In the days leading up to the Beach Bash and Splash, I heard
lots of the returning staff members discussing the mental preparations they
were doing in anticipation of the event. Phrases I kept hearing were: “over 500
kids,” “limited space,” “we have to serve them lunch,” etc. Needless to say, I
was as frightened as I was excited for the day. As it turned out, the Beach
Bash and Splash, albeit a hard day of work, was a huge success and a lot of
fun! Hundreds of kids from youth groups representing communities throughout the
greater Boston area gathered at the Curley Community Center in South Boston for
a day of beach games, swimming and lunch. The Save the Harbor staff ran different
stations, including: face painting, arts & crafts, fishing, sports and a
touch tank.
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| Warming up with a sea shanty |
Along with Nhu and KiKi, I was stationed at the touch tank.
Earlier that day, we had made a quick run to McDonough Sailing Center where we
caught two lobsters, countless green crabs, red rock crabs, spider crabs,
hermit crabs and snails. As a result, we were prepared for the day with two
very well stocked touch tanks. With the arrival of the first groups, we
immediately saw crowds of kids around our tanks, all shuffling to position
themselves to where they could pick up the lobsters and crabs. The kids were
all incredibly curious about our sea critters and they came up with a lot of
great questions.
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| Rockin the Touch Tanks |
The day ended with a hot dog lunch. It was a controlled
chaos as all the kids and their counselors formed two “lines” to receive hot
dogs, fruit and veggies. The Save the Harbor staff quickly turned into a bunch
of hot dog making machines. From filling trays with buns, grilling, relaying
finished hot dogs to the serving tables, handing out hot dogs and applying
condiments, it was undoubtedly a team effort. It was probably the most exhausting part of the day and I think I'm probably set on hot dogs for the rest of the year.
Between picking up lobsters, singing sea shanties and getting their
faces painted, I think all of the kids left having had a fun, unique and memorable
experience at the beach, and at the end of it all, that’s what the Beach Bash Splash (and Save the Harbor!) is all about.
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| Putting the splash in Beach Bash and Splash |
Sarah C
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