The Young Auditorium hosted a Family Fun Day on Feb. 22 in the Greenhill Center of the Arts.      

There was a plethora of free activities for families to participate in, and it was open to the public. Children got their faces painted, participated in an obstacle course, played games, explored STEM kits and even attended a live theater show. This was the second year the event has taken place, and it had some new features too.

“Thanks to a generous grant from The Whitewater Community Foundation, we opened a brand new Sensory Play Space in our lobby for people of all ages to enjoy, and the UW-W Children’s Center will have additional options for exploratory play,” Shannon Dozoryst, director of the Young Auditorium said.

Kohl’s Wild Theatre presented the live theater show Welcome to the Zoo. The show told the story of solitary student Skylar Schultz, who was on a school trip to the zoo. After a mysterious encounter with a wise river turtle, Schultz learns to overcome her fear of interacting with others, and this interactive adventure meets social-emotional learning standards by exploring the connections between zookeepers, animals and young people. This gave families a unique moralistic and entertaining experience.

“There’s so much to do here, and it’s been nice for him to have a place where he can burn some energy. He’s had a lot of fun, and he even met some new kids, too,” said Meghan Brock, a babysitter to a child attending the event.

“This is one of the biggest events the Auditorium hosts, and it brings in a ton of families,” said Anna Mccallun, a student at UW-Whitewater who worked at the event.

Another activity at the event was the Fort Healthcare obstacle course. The course was a “functional fitness,” which means it encouraged activities people already do in their daily lives: climbing, crawling, ducking and jumping. It was essentially a fitness obstacle course with ramps, and it was incredibly safe. This interactive course gave kids an opportunity to do something they normally wouldn’t be able to do during the winter time.

Dozoryst and all the Auditorium staff members are grateful for the support they’ve received from their sponsors to help this event grow.

“We enourage families to play in our space and return to enjoy live performing arts experiences together in the future.” Dozoryst said.