The 7th Annual Sizzlin’ Summer Series kicks off this Saturday, June 1st with an exciting inflatable obstacle course and fun summer activities to keep the whole family fit and active. There will be 12 weeks of fun, free summer events every Saturday on the Burnsville Town Square for everyone to enjoy!
Mountain Community Health Partnership will host the first event of the Sizzlin’ Summer Series, a Fit Families Obstacle Course that has proven to be a favorite with kids and adults alike! Climb and bounce your way through the obstacle course or enjoy classic summer activities like throwing water balloons, hula hooping, or playing dizzy bat. Everyone is welcome to come make memories, have an active afternoon, and enjoy our community.
You can also dance along to a REFIT®️ exercise class or find your next summer read at the AMY Regional Library Bookmobile, which will be there on Saturday too. Thank you to Mountain Community Health Partnership for making this week’s event possible!
The goal of the Sizzlin’ Summer Series is to promote physical activity and connection throughout the community in the summer months. Healthy Yancey, a coalition organized with support from Partners Aligned Toward Health (PATH), created the Sizzlin’ Summer Series with the mission of increasing connections between community members, increasing physical activity, and highlighting fun opportunities to play and be active in our community. The activities that are included within the Sizzlin’ Summer Series are appropriate for ALL ages and abilities and are completely FREE.
Join the fun each Saturday on the Burnsville Town Square from 10 am to 12 pm, unless otherwise indicated. Here is the full schedule:
June 1 – Fit Family Obstacle Course
The Fit Family Obstacle Course, hosted by Mountain Community Health Partnership, promises to be a fun-filled event for all ages. With exciting activities like an inflatable obstacle course, hula hooping, dizzy bat, and water balloon target throwing, attendees are sure to have a blast while staying active and healthy. The event is a great opportunity for families to bond and make memories together while promoting a healthy and active lifestyle. There will also be a REFIT®️ exercise class and the AMY Regional Library Bookmobile will be there. (Sponsored by Mountain Community Health Partnership)
June 8 – Move Your Body with YCHD
Come join the fun with YCHD! There will be gentle yoga for all ages, an obstacle course for kiddos, face paint, and yard games such as cornhole and more! There will also be a REFIT®️ exercise class and the AMY Regional Library Bookmobile will be there. (Sponsored by the Yancey County Health Department)
June 15 – Variety Entertainer and Cornhole Tournament
Come out to the Town Square for an adventure with variety entertainer Mark Lippard. The program will begin with Mark performing comedy, juggling, and trick unicycling. He invites lots of audience participation! When his performance is over, he will rove among the crowd on his unique unicycles or maybe on his stilts where you can interact with him more directly. Library staff will be present at the event with information and will pass out free books for children. There will also be an opportunity to learn how to play cornhole with Habitat for Humanity and the AMY Regional Library Bookmobile will be there! (Sponsored by the AMY Regional Library and Habitat for Humanity)
June 22 – Reading is Alive: Tricky, Tricky Trickster Tales *9:30 am – 12:00 pm*
Parkway Playhouse and Attic Salt Theatre Company present their FREE kid-friendly play, “Tricky, Tricky Trickster” performed by professional actors, a FREE craft activity by Penland School of Crafts before the show, and a FREE book for children while supplies last! The play starts at 10 am. (Sponsored by Parkway Playhouse)
June 29 – Rainbow Fish Story Trail
Enjoy a story trail around the square featuring the book “Rainbow Fish” at each stop your child can enjoy hands-on activities and games centered around the nature of sharing and caring for others. Each child will receive their very own copy of the “Rainbow Fish” and have an opportunity to paint rocks and spread kindness in the community, as well as learn about the different kinds of native fish in the area. Please come and share all the fun activities and special surprises they have in store as we spread a little kindness along the way. (Sponsored by the Blue Ridge Partnership for Children)
July 6 – Lotería and Lawn Games
Pisgah Legal Services is back again this year with more fun and games. This year, they are cohosting with Toe River Project Access. Learn about different programs and services while they feature some of their staff’s favorite childhood games. Decorate your own Lotería Board and then play with your handmade game board. Lotería is a Latin game similar to Bingo. Or master your gameplay with some large yard games, featuring Connect Four, Checkers, and Hopscotch. Balloons and bubbles will be provided to the first 100 participants, along with other fun giveaways! (Sponsored by Pisgah Legal Service in collaboration with Toe River Project Access)
