Families invited to free Get Outdoors Day fest Saturday, June 3 at Memorial Park

Bill Vogrin
Southeast Region Public Information Officer
719-466-3927 / [email protected] Families invited to free Get Outdoors Day fest Saturday, June 3 at Memorial Park in Colorado Springs

Free fishing poles will be given to the first 800 children at the free Get Outdoors Day festival scheduled 9 a.m.-3 p.m., on Saturday, June 3, 2023. File photo courtesy of Colorado Parks and Wildlife / Bill Vogrin

May 24, 2023

Families invited to free Get Outdoors Day fest Saturday, June 3 at Memorial Park in Colorado Springs

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – About 3,000 people are expected in Memorial Park on June 3 when Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department and the Pikes Peak Outdoor Recreation Alliance (PPORA) host the annual Get Outdoors Day free family recreation festival.

This region-wide celebration of outdoor recreation dates to 2016 when CPW launched the event as a way to introduce people to all the activities available to them in the outdoors such as kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, fishing, archery and more.

As part of the festival, CPW will give free fishing poles, bait and instructions to the first 800 kids who attend Get Outdoors Day, which will run from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday, June 3, at Prospect Lake in Colorado Springs’ Memorial Park.

Visitors will also receive a passport that they can get stamped at the different vendors. For filling this passport out and turning it in, participants will be entered into a drawing for outdoor gear like a heavy-duty cooler, a kayak and more.

"Colorado offers its residents and visitors so many outdoor opportunities and part of our job at CPW is to help everyone explore all those exciting activities," said Tim Kroening, Colorado Parks and Wildlife's Area Wildlife Manager for the Pikes Peak region.

"Get Outdoors Day is a great opportunity for the whole family to learn about the many recreational activities available in the Pikes Peak Region. They will even have the opportunity to try several of these activities for free. We hope everyone will join us for a fun day outside.”

Get Outdoors Day was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid. It returned in 2022 to an enthusiastic welcome from the public and the event’s partners expect it to be bigger and better than ever this year.

“Where else can a family find a free festival where they can learn about all these great activities that occur at Get Outdoors Day,” said Becky Leinweber, PPORA executive director. “It’s a fun way to connect people to Colorado’s outdoor recreation opportunities and to organizations in the Pikes Peak Region where they can learn more.

“Participants can try a new outdoor activity, learn how to recreate responsibly with Leave No Trace principles, and so much more.”

###

Media Note:
All three Get Outdoors Day partners – CPW, PPORA and PRCS – are teaming up to provide area news media a special preview opportunity.

Media Day is scheduled for Friday, June 2. Join us for an early morning to capture live segments and b-roll, conduct interviews with experts, and try paddleboarding, fishing, and archery. Contact Bill Vogrin at 719-466-3927 to reserve your spot for Media Day.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is an enterprise agency, relying primarily on license sales, state parks fees and registration fees to support its operations, including: 43 state parks and more than 350 wildlife areas covering approximately 900,000 acres, management of fishing and hunting, wildlife watching, camping, motorized and non-motorized trails, boating and outdoor education. CPW's work contributes approximately $6 billion in total economic impact annually throughout Colorado.