Dozens of families and nearly a hundred kids enjoyed Ferst Readers’ 10th annual Seuss on the Loose event Saturday morning at Putnam County Primary School.
“We are just overjoyed how it has become a mainstay for our community in pulling a little slice of all of Eatonton together,” Seuss on the Loose Chair Linda Elkins said. “And I think what makes it so nice is it's held at the school where there's plenty of room.”
Elkins, a longtime Putnam County resident who retired as a teacher in 2009 after a long career in Bibb and Jones counties, said she first encountered the Seuss on the Loose concept during a visit to Jasper shortly after retiring. She said she was left so impressed she felt determined to bring an even bigger Seuss-themed event home to Putnam.
The local Seuss on the Loose has been refined over the last decade, but always opens with the traditional Fun Run for the kids, a short sprint around the school grounds that typically lasts five to 10 minutes, Elkins said.
“It's mainly the little kids and they follow behind the police golf cart with one of our members dressed up as the Cat in the Hat,” she explained. “They follow her for an eighth-mile, maybe half a mile, I’m not sure, but anyway, they have their Fun Run and it’s adorable.”
Although a couple of displays remain outside, including emergency vehicles for children to check out, the bulk of the fun moves inside to the school’s cafeteria, where several stations provide Seuss-themed challenges and activities.
Additionally, this year there were 22 tables representing many different facets of the local community, geared toward kids but with relevant information for parents and guardians, too.
“We had both (Eatonton) banks running a table, we had the police, the fire department, and then we had all kinds of nonprofits and businesses, and it was just a real slice of Eatonton. It's just so wonderful,” Elkins said. “A lot of them and others have been very gracious to give us about a dozen gifts for a raffle that we have at the very end.
“It's just a nice event because it's only for about two hours and there's a lot of little kids, five and under, that have a great time and can do everything.”
Elkins said Ferst Readers hands out “little bitty prizes” to kids playing games and provides the same to several nonprofits, as needed.
“We don't want them to have to buy stuff since they're also a nonprofit,” she said. “So yeah, it has morphed into a wonderful, I think, community event and everybody has a good time.”
Elkins stressed that older elementary and even middle school students are an important segment of Seuss on the Loose, too, as they create many of the entries for the annual art show.
“The key is that we have a lot of people involved,” Elkins said. “There are probably 10 committees, and we have an art committee that at the very beginning of the school year in September, we go to all the art teachers and say, ‘Yes, we're going to have this again.’
"And they get their students to produce Seuss on the Loose artworks and then we get it. We take it to the library, it's seen by the community, and then we award prizes and take them to the event on Saturday morning. And it's a big draw because a lot of people like to see the kids’ art so much.”
Seuss on the Loose provides a significant fundraising opportunity for Ferst Readers, too, which is committed to providing free books, one each month, to all registered children from birth to age five. These books are new, bookstore quality, and age-appropriate for each recipient.
All children in Putnam daycare facilities, preschool, and Head Start programs are automatically enrolled in the program, but among the information tables at the event on Saturday was the Ferst Readers table, where younger Putnam County children or those new to the area could be registered to receive these books.
Children also can be registered by visiting online at ferstreaders.org.
Ferst Readers of Putnam County can accept donations year-round from anyone who would like to sponsor a child, with just $42 enough to sponsor one child for a full year. Donations also can be sent by check to Ferst Readers, P.O. Box 4283, Eatonton, GA 31024.