* * THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED FOR 2020. It has been replaced by “Shop Waynedale!” Click For More Details
1:00pm – Doors Open
1:30pm – Live Band Starts
3:00pm – Bike Parade
Emergency Vehicle Tours At Select Times
Face Painting
Chalk Walk & Drawing
Exploration Science Tent
Music & Live Band
Kids Games & Prizes
Vendor Meet & Greet
Bike Decorating
Food Trucks
Each year, the event organizers reach out to the businesses and organizations in the Waynedale area to help put on this free and fun community event! Each and every year, they respond positively and generously! This year, over 100 Waynedale businesses contributed to the A Walk In Waynedale Event. Please thank the sponsors by shopping or using their services as they’ve extended themselves to make sure you’ve had a great time at the event.
Come and release your creativity at our STAR Chalk Walk. It is free to participate! Get registered at the STAR tent at Bluffton Rd. and Interlaken the day of the event. Chalk will be provided, but feel to bring your own supplies, as well. 9’ by 5’ square art spaces will be available on a first come, first serve basis all along Bluffton Rd in front of STAR Bank. Popular vote winners for both adults and children will win a prize basket. Also, anybody who comes to appreciate the art and votes for their favorite square in each category will be entered to win a prize basket.
If you ride your bike to A Walk In Waynedale, be sure to stop at Hair Affair’s parking lot, where they will offer everything you need to decorate your bike for the day! And meet back up at Hair Affair for the Bike Parade which will start at 3pm; so get there early to secure your spot in the parade!
Pickup your “Passport To Waynedale” at either of the information booths throughout the event, located near Flagstar Bank and STAR Bank. Participate in select activities and visit vendors who have a Passport stamp. The more boxes on the Passport you have stamped, the bigger prize you might win! Be sure to turn in your stamped Passport at the end of the event to qualify to win.
Bring your blankets, grab your folding chairs, charge your cameras and get your dancing feet ready! This year, for your listening pleasure, you will be serenaded by the wonderful music of The Adam Strack Band! The cover band performs a variety of styles including classic rock, alternative rock, reggae, country, and bluegrass. Adam comes from a family of musicians that played as a family band for a decade in the 90’s and has been performing in front of live audiences for over 25 years.
We are pleased to once again present our Science Exploration Tent! A place where discoveries can be made! Kids and adults will have a chance to learn about the wetlands with Little River Wetlands, explore the honey bees through a live observation hive with Southwest Honey Co., learn about raptors like hawks and eagles with Soarin’ Hawk Raptor Rehabilitation, learn about pets and animal safety with H.O.P.E. for Animals and get cozy with live critters from the Critter Crew. We hope this new feature will satisfy all the adventurers at heart, while at the same time providing our community the opportunity for some outdoor science education.
Don’t forget to check out the vendors all along Bluffton Road! Over 40 local companies and organizations will be represented the day of A Walk In Waynedale. This is a wonderful opportunity to get to know those businesses that surround the place where you live, work and play. Many businesses are eager to meet you and share what they are doing in and around the Waynedale Community.
Be sure to drive safely around the event while trying to find a parking spot or when leaving the event. There will be many walkers and bikers sharing the area on this day of community fun and togetherness. And don’t forget to bring water and keep hydrated, especially with these temperatures!
Volunteer at this event by calling 260-747-6305.
We Appreciate All Sponsors, Consider A Donation!
Please consider a sponsorship or donation to “A Walk In Waynedale” community festival and help us continue to bring a free day of fun, togetherness and community building to Waynedale. Sponsorship levels can be found on the attached Sponsorship Form. If you would like to be a vendor, we would love to help brainstorm activities that you can hold at your booth for guests.
> Click to download Sponsorship Information
* * As of June 2019, this event has been renamed “A Walk In Waynedale.”
A WALK IN WAYNEDALE – COMMUNITY FESTIVAL
When: Saturday, July 27, 2019 from 1pm-4pm
Where: Bluffton Rd. in Waynedale, between Old Trail Rd. and Interlaken Dr.
Add’l: Formerly named the Waynedale Picnic, this event will close down Bluffton Rd to hold this huge community celebration. This is a family friendly event, drawing over 2,000 attendees yearly. This event is made possible by over a hundred local businesses and individuals who sponsor to the community event. Fun to be had with kids’ games, appearances from our local police, EMT and fire departments, Science Exploration Tent, walk vendors and more. More info and sponsorships at Waynedale.com/WalkInWaynedale
Cost: Event is FREE to residents of the Waynedale area
A WALK IN WAYNEDALE COMMUNITY FESTIVAL COMING SAT. JULY 27
Article from The Waynedale News
Get your walking shoes or bike tuned up and ready to go! The “A Walk In Waynedale” Organization Committee has officially announced the details of this newly relocated and re-branded Waynedale community event. A combination of the Waynedale Community Picnic and EMBARK, the Waynedale trails celebration, “A Walk In Waynedale” will close down Bluffton Road (between Old Trail Rd. and Interlaken Dr.) for a huge, free community festival on July 27 from 1pm to 4pm. Since its announcement in the June 7 edition of The Waynedale News, there has been a lot of buzz and excitement around the community in anticipation of Waynedale’s new premiere event, sure to draw thousands for a day of fun and togetherness in our community.
