First Baptist Church of Winthrop Harbor’s “Free Family Fun Fair!”
By: Joshua Gilmore (Youth Pastor @ FBCWH)

The dictionary defines fun as: “lively, joyous play or playfulness; amusement, sport, recreation, etc.” (www.yourdictionary.com)  In light of this definition, no greater term than “fun” better captures the essence of First Baptist Church of Winthrop Harbor’s recent community outreach event.  On Saturday, June 11, 2011 from 10am-2pm, FBC held its first “Free Family Fun Fair” throughout the totality of their extensive church property.  The aim of the event was simple: to provide completely free, wholesome, fun fair styled entertainment in order to connect with families within our community and for the community families to connect with one another.  While many people enter events directed by religious organizations with a great deal of skepticism, FBC’s Fun Fair proved to be an enjoyable, free, family event for both Christian and non-Christian families to enjoy with no strings attached.  Additionally, FBC provided an opportunity for community leaders and local businesses to serve the people of this beloved region alongside of Winthrop Harbor’s historic congregation. The combination of active community leadership and participants throughout the “whole community,” marked FBC’s Free Family Fun Fair as one of the neighborhood’s highlights of the approaching summer season.

All activities, food, and games at the Fun Fair were completely free and included: pony rides provided by Hidden Stables, a jump house provided by the North Central Baptist Association, and balloon art by FBC church volunteer and Loyola University professor, Nicole Gilmore.  In addition, Bill Lamm, a member of Christian Assembly Church, provided an exciting kite demonstration, while his wife Denise masterfully administered her award winning face paint designs on the enraptured children’s faces.  FBC’s Fun Fair presented a matchless Car show including muscle cars and old classics, along with the entire Winthrop Harbor emergency vehicles fleet.  The car show featured a fire truck, ambulance, and police car for the kids to enjoy and have their picture taken both inside and outside of the vehicles.  Officer Bob, dressed in full uniform, huddled alongside parents and children to have their pictures taken together.

Classic carnival styled games such as ring toss and balloon darts were scattered throughout the church property.  For the full length of the event, a hayride filled with kids of all ages traced the perimeter of the church, passing by Kroll’s Farm’s charming petting zoo where families fed goats, chickens and a sheep.  The sweet acoustic sounds of live music provided by local artists David Johnson of Baptist Tabernacle church in Kenosha and Joshua Gilmore of FBC in Winthrop Harbor filled the air along with the smell of marshmallows roasting over an old-fashioned fire pit.  Lake County’s RC club provided an extensive airplane display including over a dozen airplanes and an RC helicopter demonstration, complete with information concerning RC aerodynamics and an RC plane’s various flight mechanisms.  The Winthrop Harbor American Legion conducted a proper American flag retiring ceremony for weathered and damaged flags provided by informed citizens.

Bob Strickland, an FBC church member and ZBTHS teacher and football coach, volunteered his Newfoundland dog, “Payton”, to pull small children in his truly unique, hand crafted, “dog carriage” that you had to see to believe.  After experiencing FBC’s numerous wholesome Fun Fair activities, participants were delighted to eat a free meal which included: a hotdog or cheeseburger, chips, popcorn, cotton candy, and snow cones, which were greatly subsidized by Centrella Foods in Winthrop Harbor.  GoFLO.com, which stands for “Get online & find local opportunities,” provided complete promotion of the event to their Lake County constituency.  GMAP1.com, another local internet radio station also located in Zion, faithfully publicized the community event, as well as provided a live broadcast on sight during the event to inform their vast listening audience of the spectacular things happening among them.

After the enormously successful Fun Fair event ended, the 50+ church and community volunteers went home physically exhausted, but they also left with their spirits soaring, knowing that they helped touch the lives of families throughout their community through wholesome fun fair styled entertainment.  In a world where families are often known for their dysfunction it’s nice to know that with the help of the Christian Church and local community leaders, positive memories can be made and we can effectively reach our neighborhood families if we are willing to work together!