On May 11, our club enjoyed hosting over 200 pre-school children at the 13th Annual LVCC Picnic. Once again the event was held at the Allentown Rose Garden Pavilions. And once again the weather gods smiled favorably on us with perfect picnic weather! Keith and Jessica Reynolds had been planning the picnic for months and were there early with their family and friends to set up. They were joined by several of our club volunteers, including Tom Harp, Deb Lamb and Enos Martin who swept up, put up signage, covered tables and attached clusters of balloons. Diane Farleigh, President of the Allentown Northeast Kiwanis Club arrived next, eventually joined by Allentown Kiwanis volunteers Terry Kennedy, Vic Mazziotti, Young Chang, Susan Martin, Deirdre Govan, and Todd Siegfried. David Tagg and Mike Piedmonte of Allentown NE also pitched in. It was a real Kiwanis team effort! Over 90 Key Club volunteers from William Allen, Allentown Central Catholic, Salisbury, and Southern Lehigh High Schools arrived around 9:30 AM. They were provided with a tour of the picnic grounds and activity stations, and assigned to LVCC classrooms as they
arrived. The children wore t-shirts color-coded for their center. LVCC’s South Mountain, Walnut Street, Early Learning Center (ELC) and Union Boulevard centers all participated. Once the children were dropped off, they were assigned to a group of Key Club volunteers, and started circulating among the six activity stations. Activities included a parachute game, obstacle course, t-ball, and bubble-making. There was an arts & crafts area where the children personalized drawstring backpacks. A big hit was the “Reptile Guy” who fascinated the kids with his menagerie of snakes, lizards and turtles. Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk stopped by. And the kids were thrilled when the LV Phantoms mascot MeLVin and the Red Robin joined them. The Salisbury Falcon and Allen Canary roamed the picnic grounds as well. The children were treated to a picnic lunch of hot dogs, chips,
cookies, fruit snacks and drinks. Our Kiwanis volunteers prepared and passed out food on an assembly line, and the Key Clubbers served the  children. After lunch, the children had a tour of a fire truck before being picked up for return to their centers. The picnic was a huge success!
We would like to once again recognize Keith and Jessica Reynolds, all of our Kiwanis Club and Key Club volunteers, the City of Allentown Parks and Recreation Department, the Allentown Fire Department, and Cedar Crest College for allowing us to use their lawn for the activities. We look forward to another amazing picnic next May!