Royalty Hall, 4, was singing and dancing with a painted pink butterfly on her face and a yellow sucker in her hand when we met at Kees Park last Saturday. The Rosenthal Pre-K student was there to celebrate the City of Pineville’s annual Back to School Splash Bash. 

 

She was having a blast!

 

It was almost time for lunch and Frank White, Pineville City Hall employee turned Grill Master, had been grilling burgers and hot dogs all morning for the lunches the City of Pineville was providing to all the participants. 

 

Dlayah Kieel, Horseshoe Elementary Pre-K student, showed me the contents of her sack lunch with great fanfare. Hamburger, chips, water, ketchup and mustard packets, and a tub of cotton candy. 

 

The bags were huge but so were the appetites, Including Dlayah’s brother Dakota’s. The Horseshoe Elementary fifth grader was hungry after playing on the inflatable water slides all morning. In addition to the water slides was a bouncy house, splash pad, and acres and acres of playground equipment. 

 

I hadn’t been to Kees Park since it was the DMV site where I’d gotten my license decades ago! It is beautifully maintained with an abundance of recreational equipment, including my beloved swings. Grown-up swinging is my top mental health therapeutic tool. 

 

But this day was all about the kids and the City of Pineville went all out to ensure they had fun at the start of their new school year. Down the hill from the face painting tent was Pineville City Marshall Murphy Rachal’s horse rides where kids delightfully stood in line to saddle up. 

 

In between the two tents was the Pineville Fire Department truck. Firefighters handed out over 150 red hats, coloring books, and stickers as kids explored the engine and asked questions. 

 

Assistant Fire Chief Brian Nichols shared, “The fire department did an amazing job showing the truck. We like getting out in the community and supporting our youngest citizens.”

 

Judging from the happy faces seated around me, they did a wonderful job!