St. Cloud Holds 25th Annual Celebration of Fatherhood

ST. CLOUD -- The St. Cloud Area School District kicked off Father’s Day weekend with a celebration at the Lake George Municipal Complex on Saturday.

The 25th annual Early Childhood Celebration of Fatherhood event was held from 9:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.

Dad’s Project Coordinator Tom Schnabel has been involved with the event since 2001. He says it was open to all family members of local kids ages infant to eight.

...moms, dad, grandpas, grandmas, aunts, uncles - anybody in a child's life that makes a difference.

The free community event included many family activities including games, face painting, fishing, paddle boat rides, and arts and crafts projects.

Schnabel says as a father and a teacher he enjoys seeing the interactions between dads and kids.

I just love to see the way that dads and kids interact. I think it's healthy. I have my own dad here helping out, my father-in-law, both my boys who are four and eight help out. It's a lot of fun just seeing that interaction and celebrating it.

The event also featured booths from educational groups across central Minnesota. Food donations were accepted to help fight hunger in the St. Cloud area.