The City of Sacramento’s Community Engagement team and IT Department have collaborated with the Oak Park Neighborhood Association, Verizon, SMUD, and others again this year to host the “Celebrate Oak Park” event on Saturday, June 10.
The celebration, which runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at McClatchy Park (3500 Fifth Ave.), will be held concurrently with the new Oak Park Farmer’s Market and will include free BBQ, health screenings, games, prizes, electric vehicle rides and more.
The event also will feature interactive STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) displays and activities created by area universities, community partners and local businesses to engage children of all ages. They will include learning how to make a flashlight, an UNO activity that explains mathematical concepts, Del Rio Trail art projects, a music-and-art production station and a pneumatic paper-rocket launcher.
“Oak Park is the perfect setting to engage students and provide exposure to various STEAM technologies and applications,” said Natasha Greer, program specialist in the City’s IT Department. “It is our hope that the next generation of critical thinkers and innovators will be inspired and explore the unlimited possibilities that STEAM-based industries provide.”
SMUD will have activities to explore solar energy and understand circuit boards. Adults also can test drive electric vehicles and take an induction cooking class.
Youth who attend will be given a passport where they receive stamps for each STEAM exhibit they visit. They can turn in the completed passport to receive a Verizon gift bag (while supplies last).
McClatchy Park is one of 27 parks in the City that features free Wi-Fi during park operation hours. As part of its commitment to innovation, the City of Sacramento entered into a public/private partnership with Verizon in 2017. In addition to bringing free Wi-Fi to 27 parks across the city, the partnership sponsors internships to high school students, facilitates the deployment of 5G for homes and businesses and provides tools to better manage traffic and make streets safer for cyclists, pedestrians and drivers.