The City of Riverbank’s Parks and Recreation staff members were out enjoying the sunshine with about 50 to 60 participants on Saturday, Sept. 28 at ‘Teen Fest’ hosted at the Teen Center to celebrate the youth in the community.
This was the second Teen Fest event that the city has hosted, said officials, and the staff put a lot of thought into making the event a fun afternoon for the local teens between the ages of 13 to 19.
Riverbank Parks and Recreation Supervisor Kerrie Webb strolled around the event visiting with the youth and enjoying the festivities. She even participated in one of the activities by taking the mechanical bull for a spin.
The music provided by local disc jockey, DJ Laser, kept the crowd entertained by spinning the latest hits while the youth displayed their acrobatic skills on the bungee trampoline, played a competitive game of volleyball, rode the mechanical bull, and delighted in other activities.
Although the bull and the bungee trampoline had the longest lines, the teens were spread throughout the Teen Center socializing and just having a fun day.
The center has tables, couches, air hockey, and a television for all to enjoy.
The staff also provided the teens with a meal that consisted of hot dogs, chips, cookies, and a soda at no cost. Program Specialist, Joye Thompson, grilled the hot dogs and served them up, hot and fresh, until they were all gone and city staff member Gabriel Calderon assisted in making sure the guests received a plate. City staff member Efran Vasquez was also on hand to assist with the event and spent some time playing volleyball with the other guests.
The event also included a dance contest and a mechanical bull contest for the teens to participate in. The prizes that were on hand for the teens were gift cards from Subway, Starbucks, Little Caesar’s and a movie ticket for two.
Youth participant Julian Barajas was the lucky winner of both the dance contest and the mechanical bull contest.
The Teen Fest participants expressed that they were having a good time and it was also evident by all the smiles seen and laughter heard throughout the event.
Students from Cardozo Middle School, Riverbank High School, and teenagers from throughout the community attended the fest held at the Teen Center, which opened in 2009.
“The event was a huge success,” said Webb.
