Kids just want to have fun.
Nickelodeon teamed up with Big Brothers Big Sisters on Sept. 20, when the working days were done, to throw a party and a run in Prospect Park. The event raised money for the charity and gave kids a day full of activities as part of the children’s TV network’s Worldwide Day of Play. That’s all they really want, according to one mom who attended.
“It was wonderful,” said Cypress Hills resident Mirtha Cruz, whose son Jason has been part of Big Brothers Big Sisters for three years.
The giant play date took over a corner of the Nethermead, drawing fortunate ones from as far as New Jersey with Nickelodeon stars on hand along with trampolines, scooters, and a massive Connect Four set. Jason Cruz walked in the sun and had a blast, particularly on one of the pieces of equipment on hand, his mother said.
“He wanted to go buy a trampoline, but I told him, ‘No, it’s too big for your room,’ ” she said.
Sydney Park and Tylen Jacob Williams, who figured out what they wanna do with their lives when they landed roles on the show “Instant Mom,” joined kids on the trampolines.
The event, along with the accompanying 5k run populated by adults trying to live their lives right, netted $1 million for Big Brothers Big Sisters’ New York chapter, according to organizers.
The Day of Play drew grumbling last year from park lovers who said racers trampled grass and temporary structures at the event left barren spots in the meadow. The event was smaller this year, but park officials said it was not because of last year’s outcry, which was part of a larger current of anger against the Prospect Park Alliance renting out Brooklyn’s backyard for big-ticket private events.
Startlingly, when reached for comment, a spokeswoman for the park did not know the latest Day of Play had happened, and acting Prospect Park Alliance President James Snow said he did not know Nickelodeon was involved again, but that his underlings assured him the effect on the meadow had been minimal.
