VERO BEACH — Leave the snow and ice to northerners. Floridians can happily get into the holiday spirit even when it’s 80 degrees. That’s just what they did Saturday at the Family Holiday Fest at Riverside Park to benefit Literacy Services of Indian River County.
Matt McManus and Sandy Mann again co-chaired the festive community event, with Fidelity Investments as the presenting sponsor.
Not wanting to miss a moment, little ones tugged on their parents’ hands encouraging them along as they darted from bounce houses and slides to games and contests, and even rides on a charming train.
Proud families and friends sat and watched as various groups performed up on the big stage, enthusiastically clapping after every one.
At the arts and crafts areas, children could make and take home miniature Christmas trees and ornaments, or hammer away making snowmen picture frames.
Happy faces glittering with face-paint watched in awe as the balloon man crafted impossible designs.
Each winner of a new Cakewalk game got their choice of a six-pack of cupcakes, donated by the Treasure Coast Women’s Club.
“I just picked up Santa,” said Don Mann.
“As soon as he sat in the chair, everyone just zoomed over! It’s great; it’s all fun for the kids.”
Adults could bid on more than 30 donated silent auction items, browse booths offering food and gift ideas, or learn about various nonprofit organizations.
Several booths promoted the push by Literacy Services and others to advance the literacy skills of children by reading to them from infancy onward.
“We work with the Stork Club at the hospital to give our Read to Babies brochure to every family of a newborn in the county,” said Mary Silva, Literacy Services executive director.
“And we work with Outhouse Ink Publishing who provides us with a book called “Abigail the Snail” that we give to every baby.”
“We have little caps and gowns and we’re taking pictures of kids holding a chalkboard marked with their high school graduation year,” said Marie O’Brien, promoting the Moonshot Moment goal of 90 percent literacy countywide by third grade.
“It’s trying to get parents thinking of their children as graduates.”
“And I love that we’ve had so many letters to the troops,” said Silva of the Military Care Zone, where children scribbled their thanks to men and women serving far from home.
Literacy Services of Indian River County provides free one-on-one tutoring to adults who want to improve their reading and writing skills or learn English as a Second Language, and encourages literacy within the family through its Reading to Babies and Toddlers program.