Head to Forest Acres for some free fun

If you’re looking for a full day of fun that won’t empty your wallet, consider heading to AC Flora High School on Saturday, May 16, where the Forest Acres Festival will be in full swing from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

You’ll see all the usual suspects: face painters, a petting zoo, rides, games for even the littlest children, super cool face painters, magic shows, pony rides, lots of mascots, a bouncy house, activities from EdVenture Children’s Museum, a big slide, two bluegrass bands and entertainment, balloons and a real fire truck. There will be lots of fair food too, like barbecue, corn dog, Italian ice and other goodies.

Here’s what you won’t find: an admission gate. That’s because no matter how many times your kids want to ride the rides or have their faced painted or hop around the bouncy castle, you won’t have to pay a thing: the Forest Acres Festival is completely free.

How can they do it? Local corporations and the City of Forest Acres are both big supporters of the event, but the biggest chunk of management is taken on by the Rotary Club of Forest Acres.

If the only thing you know about Rotary is that members meet once a week and wear a gear-shaped lapel pin, here are a few facts about the community group. Beyond supporting local events like the Forest Acres Festival, The Rotary Foundation’s Ambassadorial Scholarship program is the world's largest privately funded scholarship program. Under its Health, Hunger and Humanity (3-H) Program, Rotary International has funded $87 million worth of projects in 78 countries. They’ve taken on polio, too, contributing an estimated 1.3 billion toward eradicating the disease. Famous Rotarians include Bill Gates, John F. Kennedy, Walt Disney and Neil Armstrong.

Katie McElveen, Special to The State

This story was originally published May 15, 2015 at 3:33 PM.