Maranda Park Party

Last Thursday we got to go to one Maranda's Park Parties.  Maranda Park Parties are thrown 6 times a summer at various locations around the Grand Rapids area.  They feature lots of games and fun events for kids all for free, even including lunch.  We didn't take advantage of the free lunch, but we enjoyed all the other free events.  It was a beautiful day; sunny and not too hot.  The newspaper reported that there were over 6,500 people there.

 We have to use a hat with a chin strap if we want Eva to keep her hat on.  Even with it, the hat ended up on the ground and got run over by the stroller.

 The party was held at the Barry County Fairgrounds between Middleville and Hastings.  It was huge!

 Free ice cream!

 Lena got to pet a pony. . . 

 and brush a pony. . . 

 and ride a pony!  There's a video of her riding the pony on my YouTube channel.

 Eva seemed really interested in the ponies while we were waiting in line, so we thought she would like to ride one too.  The second I set her down on the saddle, she flipped out and started crying.  I tried to calm her down, but it was a no-go.  Maybe next year!

Even after the horrible experience of sitting on a pony, she was happy enough to wave to the camera.  I have a short video of that on my YouTube channel too.

Lena loves pony rides.  She was really good and didn't throw a fit when it was time to get off.

 Eva was much happier back in her stroller with a graham cracker in hand.

 There were lots of celebrities there.  Look, it's Chief Wiggum!

 Lena got to pet a pancake turtle from Africa.

 And we saw a cool falcon.

 Whenever we were standing still in a line, Lena climbed up on the stroller to entertain Eva.

 The bouncy house.

 Another celebrity who was there was Ronald McDonald.  We tried to get Lena to go up and shake his hand, but she made it perfectly clear that she wanted NOTHING to do with him.  She wasn't really acting like herself that day; kind of shy and not as excited about things as she normally would be.

 Bouncing around.

 Pile of kids.

 There was a stage where bands played and weird people danced.  The woman in pink is Maranda and the old guy with the oxygen tank is the mayor of Hastings.

 Lena even got to sit in a Michigan State Police car!  Let's hope the only time she sits in a police car is in the front like this!

She was sad that we had to leave the party when it was over.  Luckily they were giving away suckers near the exit, so that helped smooth things over!

We had lots of fun at the park party.  We're glad they came to our neck of the woods!