New Bedford, MA - Friends of Jack launched its newest community event, Playland Adventure: Board Games Come to Life, last night at the Buttonwood Park Zoo in New Bedford.

We combined two of our favorite past events - the Wonderland Tea Party and A Day at the Zoo for Child and Family Services - into a whole new experience. We magically transformed the Zoo into one of the all-time classic childhood board games, Candy Land. Players moved across a colorful, oversized game board filled with giant candy props and interactive stations. It included magical locations like the Peppermint Forest, Lollipop Woods, and Chocolate Swamp, with fun characters and mini-games along the way.

Nearly 200 people, mostly children, were able to attend. The event was free to families working with Child and Family Services.

The event is made possible by the generosity of our sponsors - South Coast Smiles Pediatric Dentistry and Sheridan Movers.

Our Board members deserve special recognition for all of their hard work, including our sub-committee members, Shelly Sullivan, Kate Okolita, Jessica Slusarski and Lauren Jacob.

As do all the volunteers, especially Acushnet Creamery, Adam Robert and Sami Haddad. And finally a big thank you to Child and Family Services and the Buttonwood Park Zoo staffs for helping us to coordinate.

‍