Great Outdoors Day: free fun for families with Kansas parks permit

The public is invited to spend a few hours outdoors on Saturday helping to celebrate a national theme going on all month across the country.

The event is Great Outdoors Day at El Dorado State Park. It’s being held in conjunction with the annual Governor’s Campout slated for Saturday night. Registrations for the campout are full. There’s no limit to how many can attend the outdoors day Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., where people will be able to sample about all aspects of enjoying the outdoors.

“It’s a lot of different hands-on stuff,” said Alan Stark, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism state park supervisor. “It includes things like riding a horse, flying a kite, catching a bug … a lot of the things we did growing up, but the younger generation doesn’t get much of a chance to do any more.”

That includes supervised air gun and archery shooting, water safety instruction, disc golf, trying canoes and kayaks, a fishing clinic and a petting zoo. Wildlife and Parks K9 dogs will be giving demonstrations. A Life Flight helicopter is expected to land at about 11 a.m. and stay for about an hour.

Though aimed at families with children, people from all ages and outdoors expertise can attend. The events are free, though a regular permit is required to enter the state park.

“June has been proclaimed great outdoors month by President Obama and governors of 49 of 50 states, and we’re expecting that 50th state to get on board soon,” said Ben Nasta, of the American Recreation Coalition. “The whole thing got started with a national outdoors week proclaimed by President Clinton, and it’s continually gotten bigger.”

Nasta said his group started getting states organized under similar programs in 2014 when four states, including Kansas, hosted Capitol Campouts. At the events, the governor of those states hosted about 100 people to camp on the grounds of the state capitol or the governor’s residence.

This year 17 states are hosting such camping events.

Nasta said Kansas is one of several states hosting a Governor’s Campout. Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback has attended the last two but will not be at the event this weekend at El Dorado State Park.

Stark said all 100 spots have been filled for the campout, which is mostly hosting families with little or no camping experience.

Those registered for the campout will have all meals and camping gear furnished. Coleman, a major sponsor, will give each camper a sleeping bag, camping pillow and water bottle, Stark said.

Stark said campers will get hamburgers Saturday evening and breakfast Sunday morning. In between there will be a number of basic outdoors and camping presentations.

“This is geared towards people who have never been camping before,” said Stark. “We’ll be providing as much as we can.”

This story was originally published June 16, 2016 at 7:55 PM with the headline "Great Outdoors Day: free fun for families with Kansas parks permit."