'They have a blast': Special Kids Day lights up Fall Festival after 3-year absence
EVANSVILLE – This, Jon Yeager said, is one of the coolest parts of the Fall Festival.
Yeager started his day early Tuesday morning, working as chairman of Special Kids Day: the time where the festival is set aside for kids who may not normally attend due to special needs or sensory issues. After a pause during the pandemic, it was the first time the event had been held since 2019.
Yeager's first task of the day was getting volunteers excited as the waited for the kids to arrive on West Franklin Street by bus.
"It gets the kids time at the festival where it's all to themselves," he said. "This gives them that opportunity to ride all these rides and not be overwhelmed by the crowds. They have a blast with a big smile on their face."
At 9:05 a.m., buses started rolling into the festival grounds. The guests of honor poured out, greeted by volunteers from USI Baseball, the West Side Nut Club and others who waited to be paired up with a bus to provide assistance to their "buddies."
Amber Montgomery, 14, was one of the kids in attendance. She sat with her mother, Katie Flick, as she saw other past teachers and classmates that she no longer sees on a daily basis.
"She just loves seeing all of the kids," Flick said.
Montgomery has been attending for years and always has a great time. While she didn't ride many of the open rides, she was able to enjoy her favorite: the bumper cars.
"That's another great thing about this is there's tons of people to help and everyone understands if it takes us a little longer to get on or off," said Flick, who carried Amber on her back after they finished on the bumper cars with the assistance of volunteers who swarmed if anything went wrong.
The first Special Kids Day was held in 1989 and has grown to include hundreds of students from Vanderburgh County and other surrounding counties. There are now more rides and games and, most importantly at the Fall Festival, even more food.
After the kids got done or needed a break from the fun, volunteers from Harrison, Mater Dei, and other area schools helped by handing out ice cream and food. They also washed trays to help with the lunch service provided by the Nut Club.
Ron Kempf, the day's co-chairman, stood in the lunch room looking around all the kids and volunteers as they assisted with feeding the kids.
"I think it's important for the volunteers to see what these children go through everyday. And it's very rewarding," he said.
His youngest, Oliver was diagnosed with autism, so for him, this event hits home. When he's not working it, he brings his family down to the festival so they can enjoy the local tradition.
For Oliver, if any prize has anything to do with PJ Masks, he's going for it, his father said.
"It's very heartwarming."
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Fall Festival: Special Kids Day lights up fest after 3-year break
