Mike Singletary's
Take Time For Fun! Day

As the rain drops fell, the committee members waited anxiously. Would there be at Take Time For Fun! Day? Gayle Mountcastle, chair for the event, made the decision. "Let's just do it!" stated Gayle. As soon as the decision was made, the clouds moved back, the rain stopped falling, and the committee members and volunteers went to work.

The star of Take Time For Fun! Day, Mike Singletary, anxiously awaits his presentation.

In less than one hour Lincoln Park was transformed from baseball fields to a festival of music, games and demonstrations for more than 2, 500 children from throughout the state. Park district and agency day campers took part in a variety of activities, which included five general areas: fitness, athletics, performing arts, new games, and arts and crafts. Each camp rotated to the different areas throughout the day. Campers experienced innovative programs that they ordinarily might not be exposed to at their own park districts. Some of the creative programs at the event were Salsarobics, The Jump Rope Warrior and bocce ball. Not only did the campers get to take part in a fun-filled day of the unique activities listed above, but their eyes were also opened to the many opportunities available at their local park districts.

At high noon, the games ended and lunch began. The mass of campers anxiously awaited former Chicago Bear and Take Time For Fun! spokesman, Mike Singletary. As Mike Singletary approached the stage, the crowd roared. He began by speaking to the children about the benefits of becoming involved in park districts and recreation agencies and the positive impact they had on his life. The wide-eyed children all listened intently to his advice. He instructed the campers to stay in school and stay off drugs.

After his compelling speech, Mr. Singletary led the day campers through warm-up drills. His energy and excitement were very apparent to the audience. Mike Singletary's enthusiasm made the campers much more attentive to the performance. After Singletary had worn out the campers and shaken up the lunches in their stomachs, he threw autographed footballs tothe crowd. He then waved his good-byes and off he went.

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The campers moved on to their afternoon activities to take time for even more fun. The semiprofessional football team, the DuPage Eagles, were on hand to take the children through football drills. Kenning and Company dazzled the crowd with their acoustic music. Soccer and karate demonstrations, blues music, colorful parachute games and moonwalks were all part of the excitement that mesmerized the children. The rain clouds rolled back in, indicating to the committee that the event was about to come to an end. The exhausted campers rode back to their park districts with long lasting memories of a very special day. Gayle Mountcastle is Superintendent of Recreation for the Streamwood Park District. Mountcastle is a member of the Joint Public Awareness Committee and served as chair of Take Time For Fun! Day. Becky Cluster is currently serving an internship with the Illinois Park and Recreation Association and the Streamwood Park District. After the completion of her internship. Cluster will pursue a career in recreation.

More than 2, 500 children from throughout the state attended Take Time For Fun! Day. Innovative activities, such as parachute games, provided creative team-building opportunities for the day campers.

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