FACES holds community fest, gives back

Published 6:41 pm Monday, May 21, 2018

Family and Children’s Educational Services Inc. held its second annual community festival Saturday at the Troup County Soccer Complex. FACES co-founder Tara Scott said more than 400 people attended the free festival.

FACES oversee programs for children and communities in Troup County and Chambers County, Alabama.

The event brought together local organizations and businesses, including the LaGrange Police Department, Kid’s Zone Dentistry and LaGrange Memorial Library. Feeding the Valley of Columbus gave away boxes of food with fresh produce.

“We have vendors out here so that everyone knows what they have to offer in the community,” Scott said.

Kid’s Zone Dentistry gave away balloon art and airbrush tattoos. The Troup High School cheerleading team ran a face painting tent.

Scott said this year’s festival also supported literacy. The Jungle Bus and Mama Jama made appearances, and the local library registered students for its summer reading program.

“We were blessed by the Junior Service League to give away our love of reading bookbags, so we have bookbags with information. We have different types of organizations here,” Scott said. “FACES is looking to start a literacy action seminar classes for youth — second grade through sixth grade — at the library coming this fall. So, we want to have a sense of community here and establish relationships and get the community involved in what’s going on in Troup County.”

The event also featured a DJ and a performance by Kevin Dunn.

The festival also had a field day event for the local elementary schools, which included 50-yard and 100-yard races.

Berta Weathersbee Elementary School won the competition as a team.

Scott said they plan on hosting the event again next year.

“We’re not new to Troup County, but we’ve just been a little quiet — meaning that we’ve just been giving out free resources to the community,” Scott said. “But if we all get together as a whole, we can do wondrous works.”