Cherokee Town and Country Club in Atlanta, Ga. has hosted a Water Gun Color War for children ages 3 to 12 that has been well-received by youngsters and parents alike. “All of the kids like to do events outside so any excuse to do that is good,” says Maddy Heeter, Cherokee’s Director of Banquets.
Cherokee Town and Country Club has found one way to help children beat the summertime blues.
For the past two years in mid-to-late July, the club in Atlanta, Ga. has hosted a Water Gun Color War for children ages 3 to 12 that has been well-received by youngsters and parents alike, according to Maddy Heeter, Cherokee’s Director of Banquets.
Water was not used in the first version of the event in 2019. Youngsters were given buckets containing colorful powder and tossed the dust at each other in a free-for-all activity, but Heeter says there were some problems.
“Some of the younger kids were getting powder all over their face and they didn’t like that, so they switched it up a little bit,” Heeter says. “. . .With it being so hot outside, [club staff] decided, ‘let’s put the powder in the water guns.’”
A staff member tested different types of dyes to see which one would most easily wash out of clothing. Event organizers decided to mix Crayola Bath Dropz tablets into water and load the liquid into the toy guns.
After the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of many activities in 2020, the inaugural Water Gun Color War happened at Cherokee in 2021. The number of young people taking part increased from about 20 in 2019 to approximately 30 in 2021.
The 30 or so children were joined by five or six club staff members for the event on the lawn in front of the Town Club building. The youngsters wore white clothing, were divided into four teams, and used water guns to soak each other in various colors. Everyone ended up with a tie-dye shirt, courtesy of their fellow competitors, and members of the winning team received Chick-fil-A gift cards.
“They mixed the teams together pretty fairly so they had a fair chance,” Heeter says.
Noting the event lasts about 90 minutes, Heeter says parents were able to drop off their children and then head out to enjoy a meal or another activity at the club.
“It was very well-received by the kids and the parents,” Heeter says.
The feedback from parents was positive especially “because the color rinses out,” Heeter says, laughing.
The club hosted the event again on July 22 of this year. About 15 youngsters participated under the supervision of three counselors.
The event in 2022 differed in a couple ways from its predecessor a year earlier. With a lower number of participants, Heeter says the children were divided into two teams rather than four and water balloons were an additional tool that youngsters could use in the competition. Members of the winning squad could either receive a Chick-fil-A gift card or select items from a prize box at the club’s child care center. Those prizes included a Starbuck’s gift card, a movie theater gift card, dolls, toys, coloring books, and bubbles.
The event again received a “Thumbs Up” from both parents and children.
“All of the kids like to do events outside so any excuse to do that is good,” Heeter says.
How It Started
In 2019, Cherokee staffers were looking for more ways to keep younger members engaged in the middle of summer. After hosting Fourth of July activities, country clubs sometimes see a drop in membership participation. Families are often taking a vacation before the school year starts and — even though mid-July is one of the hottest times of year— “some of the kids are sick of the pool and they want other things to do,” Heeter says.
Heeter shares that the club’s then-Youth Activities Manager, Kicha May, “decided they needed something really exciting for all ages just to get more people into the club that weren’t going on vacation or [for] some kids that needed stuff to do.”
May, who is now the club’s Assistant Director of Fitness and Wellness, worked with the communications director to find an available date on the calendar. The communications department sent eblast notices to members about a month in advance of the event. Members could sign up online or at the club’s child care center, but advance registration was not required. In the days leading up to the event, parents received emails reminding them to have their children wear white clothing.
According to Heeter, the event worked well from a logistical standpoint; The Town Club building’s main level is closed for maintenance, cleaning and capital projects for three weeks in July.
“The traffic in and out of the club is significantly reduced,” Heeter says. “It creates a quiet and safe atmosphere for the kids to run around everywhere.”
She praises club staff for planning and organizing this new event.
“[It was] pretty seamless the way they got that together,” Heeter says. “They did the event and it was a great success the first time, which is why they did it the second year.”
May agrees, noting: “I believe this addition to our annual tradition here at Cherokee will live on for many years to come. There is nothing better than a water day in the middle of a Georgia summer.”
The event also provided a boost in activity at a time when the club is navigating its way through the middle of summer.
“Getting the members involved in July when we tend to just be slower is positive for the club,” Heeter says. “. . .Just to have an event [with a lot of participation] is really positive for the club. I know the members enjoy getting to do something.”
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