By Megan O’Donoghue
Special to GUIDON

Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation provides a variety of programs and services that create an environment where Soldiers and Families can thrive. The Family and MWR programs are proof of the Army’s commitment to support and care for all who defend the nation and their Family members.

Continuing our series FMWR A to Z, today’s highlight is Kids – Activities to Keep Your Children Busy

With summer coming to an end and school just around the corner, you may be running out of ideas on how to keep the kids entertained. A fabulous resource that you can turn to is FMWR programs and services. FMWR offers a variety p of free and low cost programs, events and activities to keep the kids busy all year round.

Every Thursday in August you can bring the whole family out for a night of Xtreme music, lights and cool temperatures at the Daugherty Bowling Center. Enjoy two hours of Xtreme family bowling for $25 per lane (six people per lane, shoes included). For more information call 596.1498.

FMWR offers a variety of sports and activities for kids of all ages, this fall. Child, Youth & School Services is offering a youth bowling league in association with the United States Bowling Congress. Leagues will be offered for children ages 5 through 16. Registration will be $10, which includes membership into the USBC, t-shirt, and the uniform patches. Those in the pee-wee league, ages 5-7, will pay $6 each Saturday for two games and those ages 8 and older will pay $8 for three games each Saturday. Bowling will take place every Saturday morning starting Sept. 8 through April 27, 2013. Tournaments throughout the season will be available for bowlers to compete in the surrounding areas.  

A parents meeting will be held at 10:30 a.m. Aug. 25 at the Daugherty Bowling Center. All participants in the youth bowling league must be registered with the CYS Services program. Registration will remain open throughout the season. Contact the Youth Sports and Fitness Office at 596.0209 or Daugherty Bowling Center 329.2477 for more information.

On Monday F MWR presents Tops in Blue an Air Force Musical Variety Show. The 2012 tour, entitled “Listen!” invites the audience to hear the music of life through the sounds we hear every day. It features the dynamic rhythms of The Doobie Brothers, Earth, Wind & Fire, Whitney Houston, and Maroon 5. This year’s tour also showcases the great country music of Darius Rucker, Carrie Underwood, Lady Antebellum, and The Zac Brown Band.  Of course, no Tops in Blue show would be complete without the great patriotic music that honors our nation and its heroes. Add the high-energy precision choreography and dazzling visual impact Tops in Blue is known for and every member of the audience will be singing along and dancing in their seats. Performance will take place at the Baker Theater beginning at 7 pm. The vent is free and open to the public. Seats are limited. For more information call 596.6913.

Let the kids express their creative side in the FMWR Art Show. Art work will be show cased at the Fort Leonard Wood’s Taste of the Arts Gallery on Oct. 4 at the Piney Valley Golf Course from 6 to 8 p.m. There is no cost to enter for children ages K – 12, ($5 per artwork for adults). Prizes will be awarded, work must be original, and categories are drawing, painting, photography, and sculpture. Judging will take place prior to the event. All wall-mounted artwork must be wired and ready to hang. No special installations and no ceiling mounted works. Register your artwork at the Frame Shop located in Bldg. 490, Mini Mall. For more information call 596.0242.

Sept. 15 join FMWR as we celebrate the Boys & Girls Clubs Day for Kids. This free celebration runs from 1 to 4 pm at Pippin Youth Center. BGCA “Day for Kids” is celebrated across the country and on military installations everywhere. PYC and the BGCA is hosting a celebration for kids, free food, inflatables, games, arts and crafts, archery, and door prizes. For more information call 596.0209

On Sept. 22, the Outdoor Adventure Center celebrates National Hunting and Fishing Day to help build public support for the outdoor lifestyles. There will be live trap & archery tournaments and seminars to include: fly fishing and tying, archery, black powder and ATV Safety, and food. The event is from 10 am to 3:00 pm. So come out and enjoy a day of fun with friends and family at the Outdoor Adventure Center Complex, located in Bldg. 2290. Event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 596.0974/4223.

Sept. 29, FMWR will host the annual Fort Leonard Wood Oktoberfest family fun celebration from 6 to 11 p.m. at the Pershing Community Center, patio side. Event is free and open to the public. Celebration will feature traditional Oktoberfest food, music, and bounce house, games for all ages to include barrel toss, barrel relay, straight arm stein holding contest and more plus a  biergarten! For more information call 596.6913.

What happens after school is equally as important as what takes place during the school day. It’s important that you and your child choose the right after school activities. School-Age Services, located in Bldg. 616 on Replacement Avenue (across from the Community Service Center) is a state-of-the-art, expertly staffed, well equipped, nationally accredited and Department of Defense certified center. SAS offers a before and/or after school program during the school year and a full day program during summer months and on non-school days. The program is open weekdays, 5:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. for children from first through fifth grade. SAS offers many opportunities to include a computer lab, homework lab, and various 4-H clubs.  This year the Waynesville School District will be offering transportation from East and Freedom elementaries to SAS.

The Middle School/Teen Program is located in the Pippin Youth Center, Bldg. 9625, on Young Street for military and civilian Families with children in sixth through twelfth grade. A full range of youth social and educational activities are offered, including youth trips, theme dances, parties, and adventure day camps. The Middle School/Teen Program has an active partnership with Boys and Girls Clubs of America and the 4-H Clubs of America.

FMWR offers a large assortment of activities of all kinds, for young and old, indoors and outdoors, extreme to the subdued the possibilities are there and waiting for you and your family to participate.

For activates available through your Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation check out the FMWR web page at www.fortleonardwoodmwr.com.

(Editor’s note: O’Donoghue is the FMWR marketing director.)