Summer fun found at fair

By Josh Burton
josh.burton@amarillo.com

The fourth annual "What's a Kid to Do?" fair, sponsored by the Amarillo Globe-News, was held Saturday at the Amarillo Civic Center.

The event is part of Celebrate Education.

Different organizations at the fair showcased summer classes and camps available to children.

Meredith Homen, 9, takes gymnastics classes through Amarillo College.

She has met many friends through the classes and said her favorite part is tumbling.

"I've always wanted to fly, and being in the air is a blast," Homen said.

Her mom, Alice Homen, is president of the Amarillo Competitive Gymnastics Association and teaches gymnastics to children at AC.

"What I see is their growth," Alice Homen said. "Not just physical development, but their self-confidence, friendships."

Michael Hawk was there with his family trying to find activities for his 5-year-old daughter.

She's interested in horses and science, Hawk said.

Amarillo College offers many programs for children and adults during the summer, including 125 gymnastics classes, leisure studies coordinator Luke Morrison said.

"We're basically doing everything under the sun," Morrison said. "You have all types of age ranges, depending on the class."

Many classes begin June 2, the Monday after Amarillo Independent School District closes its doors for the summer, Morrison said.

Other booths with summer camps included West Texas A&M University and the Amarillo Family YMCA.

Nina Barbee, director of the Office of Continuing Education, said WT offers many classes during the summer.

On Saturday, there was a lot of interest in the sports camps, Barbee said. The college also has band camps available.

The university also offers a full-day camp, Camp Tatanka, which runs June 2 to Aug. 15, Barbee said.

The YMCA offers many activities through the summer including a summer camp, said Linda Reis, chief operating officer.

The summer camp runs from May 30 through Aug. 11 at all three branches of the YMCA, Reis said.