The community room at Cranston Central Library was packed with over 220 people on Saturday hoping to learn a thing or two about the many local summer camps accepting applicants across Rhode Island this summer. Fifteen summer camps had tables filled with info about the many ways Cranston children might get to spend their summer.

Library communications manager Sarah Bouvier said she hoped the event offered families a chance to broaden their horizons and consider something new for their child.

“It was nice for them to be able to ask questions about the camp in person, and then learn about the camps that they had never heard of,” she said.

Bouvier also hoped the event served as a reminder to busy families to get those registrations in before they fill up.

“The challenge is that summer camps open their registration so early,” she said. “You’re not necessarily thinking about summer in February, and some open in January.”

Bouvier shared some of the ways she was told the event helped families manage the stress of finding camps for kids of all ages.

“One woman said ‘my daughter has aged out of the camp that she’s attended for years. She’s technically old enough to stay home alone but not quite ready to be home alone, and nobody wants their kids to be home alone all summer,” Bouvier recalled.”

“Another woman said it’s so overwhelming to google, all this information pops up. And it was so helpful for her to have all these camps in one place where she could just talk to them and find out, do you have early drop off? When is the latest pick-up? Is lunch provided? All the questions that you would otherwise have to maybe research further, it was all in one place.

Camps for all sorts of interests were in attendance for the fair. The ever popular Roger Williams Park Zoo Camp had a big showing. For the artistically inclined, Orange Anchor Art Studio and Artist Exchange. Save the Bay, Teamworks and Mobile Quest for the scientifically minded. Along with several others for a variety of interests.

OneCranston Health Equity Zone was on site as well, offering bags for families to keep their brochures, as well as juice boxes and snacks for the kids.