Fraser Recreation Commission previews April–May events, seeks volunteers and vendors

The Fraser Recreation Commission on April 1 reviewed a slate of spring events and festival planning, including an April 12 marshmallow drop, a May 10 kite event, a mid‑May Big Bounce America engagement and a three‑date vendor show this summer, and asked for volunteer help and vendor interest.

A staff member said the marshmallow drop at Stephens Park was scheduled for Saturday, April 12 with three time slots — 12:00 p.m., 12:45 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. — and that the first two slots were sold out. “We are currently having 3 drops. We are sold out on the first 2 drops at 12 and 12:45. We have a 100 out of 200 right now signed up for the final drop of 1 at 01:30,” the staff member said, adding that the commission opened the final drop to all ages and had been assisting some registrants directly after a registration link intermittently failed for external users. The staff member said organizers planned to separate younger children and older participants on different sides of the field for safety, and that event features would include a petting zoo, two face painters, five “golden eggs” per drop and 600 prepared goodie bags.

The commission also reviewed a May 10 “Let’s Go Fly a Kite” free event at Seventh Park, 2–4 p.m., for which staff said registration could be used to estimate supplies and snacks. The commission discussed Big Bounce America, which staff said would set up May 12 and remain through May 27 with live public dates on May 17, 18, 23, 24 and 25; staff said they had invoiced the vendor and requested a $1,000 escrow deposit to address potential field damage.

On vendor markets, staff said they had received interest from about 15–20 vendors and planned three vendor market dates at Stephens Park: June 7, July 12 and Aug. 2, each from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Staff said they were not charging vendor fees for the first season to encourage participation, were seeking food trucks and were coordinating dates to avoid conflict with neighboring markets. “I got about 15 to 20 vendors who have either asked for an application or have turned in an application,” the staff member said.

Banya Epps, representing the Fraser First Booster Club, told commissioners the booster club planned a Thursday, April 3 fundraiser at Ramshorn and a community art installation called WeavePiece at Stephens Park to kick off reimagining of the park. Epps said Michelle Miller Hansen — the artist behind the original 2014 WeavePiece — had been invited and that the booster club had secured 10 sponsors at $100 each to pay for materials. “We will start constructing WeavePiece … and she was really gracious about bringing it to McKinley Park for us and I contacted her and she was really excited that we were gonna put it up again here at Stephens Park,” Epps said. The club expected the installation to remain on site for about two to three weeks.

The Frasier Beautification Club reported cleanup work along the wedge and in front of the CVS corner and said its next meeting was May 28 at 6:30 p.m. at Ramshorn. In citizen participation, Laura Lessidge of 15201 Fairview urged organizers to site vendor trucks where the park does not flood and to place food trucks near the parking lot perimeter; she also raised wider street cleanup needs and asked whether student honor societies could be tapped for service hours.

In response, staff said the Department of Public Works would supply trash bags and, depending on staffing, the department hoped to supply equipment, while staff would reach out to local schools and honor societies to coordinate volunteer scheduling. “Our DPW is gonna supply bags and, hopefully, some equipment,” a staff member said. Commissioners and members of the public discussed breaking cleanup into smaller, self‑scheduled groups tied to specific areas to reduce the burden of a single large event.

Commissioners also gave brief reports. Commissioner Hunter said parade planning should begin soon and urged outreach to schools; another commissioner reported a small senior craft show at the Senior Activity Center that drew about 30 attendees and that organizers would consider repeating the event.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to excuse Commissioner Rice, Commissioner Walker and Commissioner Rustelli from the meeting — motion by Commissioner Cook; second by Commissioner Peptic; outcome: approved. - Motion to approve the agenda for April 1, 2025 — motion by Commissioner Cook; second by Commissioner Hunter; outcome: approved. - Motion to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of March 11, 2025 — motion by Commissioner Peptchak; second by Commissioner Cook; outcome: approved. - Motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:43 p.m. — motion by Commissioner Hunter; second by Commissioner Cook; outcome: approved.

Commissioners and staff encouraged residents to sign up as volunteers for registration and gift‑bag stations for the marshmallow drop, to contact staff about vendor or food‑truck participation for the summer vendor markets, and to watch the recreation website and Facebook page for event updates and any registration links that are reposted. The commission said it would follow up with DPW and school contacts to schedule targeted community cleanup dates and to finalize vendor and Big Bounce agreements.