Family Campout In Clifton
- PostEagle
- August 22, 2024
- Clifton News
- 0 Comments
CLIFTON, NJ – On Friday, August 16th through Saturday, August 17th the Clifton Recreation Department hosted their award-winning Family Campout at Albion Park. About 200 people and 30 volunteers/staff attended this event with their families. Upon arrival, the families were assigned to campsites on the field and received a welcome gift. After getting settled in, the families enjoyed a barbeque dinner of hot dogs, hamburgers, vegetables, chips, drinks and much more. As the volunteers prepared the campfire site and cleaned up from dinner, the families participated in playing
family volleyball, gaga ball, and cornhole. Families also had a variety of board games and sports equipment provided by the recreation department to use throughout the night and next morning. This years campout theme was water safety. Recreation Supervisor, Debbie Oliver spoke about various water safety tips when camping to the attendees. Stew Leonard’s of Clifton donated Stewie the Duck Learns to Swim storybooks and a box of animal crackers to all of the children in attendance. Each family also received either a little kids swim vest or pool noodle to coincide with the theme. After nightfall, a campfire was set aflame as the families gathered around the campfire. Mandi Bevando of Dabbling Brook presented campfire stories and songs to keep the crowd entertained. When the performance ended participants roasted marshmallows and combined them with chocolate on a graham cracker to make s’mores, a traditional camping treat at the end of the evening before lights out.
After sleeping beneath the stars, the families woke up early the next morning to a hot breakfast of pancakes, eggs, bacon, oatmeal, hash browns, hot chocolate, cereal, and more. Many participants followed breakfast with participation in a variety of programs including mindfulness breathing & yoga , outdoor cooking, and camp craft classes. The purpose of the event is to expose residents to the outdoors, give them an opportunity to try something new, spend time together as a family and, create a love for nature. The event would not have been successful without the support, time and, dedication of the many volunteers throughout the community. The Clifton Recreation Department would like to thank these volunteers, especially the Clifton Special Police Law Enforcement Officers Association. The event was sponsored by C.A.S.A (Clifton Against Substance Abuse), Governor’s Council Against Alcohol & Drug Abuse, Clifton Fire Department, Clifton Junior Athletic Association, Clifton Department of Public Works, Clifton Health Department, Passaic County Mosquito Commission, Stew Leonard’s of Clifton, The Allwood Diner, IHOP – Clifton, The Hot Grill, and Costco of Clifton.
