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Old Saybrook CommUNITY Day is Saturday, Sept. 29

Come explore the Youth Action Council’s UNITY Pole Project, an interactive art installation. Or enter the Wellness Center station on the Town Green to get a chair massage, a blood pressure screening, meet therapy dogs, or get a child ID from the Old Saybrook Police Department. Listen to live music from Public Works Director Larry Bonin’s band. And come to watch demonstrations of remote control airplanes, martial arts, dancing, and shop for crafts made by local artisans in the CommUNITY Marketplace.

All of these activities and more will be the part of Old Saybrook Youth & Family Services’ inaugural CommUNITY day, set for Saturday, Sept. 29 from 1 to 4 p.m. on the Town Green.

There will be food, fun and activities for all ages. The rain date for the event will be the next day, Sunday, Sept. 30, at the same time.

“The centerpiece project is the UNITY Pole Project,” said Youth & Family Services Executive Director Heather McNeil, who explained the only way to learn about the UNITY Pole Project will be to come to the Town Green and experience it directly.

There will also be active stations set up around the green chosen to engage a range of ages. These stations include an area for lawn games, a bounce house, a football toss, face painting, and even an obstacle course to try.

“There’s going to be something for everyone to experience all that the community has to offer,” said McNeil.

A facilitated discussion of the One Book, One Town

projectwill be held at 1 p.m. at the gazebo. The book, What Do you Do with a Problem by Kobi Yamada, is being read this month by the town’s elementary-age students and aloud to the town’s pre-school students. It was supplied to area schools and pre-school sites by Youth & Family Services, with funding support from the United Way of Middlesex County.

“This book teaches everyone how to identify what is a problem and how to work collaboratively to solve it,” McNeil said.

The celebration substitutes for another Youth & Family Services-organized event, Family Day, that has been held in the past few years.

The goal of this new event is to fashion a celebration on the Town Green that will attract, engage, and appeal to town residents of all ages. As a result, it includes live music, activities, active games, demonstrations, and an artisan marketplace for shoppers and browsers.

A food booth will also be at the event. This year Old Saybrook Rotary Club will serve hot dogs for sale at its food booth. Any proceeds will benefit the club’s annual student scholarship awards.

For more information, contact the Old Saybrook Youth & Family Services Agency at 860-395-3190.