Winter carnival brings families together Published Jan. 17, 2008 By Airman 1st Class Cassandra Jones Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- The winter carnival held Jan.16 at the David C. Jones youth center was a night of fun and games for the whole family to enjoy. "We just wanted to give kids an evening of fun things to do with their parents," said Rachel Miller, the Preteen Coordinator for the Youth Center. The purpose of the winter carnival was to provide families an opportunity to get out of the house but still allow them to spend time together participating in games and activities. "It is wonderful that they put together activities for the kids in the winter time, it is nice to be able to get out of the house and spend time playing games and being active with our kids," said Lisa Rodriguez, wife of TSgt Richard Rodriguez of the 5th Bomb Wing. The youth center staff chose games and activities that gave parents the opportunity to participate along with their children. They had activities such as making "snowballs" where the children got help from their parents to make popcorn balls and a "snow shoe race," a game where kids could race their parents around a track wearing large blue foam shoes. "The games are fun, I like playing them with my mom!" answered Rionna Glenn, daughter of Tech. Sgt. Elaine McLemore from the 5th Force Support Squadron, when asked what she thought about the winter carnival. Each quarter the youth center hosts an event for children to be able to come and participate in different activities with their families. The winter carnival has become an annual event for the youth center attracting more than 100 children and parents. "We (the youth center staff) really enjoy putting on these sorts of events and are happy when we get a good turn out," said Rachel Miller. For more information on upcoming youth center events, click here.