The festival is planned to feature the majority of the great things that guests of the Waynedale Community Picnic enjoyed, and seeks to bring more fun activities for kids and families, but will be held in a location that will put the community’s businesses at the forefront of the celebration, according to the event’s 15 volunteer committee.
The new location also addresses one of the biggest issues that the Picnic had, which was parking. “The Picnic worked with the Fort Wayne Police Department, who did their best to address street-side parking for 2,000+ guests around Waynedale Park. However, they still heard from guests that they had to walk 6-7 blocks or more.” Camille Garrison, A Walk In Waynedale Event Chair, continued, “This new event location offers more opportunities for parking near the event at The Southwest Conservation Club and in Star Bank’s commercial lot. And with help from Kingston Residence and American Legion Post 241, we’ll be shuttling guests from St. Therese Catholic Church and Davita Dialysis Center (former BMV) throughout the event.”
To further address parking, A Walk In Waynedale has been designed to be centrally located, so most residents can walk or bike from their home using the sidewalks and trails on the day of. And if you do bike there, make sure you stop at the Bike Decorating Station (at Hair Affair) and stay for the Bike Parade!
If that sounds like fun to you, the event’s committee has much more planned that you’ll love. The current roaster of activities include a live concert by the Adam Strack Band, a Chalk Walk, Emergency Vehicle Tour, Face Painting, Exploration Science Tent Activities, Local Business’ Vendor Booth Activities, Food Trucks and more! There will also be more prizes donated by local businesses to win with a “Waynedale Passport” that guests can get stamped for participating in activities.
The entire day is sponsored by over 100 local businesses, organizations and individuals who have donated their time or funding to a day of community togetherness for you as a resident of the area to enjoy. If you are interested in helping as a volunteer, as sponsor or vendor, or if you would just like more information about “A Walk In Waynedale”, you can find more information about this event at Waynedale.com/WalkInWaynedale or by finding the event on Facebook.
PICNIC CHANGES NAME & LOCATION TO BENEFIT GUESTS, SPONSORS
Article from The Waynedale News
This week, The Waynedale Community Picnic committee announced that last year was the 16th and final time they would hold the event at Waynedale Park. However, fans of the Picnic shouldn’t fret! Since the beginning of the year the Waynedale Community Picnic committee have been collaborating with the EMBARK Waynedale committee to hold a similar event, but this time they will close down Bluffton Road to do it!
On Saturday, July 27 Bluffton Road will close from 1pm to 4pm for this huge community festival. “A Walk In Waynedale” will take the place of the Waynedale Community Picnic and relocates the festival to “downtown” Waynedale along Bluffton Rd., between Old Trail Rd. and Interlaken Dr.
According to Megan Ryan, who has been the event manager of the Waynedale Community Picnic for the past 4 years, “We’ve made this shift to provide more event space, better parking and to attract more exposure for our community and its businesses. And most notably, to get people out and moving to celebrate a healthy lifestyle using our community’s new sidewalks and trails!”
Although not all details about this new event’s features have been released, a committee of 10 volunteer members that are working on the event “A Walk In Waynedale”, have indicated that it will be free for the expected 2,000+ guests to attend and participate in. And it is designed to “promote unity and togetherness in our area.”
Camille Garrison, the chair of EMBARK Waynedale, which was held last year as a celebration of the new sidewalks and trails commented, “This event will be the best of both the Picnic and EMBARK. Guests should expect many of the same attractions that both events had featured in the past, with the City’s ‘Open Streets’ event feel. Right now, we can announce that we will have kid’s games & activities, inflatable rides, a live band, a science tent, chalk walk, face painting & vendors. But there are a few more special things that we are working on bringing to the event, which will be announced as we get closer to July 27th.”
Of course, with any free event like this, which is funded 100% by sponsorships, much of “A Walk In Waynedale” committee’s efforts are currently focused on fundraising. There are several sponsorship levels in which companies and individuals could lend a hand for this event. No matter what the level of sponsorship, any support is vital to the success of this event. There are many perks designed for sponsors, but most importantly this is an impactful way to be part of a great community event and show support for Waynedale.
If you are interested in helping as a volunteer, as sponsor or vendor, or if you would just like more information about A Walk In Waynedale, you can find more information about this event at Waynedale.com/WalkInWaynedale or by finding the event on Facebook.