SNOOPY ON ICE: Snoopy takes a spin at The Pond in Bryant Park on Tuesday. (Sally Sun/The Epoch Times)
Seeing the beloved comic characters twirling on ice, the elementary and middle school kids were anxious to get on the ice with the Peanuts gang. Parents hurried to prepare; their children did not want to miss the rare opportunity to catch a photograph with Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and Lucy.
7-year-old Naya Pena, who often watches Snoopy programs at home, was “happy” to spend her second time on ice with the animated stars.
“That’s cool!” said Naya, who came with her mom and cousin.
This fourth-annual event was one of the 600 programs under Mayor Bloomberg’s Out-of-School Time (OST) initiative introduced in 2005.
“[The OST initiative is] an opportunity for children to engage in enriching programs when they are not in school, so it’s running after school hours, but it’s also during the school vacations and the summers,” said Chris Caruso, assistant commissioner of Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD), one of the organizers.
“This is really an opportunity for us to showcase the fact that there are great activities going on during the time when school is not in session” said Caruso.
“We are thrilled with MetLife and having Snoopy here. It really provided a more enriching experience for the children. They all got photographs with the characters. … The kids really appreciate the opportunity to come to Manhattan, to maybe learn how to ice skate and really have an exciting opportunity instead of sitting home.” Said Caruso.