Camp Villages wrapped up for the year with a picnic at Paradise Park on the Historic Side of The Villages.
“This is a bittersweet day for us,” Recreation Leader Pam Henry said wistfully. “We loved doing all the extra work to make Camp Villages happen, and we’ll miss seeing all the kids and grandparents having fun,” she said, as she turned a dozen or so hotdogs and buns on a grill.
Recreation Supervisors Lisa Parkyn, who lives in the Village of Hemingway, and Joyce Veneruso, from the Village of Buttonwoon, were setting out the chips and ‘fixins’ under a large blue tent, agreed.
“It’s been loads of fun,” Joyce said.
While some participants settled right down at picnic tables
to eat, others got involved in games first. Villager of Belle Aire residents Judy and Glenn Perkins got involved in a corn hole toss game by the water with their grandkids Matt Sutton, 7, and Will Sutton, 10.
The score was pretty even, but Grandma seemed to be the player with the best aim. Nearby, other participants were throwing strings with small balls attached in a ladder-rack game. They had never seen that particular toss game before and were finding it tricky and difficult.
At game tables, Liberty Park Village resident Rose Butchko played checkers with her granddaughter, Emily Longstreet, 9. “She’s quite good,” Rose revealed. “I almost never win.” At another checker table, Michael Knitt, 11, was taking advantage of his grandfather, showing off how many of his checkers he had jumped.
Fishing poles were available and some races and organized games were planned for the picnic-goers. When asked if they wanted to come back to The Villages next summer, the kids yelled “Yesssssssssss!” Â The grandparents have all year to recuperate and rest up before the June 2015 foray.
