Mall opens new children’s play area

EL CENTRO — Face painting, balloon animals, sweet treats and a bit of salesmanship marked the grand opening of the new children’s play area Wednesday morning at Imperial Valley Mall.

The totally rebuilt play area, located in the food court, is being sponsored by Rogers & Rogers Auto Group, of Imperial. Owners and benefactors Les and Terri Rogers were present for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, as were members of their family and staff.

The term of the sponsorship is five years and is renewable indefinitely. One part of the agreement allows the dealer group to showcase new vehicles.

“With this sponsorship it allows us to bring in vehicles into the mall.

If you walk around, there are four vehicles being displayed throughout the mall,” said Imperial Valley Mall General Manager Alicia Swain.

The arrangement also gives the auto complex the opportunity to promote its products within the play area. For instance, kids currently can climb around right now on replicas of a Toyota Tacoma and a Nissan 730Z.

The new play area gives parents a place to bring their kids out of the heat to have fun while also, the mall hopes, creating opportunities for families to stick around a little longer and get some shopping done.

“This is a great partnership,” Swain said.

PHOTO ANDY VELEZ rogers & rogers auto group owners Les and terri rogers make preliminary remarks before the grand opening of the new play area at imperial Valley Mall on Wednesday. rogers & rogers agreed to sponsor the play area for at least five years.

PHOTO ANDY VELEZ the kids got into the act, too, at the ribbon cutting for the newly rebuilt play area at imperial Valley Mall on Wednesday.

PHOTO ANDY VELEZ Daniel and savanah play on top of a mold of a nissan 370Z at the imperial Valley Mall’s new play area, which opened Wednesday.