Starkville children celebrate Father's Day
Starkville businesses held events this week to give children the opportunity to celebrate their fathers for Father's Day. Library hosts Father's Day craft:
The Starkville Public Library's Teen Summer Reading Program held a Father's Day craft on Thursday.
A room on the bottom floor of the library was buzzing with the chatter and laughter of children on Thursday afternoon. It was the first Summer Reading Program event for the older children, and participants were able to personalize drinking glasses as gifts for their fathers.
"We're taking a cup and etching into it with acid to give to our dads for Father's Day," Soyeon Park, 12, from Starkville said. "I put my dad's name on his."
The children wore gloves to protect their skin while they etched, and they used stencils with shapes, designs and letters to create their custom glasses.
Some children etched their father's initials into the glass, some created designs, and some, like Gevontae Bush, 13, from Starkville, even decorated their glass with the symbol from their father's favorite sports team.
"We have 24 participants today, so that's good for teenagers," Young Adult Librarian Heather Fair said.
Quaylen Nance, 14, from Starkville, etched spots on his glass for his father.
"I am making this for my dad," Nance said. "He's kept me for all these years, so I want to thank him for all he did for me … He is the best father I could ever ask for."
Mighty Oaks Child Development Center hosted a "Doughnuts with Dad" event on Friday morning. Fathers were invited to eat doughnuts and fruit with their children and were given gifts the children made for them.
"We wanted to show the fathers how much we appreciate them and how much of a role they have in their children's life," Mighty Oaks Director Dana Tait said. "It's important to us to make sure that they are valued just as much as the mom is."
Tait said the children worked throughout the week to create a variety of gifts for their fathers. Some children painted pictures of their family or made handprints for their fathers, then framed the art with smooth rocks. Other children created ceramic art or decorated T-shirts for their fathers.
Children at Chick-fil-A decorated cards for fathers on Saturday, and fathers were also given a free cookie or ice cream cone with their meals.
A table was set up beside the door with colorful paper, blank card designs, markers, crayons and stickers. Children were able to color in or design their own cards to give their fathers on Father's Day.