Looking for a family friendly afternoon activity to attend this October? For the first time, the Recreation and Events Division of Council Bluffs will be hosting RECtoberfest on Oct. 19, 1 to 4 p.m. at Valley View Park. There will not be an admission fee for anyone that attends, but a waiver must be filled out on the CB Parks and Rec. website. There will be a variety of activities to participate in including a 60-foot inflatable obstacle course, a nine-hole miniature golf course, airbrush tattoos, cornhole (bags), three-legged races, water balloon activities, potato sack races, and more. 

“We wanted to include activities that were tailored toward the 12-18 age group that also fit a field day theme with a slight twist. We knew we wanted to showcase one of our beautiful parks, Valley View Park, and which activities would work well at that location. At the same time, we chose activities that we already had equipment for, or would be little-to-no cost,” said Recreation and Events Coordinator Kelsey Bocken.

People could question why there is a “RECtoberfest” when Oktoberfest is centered around beer. Well, the “REC” in RECtoberfest is to promote healthy lifestyles, physical activity, recreation, sports, and socialization. RECtoberfest is being held to promote physical activity and get the community together to have a good time, especially for teens. There are many festivals called RECtoberfest that are being held in Wisconsin, Florida, New Jersey, and other states with their own twist on it to promote the “REC”, since REC is supposed to stand for the word recreation which stands for activities done for enjoyment.

Radio station KGOR will be broadcasting and providing music for the festival. This festival will also be giving out prizes donated by local businesses. People that participate in the activities will receive one raffle ticket; ticket drawings will be every hour. RECtoberfest is possible by the City of Council Bluffs Parks and Recreation Department and is still needing volunteers 18+ to sign up to help run the activities.