Lansdale First Friday at the Y Rocked Last Night!

Wondering whether you missed a good time last night at Lansdale's First Friday at the YMCA? Well, sorry to rub it in, but YES! While I can only speak for my own family, I have to say, "It was awesome!"

Sure, there is something wonderful about strolling along, catching the live music acts and running into friends at First Friday outside, but, we do live in Pennsylvania and this is January, right? Okay, just making sure. In this mom's opinion, the North Penn YMCA did a fantastic job of achieving the impossible: replicating some of the best parts of First Friday - indoors!

Happy crafters working on their fish.

For starters, there was a great array of "shops" to pop into. A children's cooking class was offered in one room where children could create fun edibles such as fruit kabobs. In a nearby room, kids created fish using colored paper and decorated them. (This was a great way for us to wind down before going home and Mommy was able to sit and enjoy the quiet!)

Music was in the air - everywhere! This was possibly the best replication of a First Friday favorite. Favorite acts from Fridays past filled the halls with their songs. If you've never been inside of the Lansdale YMCA, then you might not know how many twists and turns those hallways take as you venture from one wing to the next. Seemingly at every turn there was another musical act showing off their stuff, but the acoustics, miraculously, were great! There was no overlapping of their sounds, but a smooth transition from each act to the next as you journeyed through the indoor village.

Grinnin' and groovin' while waiting for the moon bounce.

By far, the favorite part for my own kids was, another First Friday standard: the moon bounce. And, since the kids slept in until 8:00am this morning, Mommy and Daddy liked it, too! Also in the same room, Kurt of Kurt's Magic World had the kids entranced with his tricks (and many of us parents, too!).

But, to say that First Friday at the Y was a fair replication of the outdoor First Fridays, would be selling it much too short. There were so many things offered at the Y that an outdoor First Friday could never provide. The pools were open and, from what I heard, not even crowded. What a fun Winter Blues buster - and for free! There were a number of unique fitness classes offered including a scuba class, a Kid's Circuit Training in the top-notch Wellness Center, family yoga, family Zumba, and much more.

There was also a certain increased feeling of security for me as a parent, as well, because we were indoors as opposed to being out on a fairly busy street like we would be at an outdoor First Friday. Anyone with a toddler knows how stressful it can be to worry about cars whizzing past while your little one toddles about. Perhaps if the Lansdale Borough were to close off a section of Main Street during the celebration...

My kids had so much fun that we almost missed The Main Stage where Irish dancers, Hawaiian dancers, and steel drums wowed the crowd. By the time we made it to that wing, the kid's dance party was in full swing with DJ Ryan on the mike. What a riot to see the under ten set hamming it up on stage.

So, what do you do now that you missed out on last night's fun? Get there for the February and March First Fridays, of course! Come April, its back to Main Street.