Asheville families are in for a fun-filled day during Asheville Parks & Recreation (APR)’s annual Tiny Tykes Day at Martin Luther King Jr. Park from 2-5 p.m. on Sunday, May 5. The free family festival features hands-on experiences and adventures tailored for kids ages 5 and under including tumble and bounce houses, face painting, twisty balloons, craft making, biking, obstacle courses, special guests, train rides, sing-alongs, and more! Admission is free and registration is not required.
“From programs for teens and adult sports leagues to outdoor art classes and low-impact hikes for older adults, we know Asheville is strongest when community members of all ages have the opportunity to be healthy, successful, and supported” according to D. Tyrell McGirt, APR Director. “Throughout the year, we host many toddler discovery programs in parks and at community centers that inspire curiosity, foster imagination, and set the stage for a world where every child feels supported to achieve their dreams. Tiny Tykes Day combines the best of those programs and brings them to beautiful Martin Luther King Jr. Park – with plenty of room to accommodate hundreds of our city’s youngest explorers, artists, and future leaders.”
Designed to encourage critical decision making and patience, APR program leaders will be stationed around MLK Park hosting fun activities to build cooperation and develop motor skills using bubbles, balloons, bikes, bounce houses, dinosaurs, and much more. Bleacher seating is available, but families are encouraged to bring blankets and lawn chairs to stay closer to the action.
Tiny Tykes Day is an outdoor festival subject to mountain weather. If it is cancelled, APR will make an announcement by 9am on the day of the event.
Other upcoming special events for toddlers include Toddler Superhero Bash on April 27, Toddler Kickball Extravaganza on May 12, and Toddler Groove Fusion on June 1.
Asheville Parks & Recreation
With its oldest parks dating to the 1890s, Asheville Parks & Recreation manages a unique collection of more than 65 public parks, playgrounds, and open spaces throughout the city in a system that also includes full-complex recreation centers, swimming pools, Riverside Cemetery, sports fields and courts, and community centers that offer a variety of wellness-, education-, and culture-related programs for Ashevillians of all ages. With 10 miles of paved greenways and numerous natural surface trails, its complete portfolio acts as the foundation of a vibrant hub for the people of Asheville to connect with their neighbors and explore the natural beauty of a livable and walkable city.
Driven by the promise that Asheville is a better and safer place when everyone from infants to retirees has the opportunity to be supported, healthy, and successful, Asheville Parks & Recreation was the first nationally-accredited municipal recreation department in the United States. For latest updates, sign up for Asheville Parks & Recreation’s monthly newsletter, follow the department on Facebook (@aprca) and Instagram (@ashevilleparksandrecreation), or visit www.ashevillenc.gov/parks.
Leslie W. Hicken, Professor Emeritus and the Charles E. Daniel Professor of Music, taught on the faculty of Furman University from the fall of 1993 until his retirement in 2019. Within the music department, his responsibilities included the directorship of the Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble; professor of music education and instrumental conducting; and Assistant Director with the Marching Band. He was also the Director of the Furman Music by the Lake Concert Series and the Lakeside Concert Band. Currently, Dr. Hicken is the Artistic Director of the Carolina Youth Symphony and Co-Director of the Poinsett Wind Symphony. During the 2021-2022 academic year, he was the Visiting Professor at Clemson University as conductor of their Symphony Orchestra. This year, he is the interim Director of the Wind Ensemble at the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities.
Award-winning composer and clarinetist Erik Franklin balances a vibrant, varied career on and off the stage. He has given concerts in nearly all fifty states and throughout Europe, performing for audiences large and small in venues from veterans’ homes to Carnegie Hall. A former member of the United States Army Field Band (Washington, D.C.), Franklin now performs as a soloist and chamber musician across the country as a member of the Ann Street Trio and the Heartwood Duo.