Blog: City Blog

Kid A'Riffic Fun: Bubbles, Books, Balls and More

Wednesday morning was cloudy and rain was threatening. But that didn't deter Shirin Pegels, who had just moved to Knoxville from Connecticut last fall, from coming for the second time in two weeks to Kid A’Riffic, this time at Victor Ashe Park.

Pegels had her four kids in tow, and she was excited for all there was to do.

She'd heard about Kid A'Riffic on Facebook, and then she found more information about it on the Special Events page of the City of Knoxville website.

Pegels' favorite thing about Kid A'Riffic? “All of my kids found their own thing to do,” she said.

More than 300 attended the June 9, 2021 Kid A'Riffic at Victor Ashe Park.

More than 300 attended the June 9, 2021 Kid A'Riffic at Victor Ashe Park.

Kid A’Riffic Fun in the Park is a City-sponsored series for children ages 2-10 that provides opportunities for arts and crafts and other activities, hosted by the City and other partners. The Office of Special Events and Parks and Recreation Department paired to create Kid A’Riffic, which started in 2019 at Market Square.

The idea was to provide programming and invite families to come downtown during the summer, and people loved it.

The program was postponed during the pandemic, but this year, it was expanded to include the months of June and July, and the event moves around to different parks.

The event is free and parking is available.

About 200 people attended the June 2 kickoff at Suttree Landing Park. On June 9 at Victor Ashe Park, turnout swelled with more than 300 people coming and going throughout the midday.

Some of the people who came this week had attended the first Kid A'Riffic - a testimonial to just how much they loved the program.

Even when it began to rain, the families persevered. One youngster called it "the best day ever!”

Some of the participants at Kid A'Riffic included Knoxville Area Transit, the City's KORE mobile recreation program, the Knoxville Police Department, Home Depot, and Friends of Knox County Public Library.

The kids loved seeing all the books that the Friends of the Library brought with them. And they used their arts and craft skills to make their own pet rocks, with the help of Home Depot.

Friends of the Knox County Public Library came loaded with books for the Kid A'Riffic participants to explore.

Friends of the Knox County Public Library came loaded with books for the Kid A'Riffic participants to explore.

One thing that almost all the children agreed on was that they loved the bubbles. Whether their parents helped them pick up the giant bubble wands or they could lift it by themselves, the giggles were all the same.

Shrieks of “I love bubbles!” could be heard across the park.

Another favorite of both the children and the parents were all the different games hosted by KORE. The hula hoops, pogo-balls, corn-hole and mini seesaws fascinated the kids.

Pegels, meanwhile, says she loves Knoxville and all the different opportunities for her children to have fun in the city.

“There are so many family-friendly activities such as events like this and things downtown," she says. "There’s just so much focus on young children and families, and with four kids, that’s what I need.”

She marked her schedule so she could go to each of the remaining Kid A-Riffic events hosted at different parks throughout the summer.

Next week, the June 16 the Kid A’Riffic program is coming to World’s Fair Park from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Kid A'Riffic will be coming to a park near you! Click HERE for the full summer schedule.

- Story and photos by Summer in the City intern Kevin Farmer

Posted by evreeland On 11 June, 2021 at 1:29 PM