Dandelion Festival just right

I went to Dandelion Festival in Borculo for the first time ever Saturday and I was surprised by the size and popularity of the event.
The parking lot and front yard at Borculo Christian Reformed Church were full of inflatable games and attractions. There were food booths scattered about, the fire departments were there with their trucks and, of course, the ponies made their familiar circle in the grass.
It’s brown now, but soon it will be the greenest patch in the yard, if you catch my drift.
And the kids. Wow, were there a bunch of them. Of all ages, from infants to teens. And they all had enough to do to keep them interesting.
I couldn’t talk my three boys in coming along. The figured if they wanted a dandelion festival all they had to do was go play in the yard.
They missed it.
The Dandelion Festival and the folks at Borculo CRC who run it have a great event going. It’s just about the perfect size and duration.
You can come for the 11 a.m. parade, spend a few hours at the games, get a bite to eat and then still be home by 2 o’clock or so.
It’s a quick in and out, with enough to do to keep all the kids happy and content.
And you want to know the best part?
It’s all free. That’s right. It doesn’t cost a dime.
Some of the booths had donation jars available, but no payment was required.
The festival is an outreach program for Borculo CRC. The church, which took over the event seven years ago when Bohl’s Restaurant closed, uses Dandelion Festival to promote its Vacation Bible School program, and this year, two of its summer sports camps.
The festival is a way the church gives back and also reaches out to the unchurched. Borculo CRC just wants the kids to have a good time in a positive experience in a church setting.
If that pays dividends down the road in the form of a young heart turning to Jesus Christ, that is great. If it turns out a child and their family just had a great day together in a positive setting, well, that’s okay, too.