Family Fun Night at OptiPark is Tuesday August 2nd, 2022, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., which is located at 780 East 66th Street in Broad Ripple [A3 on map]. There will be games, activities, and possibly some puppies to pet, ice cream treats to buy, and various police, firefighters and first responders visiting.

"The Optimist Club of North Side Indianapolis decided to create a free, family-friendly event to coincide with National Night Out. We liked the idea of making our community stronger by connecting local families and groups trying to make our community better, stronger, safer, but we thought there needed to be more than just the chance to meet first responders to get people's attention. That's how we came up with Family Fun Night, and decided to invite non-profit groups to participate, along with the police and fire departments. Last year we had about a dozen groups and organizations join in, with 300 attendees. It's a free event for everyone, and we hope to make it an annual tradition. Our goal is to provide a fun night for families, and help build the community by connecting people and groups that make the world a better place. We're just beginning to reach out to as many local nonprofit organizations as we can to encourage them to participate. There's no cost for them to set up a booth, but we are asking each of them to provide a game or activity for kids and families, and to help us promote the event to their contacts," said, Kent Dicken, who is a board member of OptiPark. The board is comprised of volunteers from all walks of life, from dog groomers to accountants and engineers to Girl Scout leaders that are all involved simply to give back to the community.

OptiPark Indy's website contains background on their history. "Located in the heart of Broad Ripple, OptiPark is home to baseball, birthday parties, family reunions, social events, and pure outside playground fun. Three generations have grown up playing Youth Baseball at OptiPark, and the Indy Thunder Beepball (baseball for the visually impaired) team, who are three-time World Champs practice on the field. The Broad Ripple Art Fair fills up the park grounds every May, along with other events throughout the year."

Volunteers from the North Side Optimist Youth Club, Inc. (not-for-profit) have maintained the park as a community resource for over 60 years, and any and all donations go directly to the cost of park maintenance and improvements. While it is not a city park and not maintained by the city, it is completely run and maintained by volunteers and funded by tax-deductible donations from the people that use the park for events, birthday parties, baseball team games and practices. Those interesting in hosting an event can contact: info@nsoptimist.com.

Family Fun Night at OptiPark is great opportunity to meet fellow citizens and learn more about OptiPark's role and their mission in Broad Ripple and around the community.