By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
The final week in May is always a busy one for area families. School is out for the summer and several area athletes are headed to various state competitions. But there's still time to relax. The Great Bend Bat Cats and Tim Anthony & The Animals highlight the May Fridays on Forest in downtown Great Bend on May 26.
"Pryor Automatic (Fire Sprinkler Inc.) and Haz-Mat (Response) have sponsored this event, and it is going to be so fun," said Lee Ann June, communications director for Great Bend Economic Development. "They're both big fans having the Bat Cats there. They're not going to just help us set up and tear down, but they're going to be there for some fun giveaways. They've got a couple of raffles, some really cool prizes for a kids' scavenger hunt. They have to find a special baseball somewhere on Forest."
Bat Cat players will put on some pitching lessons for those throwing toward a dunk tank. Proceeds will go back to the Bat Cat team. The baseball players began arriving in Great Bend this week, with a first game scheduled for June 2.
"We're going to have a meet-and-greet, and we'll have a little booth for them," June said. "They have some giveaways for the kids, some little Bat Cat tattoos, and fun stuff like that. It really should be one of our more family-friendly, lots of stuff for the kids, prizes for the kids, and raffles for some of us bigger kids."
Fridays on Forest takes place in the Entertainment District on Forest Ave. between Main and Williams Streets in downtown Great Bend the final Friday of each month between April and October. The event runs from 5-9 p.m.