“It’s free, it’s fun, and it’s good for family.”

According to Brad Muckenhirn, these are the “Three F’s” of FAB FRIDAYS. FAB FRIDAYS are sixty-minute gatherings in which participants play a game or do a creative activity. Each one is hosted by The City of Cottage Grove’s recreation staff at Highlands or Woodridge Park. FAB FRIDAYS are free of charge, do not require registration, and are inclusive of all ages.

On June 11, The Journal had the pleasure of meeting Molly Pietruszewski, the Recreation Services Manager for The City of Cottage Grove. She recalled that nearly five years ago, The City of Cottage Grove’s Parks and Recreation Department desired to “engage more with the community” in an “inexpensive” manner. Ever since, FAB FRIDAYS have remained a summer tradition in Cottage Grove.

So far this summer, there have been three FAB FRIDAYS. On June 11, several rounds of BINGO were played at Woodridge Park. Two weeks succeeding that, people were tie-dying shirts at Highlands Park. Thirdly, and just last Friday, The Journal witnessed approximately 40 individuals “Chalk the Walk” in Woodridge Park. Children and adults drew and wrote on the paved trail that is adjacent to Woodridge Park’s building and in front of its basketball courts. Enabling their creativity was the City of Cottage Grove’s recreation staff. Due to the fact that they offered a supply of chalk sticks and masking tape, people like Mr. Bhaisaheb could sketch whatever pleased them. “Look at my basketball. I made a basketball!” the young boy exclaimed to his mother.

Prior to Chalk the Walk, the Bhaisaheb family had never visited Woodridge Park. After all, they are brand new residents of Cottage Grove. The Bhaisaheb family is fancying their stay in the region. When the mother was requested to reveal her thoughts on Cottage Grove, she retorted, “Love it. Peaceful.”

The Hammarsten family had been experiencing Woodridge’s playground on Friday morning when they were invited to partake in Chalk the Walk. Although the father had “never heard of” FAB FRIDAYS before, his two daughters were diligently coloring geometric figures on the pavement. They were using a portion of the City of Cottage Grove’s recreation team’s masking tape to construct straight and neat lines. Hammarsten concluded that using the tool in chalk art was a “good idea.”

Meanwhile, Brad Muckenhirn, the Recreation Supervisor, and Nina Riesselman, the Summer Assistant, were “playing.” During an exchange with The Journal, they were marking the path with handprints. Inspiring their masterpiece was an unknown kid’s footprint. Muckenhirn justified, “Yeah, I don’t know. I just found this little footprint here. Somebody walked through this and then I saw the footprint already got right here. Well, I go, ‘That’s kind of cool… what if I do my hands?’” Riesselman coated Muckenhirn’s palms with chalk. Next, he firmly pressed his hands against the pavement. This process was repeated until more than one dozen handprints had been adhered to the ground.

Riesselman identified one of the City of Cottage Grove’s Parks & Recreation Department’s motives for organizing Chalk the Walk. “Typically [at] the Strawberry Fest, we do a chalk walk contest where we have different sections. People do a little drawing. We have judges there and then, the winner gets a prize. So, this year, kind of in place of that, since we didn’t have the Strawberry Fest, we thought it would be a good idea just to do some chalk.”

The Strawberry Fest is an annual city fair. During a weekend in June, it is held in and around Kingston Park. However, the Strawberry Fest of 2020 and 2021 was cancelled for reasons relating to COVID-19. Because the City of Cottage Grove has not facilitated the event for two consecutive years, locals have missed out on its parade, talent show, food, rides, music, business booths and Chalk Walk contest.

While Chalk the Walk was an attempt to substitute a tradition, it was also a way to encourage community- building in a city park. Muckenhirn told The Journal: “It’s just a great opportunity for the Parks and Recreation department to get out into the community; offer an event that…is inclusive for everybody and gives an opportunity for those folks to get out and enjoy our parks.”

If one missed out on Chalk the Walk last Friday, they still have two opportunities to attend a FAB FRIDAY. On July 23 at Highlands Park, the City of Cottage Grove’s recreation staff will be leading a spin art activity. Finally, key chains will be crafted at Woodridge Park on August 23. Both enrichments will start at 10am and finish at 11am.

The FAB FRIDAY series of 2021 is winding down, which means that autumn is nearing. Final plans for this fall’s local recreational events have not been announced yet. Even so, the City of Cottage Grove’s Parks and Recreation Department will unveil them shortly. Muckenhirn remarked, “So, we are in the process of planning for fall programs. Obviously, with kids going back to school and our hockey stuff taking off, our programs do slow down a little bit in the fall and winter but, we got a couple things up our sleeves that we’ll be releasing to the public… the first week of August/ second week of August.”

“What inspires you?” was written in large letters on the path where Chalk the Walk took place. Photo by Sadie Jones

The City of Cottage Grove’s recreation team brought masking tape and chalk to Chalk the Walk. The tape allowed participants to make geometric figures with clean lines.Photo by Sadie Jones