Community Corner

Viewfinder: Santee Family Fest

It was a hot one on Saturday, but that didn't stop families from reveling in the festivities at Town Center Park.

Santee's first , a free event put on by the city and sponsors highlighting fitness, was a real hot one, but it was a great day to dance a bit, get fit and cool off with a free dip at the .

Things kicked off with some music by the leading into the presentation of a , the main sponsor of this event, and a dedication of the park to Santee's two , the Camp Pendleton-based 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines Division, also known as “The Professionals,” and the “Heavy Haulers,” with a flag ceremony and display of patriotism.

Assemblyman and City Councilmembers and were in attendance.

Find out what's happening in Santeewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The key word for the Family Fest was "FREE!" With everything from kid's crafts, carnival games, interactive booths, laser Tag, fitness challenges, free entrance to the , free swimming at the City of , and even free hot dogs and drinks!

It was hot Saturday afternoon, where ever you were in Santee. But, being near the , a breeze picked up across , and it was probably one of the coolest places in the city because of it.

Find out what's happening in Santeewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Alley Cats played one of the at the same venue about a month ago, with at least 1,000 people in the park. The dichotomy in crowd size was striking, with a handful of folks focusing on the music on Saturday. The nature of this event is different though, with music really being an added bonus, and the free activities and fitness being the focus.

Booths for everything from the , , Little League, some local businesses and more, filled the grass space stretching out from the pavilion. There was even booth with laptops where you could vote for Town Center Park to help win a $25,000 to $100,000 grant by voting in the America is Your Park contest at LivePositively.com.

Go here to vote!

Abut a month ago, when we started tracking this, Town Center Park was at #538 on the list. By the end of Saturday, it was up to #12 on the list with about 142,000 votes!

It was another great event by the city, making use of the venue, open space and facilities at one the town's crown jewel parks.


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