Father/Son Campout at Bird Park

Fellow Blog-Lebo reader and commenter Fen Labalme and myself had the pleasure of taking our sons to the Father/Son Campout at Bird Park on Saturday evening and Sunday morning. The event started by having all of us set up our tents on John Doctor Field. In the past, people would camp out in the lower portion of Bird Park near the playground and bonfire circle, but there were too many people attending this year so we had to move to the bigger field.

Once we were set up, there was a very nice cookout full of hamburgers, hot dogs, Chick-fil-A sandwiches, macaroni and cheese, brownies and fruit salad. Lil' Hugs, bottled water and cold pop were available as well. The cookout was then followed by hiking through the park, group games and time in the playground.

We were then visited by Platoon Chief Kevin Maehling of the Mt. Lebanon Fire Department who gave a talk to us about fire safety and then lit the bonfire. The kids really enjoyed sitting around the fire roasting marshmallows and making smores.

The bonfire was followed by an outside viewing of Underdog which was a cute movie that everyone enjoyed. After the movie, everyone followed the path marked through the park back to our "campground" for a good night's sleep.

Sunday morning brought fog across the field and some cool weather to break our camps down and get ready to eat. We headed back to the pavilion for a yummy breakfast consisting of cereal, bagels, cinnamon buns, muffins and coffee and juice -- and then said our goodbyes to the new friends we made.

Overall, it was a great event put on very well by the recreation department staff. They did a fantastic job and it was something that I know my son and I will not forget for a long time. We're definitely looking forward to next year!