Safety, Street Fairs, Pizza, Cannons, Driftwood & Ice Cream…

Children’s Expo & Safety Fair

This time of year it seems everyone is coming out of hibernation. Every weekend is chock full of things to do, so much so that no matter how much you run around, it feels like your missing out on something.

Recently we spent the weekend ‘touring’ Putnam. First, we took the kids to the Safety Fair held at the Bureau of Emergency Services in Carmel. My 4 year old loves anything fire-fighter or police related, so he was in his glory. All the kids enjoy the jumpy house as well as the knick-knack handouts at the different booths. And on a sober note, in the small courtyard near the back of the building there is a memorial to the Emergency Responders who lost their lives on September 11th, 2001.

After the fair, we headed over to Cold Spring Days, where the local vendors have tents set up along the main drag, musicians play, and other events were sceduled. One loop around the downtown area had the kids asking for food, so we headed into Cold Spring Pizza. Connected to the pizza shop is the Italian Village Deli, which is a great combo because while kids can ALWAYS eat pizza, sometimes the adults like to change things up. After ordering our pizza and sandwiches, we headed out the back door to an enclosed patio. Away from the crowd on the street, we jockeyed for sitting in the sun – it was one of those days that the shade is just a little too cool, and direct sunlight makes all the difference.

9/11 Memorial

Once everyone was full, we stopped at The Gift Hut at 86 Main Street, a toy store with some friendly hosts and some truly unique toys. The 3-d metal puzzles were particularly interesting.

After the toy shop, we headed downhill, into the walking tunnel underneath the train tracks, and down to the park and gazebo along the water’s edge. Suddenly, the kids found room for Ice Cream, so after grabbing a cone for each we headed north into Dockside Park, where we say along the shore. After finishing their dessert, the kids skipped stones, overturned logs, and found treasures along the shore.

The ride home was peaceful and quiet – a good sign, meaning we tired out the kids and everyone is