by the ongoing pandemic.
“Unfortunately, we have had to cancel the bounce house this year, due to the social distancing regulations,” Stewart said.
Past Family Fun Days have included an opportunity to have children fingerprinted by local police agencies, something Stewart hopes to bring back in the post-COVID future.
The recent CDC guidelines relating to the wearing of masks resulted in some visitors choosing to go maskless in the outdoor setting , while some continued to wear masks in an abundance of caution. Many of the attendees enjoyed the event as a lunch stop as they visited the many yard sales doing a brisk business around the scenic village.
Smiling broadly as she filled snow cones with crushed ice and handed them to children of all ages, Stewart was glad to have the event back on track as the pandemic subsides, returning to the task of raising funds in memory of her husband.
“The weather has been awesome, all of the vendors showed up, and we have had a pretty steady day as far as the crowd goes,” Sterart said. “So far, so good!”
Her partner, Catlin agreed.
“Everything is good and everyone is happy,” Catlin said.
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