Free activities for kids and 2,000 prizes at Founder’s Day

Moms and dads, mark Saturday, October 15, on your calendars! The City of Maricopa’s second annual Founder’s Day will be held on that day at The Duke in Rancho El Dorado from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This celebration promises 2,000 prizes awarded to kids for their participation in a host of fun, free activities and games.

The Bike Rodeo will kick off the kids’ portion of the day. Bike decorating begins at 10 a.m. with art supplies donated by the Community of Hope Church. At 10:45 participants, 6-10 years old, can ride their newly decorated bikes in the rodeo parade around the path at The Duke.

Pre-registration at City Hall, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., is required for this event, which is limited to 50 children. Helmets are also a must for riding in the Bike Rodeo.

An Archeological Dig will also be a featured activity. Toys will be buried in the sand traps at the golf course. Plastic shovels and rakes will be provided to enable children to “unearth” some buried treasures.

On the “midway” will be the Dunk the Dentist Tank, sponsored by Dr. Jared Pope. The Parks, Recreation and Libraries (PRL) Dance program will be doing some of their routines for the crowd’s enjoyment. In addition, there will be a face painter, a football toss, a horse race game and Sno-Cones for all.

The Founder’s Day committee has rented several carnival-type kids’ games from Paul Cataldo of Arizona Amusements. In addition to Sport Throw and Cow Pie Fly games, players can swing a light weight hammer and try to ring the bell on the seven foot Giraffe Striker. Rattlesnake Roundup lets the child toss a rubber rattlesnake into the cowboy’s gunnysack. Froggy Fly Fling involves flipping a fake fly or bug into the frog’s mouth.

If your child likes more traditional games, there’s Tic Tac Toss. It’s an easy, fun method of playing Tic Tac Toe by throwing Velcro balls at a marked canvas. Finally, the Duck Pond, a favorite of all ages, features moving, plastic ducks, whose numbers correspond to prizes.

Founder’s Day on October 15 will be a great day for kids! Don’t forget to mark your calendars now for this exciting and fun-filled event. If your child wants to participate in the Bike Rodeo, please pre-register them.

Parents will not be left out of the day’s fun. Founder’s Day will provide adult activities, too, including the Freddie Duran Plan band, a beer garden and the annual chili cook-off.

For further information, contact PRL Director Marty McDonald at (520) 568-9098, Ext 204.

Plop! The tasty bug lands in the frog’s waiting mouth.

Kids help the cowboy gather up his rattlesnakes.

Each player tosses a colored ball that represents either X’s or O’s.