Teams of children faced off in Keach Park on Tuesday playing Jedi Dodgeball.
Hit with the ball, they’re out, but only until the team’s designated “jedi” can heal them and return them to the game.
It’s week six of Concord Parks and Recreation’s Stay and Play Camps. A ninth week of the camps for children going into first and second or third through fifth grades has recently been added to the calendar. It will run from Aug. 15 to 19.
“We just thought it would be beneficial to the families to offer another week since school doesn’t start that following week,” said recreation supervisor Dan Lamoureux. “So just to offer another week that we can help parents out and let them stay at work and provide some fun for the kids.”
Autumn Bedell is among the summer camp counselors who have signed up to supervise the extra week.
“I honestly just love working with the kids,” said Bedell. “Everything they do brings me joy coming in to work every day.”
Bedell sees the extra week of camp as an opportunity to keep kids active until school begins and off of electronic devices like phones and tablets.
“It’s really hard seeing the kids go back home and be sitting for the end of the summer and miss this time when we do have counselors that can be around,” Bedell said. “So to be able to see them come in and have a lot more fun just for an extra week and see them come in with a smile on their faces … brings a smile to our faces.”
In addition to the Stay and Play camps, Parks and Rec also offers nature camps and adventure camps for several older age groups. On Tuesday, they were going hiking. The adventure camps go on a trip four days a week to various places including Candia Springs and Canobie Lake.
For more information, visit concordparksandrec.com or email recreation@concordnh.gov.