Young RV travelers can experience their own fun during FMCA’s “Celebrate Your Freedom” Family Reunion in West Springfield, Massachusetts.
By David and Loretta Marlowe, F267754
FMCA Youth Committee Chairpersons
June 2016
Do you travel with young children or grandchildren? If so, you’ll want to know that planning is well under way for the Youth Program at FMCA’s Family Reunion and Motorhome Showcase, August 3 through 6 in West Springfield, Massachusetts, at the Eastern States Exposition, Home of the BIG E. We have scheduled four days of off-site trips for children between 6 and 16 years of age.
Each child who registers for the West Springfield Youth Program will receive a colorful T-shirt that will make them feel part of the group and also help the leaders keep track of them at off-site venues. Parents will be given the option of letting their children either return home to their coach when the bus arrives back at the Eastern States Exposition, or wait with a chaperone until the parent picks them up. Those children who need to wait will have a red dot on their badge to indicate this choice.
Included in the Youth Program registration fee ($30 per child) is an outing to Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. All children registered for the Youth Program will take part in this outing.
You do not have to preregister children or grandchildren for the West Springfield Youth Program. However, to help us with planning and estimating the number of participants, we would appreciate hearing from you beforehand. Please email us at youthcommittee@fmca.com and indicate: 1) the number of children you will be registering; 2) the age of each child; 3) a T-shirt size for each child; and 4) which outings each child would like to take, in addition to the already-included Old Sturbridge Village trip on Wednesday, August 3 (a list of the outings follows). This will help us to give the attractions a reasonable expectation of how many youth will be participating.
Once you arrive in West Springfield for the Family Reunion, please register your children at the Youth Program Registration desk in the Information Center as soon as possible. Registration will be open Monday, August 1, from noon to 5:00 p.m.; Tuesday, August 2, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; and Wednesday, August 3, from 9:00 a.m. to noon. There may be a limited number of slots open for various trips, so register your children early to make sure they have a spot.
Parents, grandparents, and guardians who would like to go on one or more trips as chaperones are asked to contact us at our personal email address: fmcayouth@wildblue.net. We will be happy to send you details about the volunteer program.
The following outings are currently scheduled. Check the websites for more information about attractions. Payment is due when registering children for the Youth Program and for specific outings (cash or check; no credit cards). Additional information will be available in the West Springfield event program and at FMCA.com.
Note: The arcade and amusement park on the Eastern States Exposition grounds will not be operational during our visit.
We’re eager to provide a fun and rewarding time for all, and we look forward to seeing you! Whether or not you can come to West Springfield, please make your wishes for future youth program activities known to us at youthcommittee@fmca.com.
Youth Outings
Wednesday, August 3, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM*
Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge, MA
www.osv.com
Old Sturbridge Village depicts life in rural New England from the 1790’s thru the 1830’s. There are over 59 building covering 200 acres with costumed interpreters explaining what life was like.
Fee: This trip is included in the registration fee and will include lunch at the village.
Thursday, August 4, 9:00 AM. to 5:00 PM*
McCray’s Farm South Hadley, Massachusetts
www.facebook.com/Mcrays.Farm
Thursday will be a fun-packed day! We will start the day with a trip to McCray’s Farm, where the children can play mini-golf, visit a farm animal petting zoo, tour a fully functioning creamery, and try freshly made ice cream and other dairy products.
Lady Bea River Cruise South Hadley, Massachusetts
www.brunelles.com/lady-bea/lady-bea-info/
From McCray’s Farm we move over to the Lady Bea passenger boat. We have chartered the Lady Bea for a leisurely two hour, cruise on the Connecticut River. Lunch will be provided during the cruise.
Doctor Seuss Memorial Sculpture Garden, Springfield, MA
www.catinthehat.org
We will end our Thursday outing at the Dr. Seuss Memorial Sculpture Garden, which pays tribute to Theordor Seuss Geisel, author of the famous “Cat In Tthe Hat” books. Bronze statues in a garden setting celebrate the author and his Seuss characters.
Fee: $30 for all three stops; includes transportation and lunch.
Friday, August 5, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM*
Connecticut Science Center, Hartford, Connecticut
www.ctsciencecenter.org
The Connecticut Science Center is world-renowned for its educational approach to all things science. The facility features more than 165 hands-on exhibits. We highly recommend visiting at the Science Center’s website to learn more. Fee: $40; includes lunch.
Saturday, August 6, 9:00 AM – Noon*
Zoo In Forest Park and Education Center
Springfield, Massachusetts
www.forestparkzoo.org
We closeout this year’s youth activities with a trip to this zoo located in Forest Park, a 735-acre woodland park in Springfield. Its exotic and indigenous animlas represent a large variety of species found throughout the world, especially North America. Fee: free, including transportation.
*All return times are approximate. You will be notified if there is any, significant, change in the children’s return time to the Exposition Center.