The Upside's event Saturday offers family fun, celebrates World Down Syndrome Day

Staff
·2 min read
Upside event
Upside event

The Upside is celebrating World Down Syndrome Day with fun for the whole family at "Accept. Include. Empower! 2023: ROCKSTAR Edition" on Saturday in Wichita Falls.

The Upside, Advocacy and Advancement for Individuals with Down Syndrome, a local nonprofit organization, will offer music and dancing, a petting zoo, bounce house, food trucks, face painting, vendors and a fun run/walk during the event from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Vernon College-Century City Campus in Wichita Falls.

"The ROCKSTAR Edition promises a celebration of our differences and the chromosomes that make each of us unique set to the music of the best rock bands of the past seventy years!" organizers said.

The weekend celebration of World Down Syndrome Day, which was Tuesday, will kick off at 11 a.m. Saturday on the east side of Vernon College's Century City Center. That is the gym side of the building.

Parking will be available on the west side of the building, which faces the mall. Those attending are asked to park and travel the south sidewalk to the event. The entire parking lot on the east side of the building will be occupied with vendors and fun activities.

Here is the schedule and a few tips from organizers on how to ensure your experience at Accept. Include. Empower! 2023: ROCKSTAR Edition is a rockin' good time:

Packet Pickup. You can begin picking your packets up at 10:30 a.m. at the registration table on the sidewalk between the parking area and the event.

Activities for Kids. Many attractions for the kiddos — like the meet and greet with Elsa and Rapunzel, the face painting, the petting zoo from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. only, the visit with friends from Whispers of Hope, the athlete challenges from LEYT Athletics, the Touch-A-Truck from the Wichita Falls Fire Department, and the bounce house — are completely free  of charge. Others may be accompanied by a small fee.

Food. Vendors will be selling products such as cotton candy, flavored popcorn, lemonade and other homemade goods in addition to snow cones from Kona Ice, pizza from Progress & Provisions, and street tacos — in singles and plates — from Castanon Event Catering.

The Fun Walk/Run. To ensure the walk is accessible to all, participants will walk the horseshoe around the parking lot and back to the cheers of their biggest fans. This is a distance of slightly less than a mile.

Awards. Anyone interested in participating in the "Who Wore It Best" contest and the "Craziest Socks" contest can. Dress to impress in your best rock 'n' roll attire and make those crazy socks work for you. Prizes will be awarded in both the child and adult categories.

This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: The Upside offers family fun at event to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day