KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Newsletter |
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Sat, Jun 6: 3rd Annual Adventure Trek at the Oxbow: Kickoff to Summer Festival
Sun, Jun 7: 2nd Annual Summer Splash Bash
Thu, Jun 11: 2026 Christ Church Cathedral Women's Strawberry Festival Fri, Jun 12: 2026 Holy Rosary Italian Street Festival - With Holy Rosary Catholic Church
Fri, Jun 12: Apple Blossom Market - At Wea Creek
Orchard
Sat, Jun 13: Indy Pride Parade - With Indy Pride
Tue, Jun 16: Art in the Park: Latino Culture
Night - With Laffyette Parks & Recreation
Thu, Jun 18: Outdoor Movie Night: National Treasure - At Celebration Plaza
Sat, Jun 20: 2026 FREE DAY! Juneteenth - At Indiana State Museum
Sat, Jun 27: America’s 250th Outdoor Summer Celebration - at Indiana State Museum Sun, Jun 28: 2026 Marion County Fair
Sun, Jun 28: 2026 Wanamaker Street Fair Fri, Jul 3: 2026 CarmelFest
Sat, Jul 4: 2026 July 4th Fest in Lawrence
Sat, Jul 25: RecFest - At Johnson County Park Amphitheater - With Johnson County Parks & Recreation Sat, Aug 15: SausageFest 2026 - St.
Thomas Aquinas School
Sat, Sep 19: America's 250th Tinkerfest - at Indiana State Museum |
Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers: "The best thing about your newsletter," said a reader who met me in person at an event last June, "is the sheer number of things to do, and the fact that they're just packed in there, all in one handy place." "Thanks!" I said. I may have glowed a little. "And the worst thing about your newsletter," she continued, "is the guilt trip. I know
you don't mean to lay that on us. We can't do it all, so it means we read about so much we can't do. Especially in summer." She was right, in one sense, of course. June and July are the most packed months of the calendar: Kids are out of school, families are ready for fun, and our communities respond. Each local organization gets to post its own events on our calendar for free, and many are featured in this newsletter, so what's happening is right there in front of
you. But I get it! And I hereby remove the guilt. Ego te absolvo. Of course, good families try to expose their kids to great things, but no one has the time, money, or energy to do it all. This stuff needs to be spread out over a childhood, not packed into a single summer, much less a single weekend. So make a family bucket list for Summer 2026. An easy way to do that is to take our annual survey of the Top 20 Places to Take Kids, which is open through June 20; it has dozens of places to have fun this summer, even though you only vote for your top 3! And you should also use our 50 Ways to Love Your Summer article for ideas that require zero technology, zero travel, and zero dollars. Above all, go easy! Remember, summer is no time for grades! The only prize is the summer that's right for your family.
—Debra Ross, publisher of KidsOutAndAbout.com, co-author of The Eclipse Effect: How to Seize Extraordinary Moments to Build Strong Communities
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KidsOutAndAbout.com: Discover more. Do more. Connect more. If you like my publisher's column, you can easily scroll through past columns in the "Notes from Deb" section of our site. |
Please click through to our 2026 survey to vote for your top 3 places to take kids... it will be used to compile our 2026 Top 20 Places to Take Kids in the Indy area. Voting is live through June 20; believe me, winning a place on the Top 20 list matters to the people who
create amazing family-friendly experiences. Take 3 minutes to choose your favorites as your way of saying thank you... and use the list to build your summer bucket list at the same time! |
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An adventure awaits on First Thursday Night—an evening of family memories at The Children’s Museum! Explore five floors of indoor fun and 7.5 acres of outdoor sports experiences for one low price.
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Get ready for an epic celebration of pop culture at Indiana Comic Convention, returning to the Indiana Convention Center from June 5–7, 2026! This family-friendly weekend is packed with over 60 celebrity guests, world-class cosplayers, and a massive exhibit hall filled with rare collectibles. Best of all, kids 10 and younger are free, making it the perfect outing for fans of all ages. You can use promo code INDY at checkout to save on your tickets!
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Bargersville Cultural Soundscapes, curated by 92.3 WTTS, is an exciting initiative designed to foster community engagement, celebrate local talent, and provide a platform for emerging artists in various live music genres. The series of concerts provide consistent entertainment for residents, promote cultural engagement, and offer valuable exposure for new talent. Performance dates are select Fridays from May through August at the Umbarger Plaza Amphitheater, located in downtown Bargersville.
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Join us for our Strawberry Festival on Friday, June 5th and Saturday, June 6th, 2026! We're having two sweet days of strawberry themed fun for the whole family! While festival events run from 10AM to 5PM, Tuttles will be open our normal hours from 9AM to 6PM. The FarmYard will be open 10am to 5pm on June 5 & 6!! We'll have many of the FarmYard activities that you know and love with the addition of special strawberry themed activities, too. The FarmYard is $8/person for everyone 2 and older. We'll have strawberry crafts, storytime, temporary tattoos, a free strawberry plant to take home, and more. Weather permitting, of course
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The Greatest Spectacle in Rubber Duck Racing! It may not be the Indy 500, but it’s just as exciting to see which lucky duck (and human) takes the checkered flag. Join us this year on Saturday, June 6, 2026 for the Broad Ripple Duck Race + 5K. This year’s event will also include a 5K and fun run through Broad Ripple Village prior to the event. Participants are encouraged to dress in their favorite duck gear and take off from the Start Line at 10am! The Finish Line will take racers right to the Duck Race festival – FREE children’s activities set up on the Rainbow Bridge overlooking the Broad Ripple Canal on Guilford Avenue north of Westfield Boulevard for all to enjoy. Make sure you head to the duck sales booth as soon as you get there to get your hands on a couple of the 3,000 rubber ducks that will race down the canal.
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Adventure Trek is a fun, family‑friendly outdoor event where kids can explore nature, complete hands‑on challenges, and discover the world around them through play. Parents and children team up to hike, learn about wildlife, and solve creative activities that make the outdoors exciting for all ages. It’s the perfect way to get outside, build confidence, and enjoy an unforgettable day together.
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Join us for a joyful, family-friendly, all-ages celebration of love, diversity, and belonging in the City of Pride & Progress. Whether you’re LGBTQ+ or an ally, there’s something here for everyone!
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Click here to discover Birthday party locations in the Indianapolis area. From Arcades to Ziplines our Big List will help you think outside the box and plan the party of your kids' dreams! KidsOutAndAbout has dozens of ideas!
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The KidsOutAndAbout annual guide to summer camps in the Indianapolis area is back! You can search by date, age, or categories like day/overnight, sports, drama, music, theatre, arts & crafts, technology, robotics, horseback riding, preschool, &
more. Our guide puts summer fun right at your fingertips!
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It's almost time for fruit picking! Fruit picking is a great activity to do together as a family. It helps little ones understand where their food actually comes from, and it's a fun tradition to share every year right through the teens.
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Have a great weekend!
Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com
Mom of Madison and Ella |
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