By: Aimee Bingham Osinski
anbingham@gmail.com
After months of being up in the air, a possible move out of Dexter and threats of a Delta variant, Dexter Daze occurred this past weekend.
I was able to take my family Saturday and we had a wonderful time. A huge thank you to the organizers, community members, and sponsors who came together during such an uncertain time and pulled it off. I’ve learned during Covid, not to take community events for granted, especially not events like Dexter Daze with so much history and so many people counting on it. Arriving in Dexter on Saturday to see so many smiling faces was incredible. After a long isolated year, it was a real treat. My six year old lit up and had: “the best day ever!”
We started our day browsing the booths and checking out items from various vendors. My daughter found a choker, my husband found a squirrel picnic table but bought the larger version for our chickens. Now they have a chicknick table. The name makes me laugh almost as much as the frivolousness of it does. I found several items from the Rock Your World booth, which seemed to attract a lot of visitors.
We were smelling food venders as we wove our way around the booths. The weather was gorgeous so we stopped for Kona Ice. We were excited to try the putt putt course outside of Three Bird. We played and replayed all the children’s activities. For a child that attended kindergarten virtually and has missed dance and gymnastics all year, the ability to play and smile near other kids was really special. She’s missed so much, we indulged every whim, including four trips on the trackless train. She was thrilled by the clown, the guinea pigs, turtles and hedgehogs near the gazebo, and the juggler.
I know my daughter was not alone in her joy. Countless families strolled with smiling little ones. Rather than frazzled stressed out toddler chasing parents, I saw smiling parents happy to be out of the house and enjoying the entertainment provided by Dexter Daze.
Knowing how close we came to not having Dexter Daze this year, every bit of it felt special, especially after missing so much last year. Everyone was friendly and happy. Even the small children waiting in line for face painting were well behaved and in good spirits. The kids playing games seemed to be willing to take turns and as far as I could see everything went without a hitch.
I did not enter the tent, but as I passed it I noted ample space and distance, which was a concern for the City Council. It felt like everyone was so glad to have the event that the community was on it’s best behavior. Again, a huge thank you to the organizers, volunteers and sponsors who made it happen. You did an amazing job and everyone I saw in attendance was having a wonderful time, something we all needed this year. We know it wasn’t easy. Your hard work is appreciated and recognized.
We had, “the best day ever!”
