Parents and youth converge around inflatable toys at Family Fun Day on Saturday, June 25, 2022, at the Grant County Fairgrounds.

JOHN DAY — Free fun on a hot day: The 15th Family Fun Day offered just that as vendors and crowds gathered on the grass beside the Trowbridge Pavilion at the Grant County Fairgrounds in John Day on Saturday, June 25.

The event was orchestrated by Families First of Grant County and included free snowcones, $1 hamburgers and hot dogs, a water slide, inflatable bounce houses and a mechanical bull.

There was an array of booths staffed by businesses and organizations from all around the county as well. Painted Sky Center for the Arts featured crafts and henna tattoos. Blue Mountain Hospital measured children’s heads and provided free bicycle helmets to all who wanted them. The U.S. Forest Service provided swag such as posters with tips on fire safety and prevention.

Families First Executive Director and Program Manager Teresa Aasness said the event was a collaboration between several organizations to provide something affordable to do for families.

“Currently, Families First is the lead on the event so we recruit all the booths, we recruit donations and funding for the event,” Aasness said. “We set up the inflatables and do the location. I think it’s a huge success. Look at all the families.”

Aasness said the event was truly a community effort with many businesses and individuals volunteering services and time.

“Families First is a private nonprofit, and we do parent education and support. This event is funded by the local community health partnership and the Frontier Early Learning Hub, which is a regional program for Grant and Harney counties. They’re our primary funders. Then we have a lot of volunteers that help man the inflatables. Clark’s Disposal provides a dumpster for us, and a lot of different organizations help with the event.”

Recruiting the various vendors and volunteers started in March, according to Aasness. There were 16 booths at the event this year, which Aasness said was average: “We’ve had some years that we’ve had a lot more and some years where we’ve had less.”

Family Fun Day has taken place at various locations in John Day throughout the years and will probably move to a different venue next year.

“We started out at Seventh Street where the softball fields are, and we did it there for a while. Then we were at the John Day Park, and now we’ve been doing it here. Next year we’ll probably move to a different venue,” Aasness said.

This year’s event is the second in a row following the cancellation of festivities in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Families First estimates there were at least 533 people in attendance at this year’s Family Fun Day.