On the road again

Liberty Township, Ohio - Somebody alert Willie Nelson - the Fitton Center is on the road again.

While the life Willie loves is making music with his friends, we love making visual art with ours.

Specifically, Creative Arts in the Park returns to Liberty Township from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Thursday, July 21, at Ft. Liberty Playland (6845 Van Gorden Road).

“Last time (June 16) we had about twice as many people as I expected,” said Caroline Digiovenale, Fitton Center Education and Community Experience Coordinator. “It was great to have so many people. They were asking when we could come back; they all were excited and having fun. It’s nice just to be hands-on with the kids. It’s fun to see the kids happy.

“It’s also nice to let people know about the Fitton Center in some places that might not know us as well as the people in Hamilton do. We really look forward to meeting people in Liberty Township and getting them involved. Not just for Creative Arts in the Park, but letting them know about everything else we do – classes, camps, workshops and shows.”

In June, Digiovenale and volunteer Kim Florek – a retired teacher – helped kids create a caterpillar craft using tissue paper, popsicle sticks, glue and regular paper. The little critters gave the illusion of inching up and down a tree branch.

This time around, it’s going to be frogs.

But not simply frogs. Frogs with long string tongues compete with a fly on the end. The finished product becomes a catch-the-fly-in-the-cup game.

“They are super cute and super fun to make,” Digiovenale said. “If they liked the caterpillars, they’re really going to like these.”

Digiovenale said she enjoys crafty program with children outside the walls of the Fitton Center. (Fear not. The Fitton Center hosts plenty of artistic endeavors inside its walls next week, too, with a variety of summer camps scheduled for all ages.)

“I know parents are looking for something for their kids to do that gets them outside and away from their screens for a while,” she said. “We’re doing that. We’re getting them outside, and we’re getting them to engage and be a little creative. It’s a lot of fun and its free.

“The location is great. They can come over and do the craft with us, but then they can stay at the park and just play outside for a while. Last time some of the families brought their lunch had a picnic when they finished. It’s a fun way to spend a morning.

The third and final Creative Art in the Park program for the summer runs 10 to 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 18 at Ft. Liberty Playland. The August craft is toy turtles made from yarn and popsicle sticks.

The Fitton Center for Creative Arts is located at 101 S. Monument Avenue on the Riverfront in downtown Hamilton, Ohio.

Building Community Excellence through the Arts and Culture