Children across the region will have something fun to do Saturday when the Three Rivers Shrine Club hosts its inaugural Kids Day event.
The event, said club past president Bobby Wicker, will run from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday, will be free of charge and will occur rain or shine.
“We had planned to do it last year, and it was going to be the first year for it, but COVID knocked us out,” Wicker said.
The event will take place at The Grotto, located at 3102 Kennedy Lane, off Barron Road, in Poplar Bluff.
“We’ll be there from 10 to 2, and people don’t have to be there right at 10,” Wicker said. “In fact, we hope everyone filters through throughout the day and not everyone shows up at 10 o’clock.”
The event, he said, is all about the children and providing information about the local club and its works.
“We didn’t want this to be a commercialized thing,” Wicker said. “We wanted this to be for the kids to come out and see what Three Rivers Shrine Club is all about, what Shriners Hospital is all about, and have a good time while you’re there.”
Several organizations will be on hand with games and activities, Wicker noted.
“We’ve got all kinds of things going on. We’ve got both the county and city fire departments coming,” he said. “The city will bring their smoke trailer, and the county will have a prop for squirting water. Plus, the ambulance service will be there showing off their ambulance.”
The Poplar Bluff Parks and Recreation Department will be on hand and “has some activities they are going to do,” Wicker said.
In addition, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will have different games set up for visitors to play.
“The Moolah clowns will be there, and the Moolah ladies will do face painting,” Wicker said, and Poplar Bluff Animal Control will have some animals on hand for petting.
Prizes from various entities, Wicker said, also will be handed out.
The Poplar Bluff and Greenville Shrine lodges, Wicker said, will team up to provide MO Chip (Missouri Child Identification Program) information for parents.
“That’s where they get the kids’ information and they put it on a disc for the parents. It will have a photo and all the child’s information on it, so if something ever happens, the parent doesn’t have to look for everything,” Wicker said.
Free food also will be available, thanks to a pair of sponsors.
“We’ll have hamburgers and hotdogs, and that’s all going to be free of charge,” Wicker said. “The food and drinks are provided by Pearle Vision and Christian Automotive.”
If the event “goes over well,” Wicker said, the Three Rivers Shrine Club will plan on hosting it every year.