GLENDALE — Families grabbed paddles and running shoes on Saturday for Glendale’s free Family Fun Day at Heroes Regional Park, an event organizers say is about more than a day of fun.
The City of Glendale partnered with the national nonprofit Shape Up Us and the Glendale Elementary School District for the third annual event, held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 83rd Avenue and Bethany Home Road, according to ABC15.
Activities included a large pickleball lesson, a 5K run, a 1-mile walk, a Ninja Warrior-style obstacle course, rock climbing, face painting, a DJ, hula hoop and tug-of-war contests and more than 40 activity booths. Members of the Phoenix Flames Major League Pickleball team were expected to attend.
Donations support Shape Up Us’ Hip Hop Healthy Heart Program for Children, a kindergarten through sixth grade wellness curriculum. Founder Jyl Steinbach said the program is now in 34 states. “We’re building a healthier future for our children mentally, physically, emotionally, and financially,” she said.
The elementary school with the most families in attendance was set to win a pickleball set for its campus.
Brayden Johnson, visiting with his family from Nashville, told ABC15 that pickleball works for every generation. “My little sister can play it, and my grandmother can play it,” he said.
“Come and have fun. Try it out,” Steinbach said. “Find what I say your aha is.”
Sources: ABC15. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Strokess.S.S / CC0 via Wikimedia Commons.