July 13 – Exploring Nature with 4-H and NCWRC
Bring the whole family and join 4-H for a morning exploring nature through crafts, games, hands-on activities, and more! Get your hands dirty while learning about plants and animals by planting seeds, exploring scat, tracks, furs and more! Plus enjoy the AMY Regional Library Bookmobile! (Sponsored by Yancey County 4-H and the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission)
July 20 – Climbing Tower & Community Clinic *10:00 am to 2:00 pm*
Join us for rock climbing on the Town Square! Whether it’s your first time climbing or you are a seasoned adventurer, experienced staff will be there to help you navigate a mobile climbing wall! Plus, experience free classes and services like acupuncture, Tai Chi, massage, and more that offer alternative ways to manage pain and stress during the Home Remedies Community Clinic. CARE will also have the opportunity to play Lotería, a Latin-style game similar to bingo and Resorté, a traditional Latin American game that could be compared to hopscotch while incorporating a rope. There will be a REFIT®️ exercise class and AMY Regional Library Bookmobile will also be there! (Sponsored by Yancey County Government, Yancey County Sheriff’s Department, Yancey County Emergency Management, the Home Remedies Program, and Community Ambassador Real Equality – CARE Team)
July 27 – Bikes and Wheels *9:00 am to 11:00 am*
Bring your bike, scooter, rollerblades, or trike (anything with wheels) to ride around the Square, which will be closed to vehicular traffic. Obstacle courses, races, and more fun awaits. This is a fun event for adults and kids in wheelchairs to show off their skills too! Pedal your way to a delicious smoothie while riding the “Fender-Blender” smoothie-making bike! Helmets are required to participate, but there will be free take-home helmets for anyone at the helmet fitting station. Plus enjoy the AMY Regional Library Bookmobile! (Sponsored by Partners Aligned Toward Health)
August 3 – Mount Mitchell Crafts Fair *9:00 am to 5:00 pm*
Featuring more than 200 vendors and performers. Don’t miss the craft demonstrations, bluegrass and acoustic music, food vendors, and a unique selection of handmade arts and crafts from artisans across the country. (Sponsored by Burnsville-Yancey Chamber of Commerce)
August 10 – Homemade Pie, Ice Cream, and Cornhole
Come learn from THRIVE Appalachia’s teen teachers how to make homemade pie and ice cream and play corn hole using boards they made by hand in their carpentry and fine art painting groups and using bags made in their sewing classes! Plus join Appalachian Performing Arts on the Town Square for the Sizzlin’ Summer community square dance! Get ready to learn some traditional southern Appalachian figures and clogging steps. Grab a partner, bring your family and friends, or come solo. You will also have the opportunity to join RHA to decorate cookies or have your face painted! The AMY Regional Library Bookmobile will also be there! (Sponsored by THRIVE Appalachia, Appalachian Performing Arts, and RHA Health Services)
August 17 – Back to School Bash *10:00 am to 2:00 pm*
The Back to School Bash is back! Celebrate the end of summer with fun inflatables, a dunking booth, food trucks, the AMY Regional Library Bookmobile, and more! (Sponsored by the Yancey County Sheriff’s Department and Yancey County Schools)
Updates and additions to the schedule will be posted on the main calendar at www.pathwnc.org and on PATH’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/pathwnc.
Many community partners come together each year to make the Sizzlin’ Summer Series a success. Each week is implemented by a different sponsoring organization (listed above with each event), which is responsible for creating, funding, and staffing their event.
Thank you to the title sponsor Madison Health and Rehabilitation, as well as the Town of Burnsville, the Yancey County Government, and Altec for their support and sponsorship which make the 2024 Sizzlin’ Summer Series possible.
This summer you can also enjoy free pool days at the Burnsville Pool & the Toe River Campground Pool on June 11th, June 26th, July 11th, July 22nd, and August 9th, courtesy of Healthy Yancey and the Yancey County Government.
Partners Aligned Toward Health and the Mitchell-Yancey Substance Abuse Task Force have also compiled a Summer Resource Guide, full of activities for children and families in Yancey and Mitchell counties. Find it online at bit.ly/gettheSRG, your local library, or email info@pathwnc.org to request a digital copy.
To learn more, support our work, or get involved as a volunteer, contact PATH staff at (828)682-7899, info@pathwnc.org, or visit www.pathwnc.org.
