Sulphur Springs bustled with activities Saturday. A spring market, Earth Day Celebration, renovation of Kids Kingdom and a first responders event were among the many happenings on April 23, 2022 in Sulphur Springs.
Kids Kingdom
In Buford Park, volunteers began arriving early April 23, 2022, to get assignments to do their part to restore the playground for current and future generations of children to enjoy as much as youth have for the past 25 years. The Adult Leadership Class took the project on and welcomed all help.
Saturday is actually the second day of the community clean up effort. Numerous Sulphur Springs High School students, including members of FFA, Student Council and Key Club were joined by a group of high school seniors, and art and ag construction students, arrived Friday to help the Leadership Class kick things off performing numerous tasks to kick things off. The art students brightened things up, painting the dragon on one side of the play area.
Saturday, a 50-member team from Clayton Homes arrived to assist volunteers, Leadership members and workers from S-&-S and Pro Classic Painting advance the project. Also reported to be among the contributors were Bob Evans. Sponsors included Alliance and City National banks, Sherwin Williams and SSISD. Work included spreading soil and fresh mulch around the play area; replacing and repairing aging, broken or missing equipment; painting; and re-staining.
Although the volunteers weren’t able to update everything during the scheduled renovation event April 22-23, Kids Kingdom is by far a safer playground that the community came together to ensure children would be proud to play on.
Downtown
A few blocks away on Main Street and Gilmer Street, both the SSDBA’s Spring Market featured with various vendors setting up between 8 and 9 a.m. This offered everything from several different types of clothing from local shops to soap, jewelry, plants, home décor, services, carpentry work, cosmetics, quilts and quilting items, produce, edible treats, animals such as rabbits and goats, goat products, and specialty items.
People began strolling the market Main and Gilmer Streets, enjoying the local wears and offerings from local merchants before 9 a.m. Foot traffic picked up as more people ventured downtown to do a bit of shopping during lunch to enjoy a meal at local restaurants or street vendors.
Just across the street on Celebration Plaza, people brought their kids to the Earth Day with the Plant Niche. Kids frolicked on the grass while adults visited the vendor booths offering everything from information on solar options to windchimes and other items made from items found in nature, plants, sweet treats, hair items rugs and a street taco vendor.
Trees were available for planting as were seeds for butterfly gardens and bee pollinators. Hopkins County Master Gardeners were on hand handing out goodies and information, and promoting their upcoming plant swap. Event Coordinator Erika Mayorga said this year was a good start she hopes to see grow annually with more people participating and taking an interest in Earth Day.
Pacific Park
Further to the east in Pacific Park, families and community members came out starting at 10 a.m. to get to know Sulphur Springs police and firefighters, and Hopkins County firefighters and EMS personnel and enjoy a tasty barbecue lunch free courtesy of the City of Sulphur Springs.
Families and neighbors walked over and other community members drove to the park.
Kids went home with bags of take-home goodies, jumped in the bounce house and checked out the Fitness Court and enjoyed touring fire trucks, ambulances, the police departments’ Polaris and looking into patrol vehicles. Youth also had an opportunity to enter a drawing by age category to win bikes donated as door prizes.
