Tonja Robertson-Fowler had an arm full of flyers on summer programs for Zacchious Fowler, her 7-year-old son.
The East Lansing resident was one of more than 200 parents attending the second Family Resource Fair on Saturday.
The fair is held to help Lansing-area parents find activities for their children and to help people find opportunities to volunteer.
More than 25 organizations had tables and booths set up for the fair at the Hannah Community Center, 819 Abbott Road.
Robertson-Fowler said she wished she had brought a bag with her so she could carry the flyers home easier.
Having the fair, she said, gave her a chance to broaden her son’s horizons educationally.
But Zacchious just loved having the chance to pet animals from the Potter Park Zoo booth.
The zoo, 1301 Pennsylvania Ave. in Lansing, had skulls, furs and a live opossum for kids to see and touch.
“I like looking at the animals,” Zacchious said. “I also like to draw lions, tigers and cheetahs.”
The turnout for the fair has been reaching more people outside of East Lansing, said Kathleen Miller, youth coordinator for the East Lansing Parks and Recreation Facilities department.
There are plans to expand the already popular resource fair to incorporate more organizations.
The fair is somewhat limited to age groups and Miller said she would like to explore other areas, such as booths with information for senior citizens and having a second fair in the fall for winter events that take place after school.
“One of the things we thought about might be incorporating a health fair,” she said.
One of the booths held East Lansing Recreation & Arts.
ELRA secretary Thyra Foster said the fair is good for the community and excellent for groups that offer activities that parents might not know about.
“We have already run out of our kids’ camp brochures,” she said.
Though the groups may have been happy to have the advertisement, parents said the fair is a must for children.
East Lansing resident Dorota Szczyglowska said she has been looking for something to get her kids involved in.
For Szczyglowska, the fair was a great one-stop shop for activities.
“It is difficult to find all the information yourself,” she said. “You have to call around or ask other parents.”
