The 7th annual Family Fun Fest will be a drive-thru

Hopkins+Park

Patrick Murphy

Hopkins Park

By Jacob Baker

A drive through Hopkins Park will provide families of all ages with a free opportunity to take home fun games and activities, while also learning about local businesses this Tuesday. 

Family Fun Fest will be held this Tuesday from 4 to 6 p.m. at Hopkins Park, 1403 Sycamore Rd., with a new drive-thru for cars and COVID-19 precautions in place.

“In the past, it has been where people play games and learn about businesses in our community,” Membership Manager Anna Coates said. “This year, people will be able to take home activities like activity sheets, bubbles, frisbees, and take home snack kits. There will be a lot of stuff to be handed out.”

While this year’s Family Fun Fest will be strictly a drive-thru, there’s possibly more of an opportunity for businesses to get out into the community through this method. 

“Most of the time people just play the games and move onto the next thing.” Coates said. “This will be a greater opportunity for them to hand out information to tell more about their business than they might have done in the past.” 

The biggest difference will be the lack of opportunity for kids to get out of their cars and play the games, but take home activities will still be available to them, so they can experience those games in the safety of their own home. 

A variety of safety measures will be taken to make sure this is the safest experience for both the vendors and the families driving through Hopkins Park. 

All of the vendors are required to have masks, and Family Fun Fest is promoting the use of hand sanitizer, Coates said. Everything will be pre-packaged, so there will be less touching and interaction at each booth. People will also have the option to not take something they are offered. 

“If people are interested in learning more about how they can support the community during this time, this is a great way to meet faces and meet organizations.” Coates said. “We encourage families if they’re looking for something to do that’s fun and a little bit different, this is a great opportunity because there haven’t been many events like this in our area.” 

This is the seventh year Family Fun Fest has been going on in DeKalb, Coates said. According to the Family Fun Fest event page on the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce website, families will be asked to enter through the stoplight on Sycamore Road and exit through the Hopkins Pool parking lot.