Family Foam Fest returns to Rawhide

October 5, 2018

Christopher Lomahquahu

Gila River Indian Community 

Gila River Indian Community members turned out for a fun -filled afternoon of music, exercise and suds during an annual event that promotes physical activities for the whole family. 

The third annual Family Foam Fest once again was a hit, drawing a record number of Community members, who ventured over to the Rawhide Event Center on Sept. 15. 

“It’s grown a lot since we started this event, our first year we had 300 [participants], and the last was 600,” said Special Events Coordinator Alie Walking Badger of the over 830 registered individuals and their families, who participated in this year’s event. 

The foam fest included a 1/2-mile elder walk, 5k non-competitive run and 1.5-mile family walk, which began with a sprinkle of foam at the starting line. As a reward for their hard-earned efforts, each participant was treated to a lite meal and given a swag bag, but that was not all.

Walking Badger said they added a couple of new attractions to the event from the previous year, which is a nice addition for those not participating in the physical events. “Each year we are learning and adding to it and what we can offer to participants, so with next year it’s like ‘where do go with this?’” said Walking Badger on the potential of the event to grow with the inclusion of new attractions. 

Like other health activities across the Community this one is taking on an identity of its own, which Walking Badger says offers opportunities for collaboration with other departments  to promote health and wellness. 

“It’s about doing things that encourage physical activity, which my goal is to get the family out and get them moving,” said Walking Badger. Some of those activities included dancing to waila music and Zumba, which was a new activity this year.  

As with previous years the foam fest has a deeper purpose, one that goes beyond foam and glow, that promotes health and wellness with the family.

The event offers a little bit of everything, which is the idea, Walking Badger wants to promote, that there are a number of ways individuals can get involved through each of the Health Initiative’s events. 

As the foam fest neared the end of the evening, Gertie & the T.O. Boyz setup shop inside the Event Center, playing a variety of tunes to get the crowd shaking and baking to dance the night away. Outside on the lawn of the Event Center children played on several of the large inflatable jumpers that doubled as water slides. 

For more adventurous individuals, there was a rocking climbing wall, mechanical bull rides or a the zip line. 

If the temperature wasn’t cool enough by the evening, a snow slide was setup to turn the desert into a winter wonderland, as children literally chilled at the foam fest, and Frances James led glow Zumba dance session. 

Walking Badger is looking for more activities for next year and how they can improve the event. 

In the meantime, other events are scheduled to take place, which are the Women’s Prayer Run and elder chair volleyball events going on in the Community. For more more information go to www.mygilariver.com