The Current—our region’s local currency—has been in circulation since 2014. Since it started flowing, over 1.6 million Currents have been exchanged between member businesses and individuals. Together we are able to keep our money in our communities when we buy local and support each other’s businesses and endeavors. Sign up for a free account at hudsonvalleycurrent.org and start exchanging today with over 300 members.
When Frank Waters first started My Kingston Kids in 2017, he had a big vision but wasn’t sure quite what form it would take, “I didn’t really have a full vision in focus, I just wanted to contribute to the community,” he says. “I had to learn as I went along, make sure I wasn’t stepping on anybody’s toes, and make sure what I was creating was what the community was interested in and would accept.”
Eight years later, My Kingston Kids is a major clearinghouse of family-oriented entertainment, holds several festivals of its own each year, and is a presence at many more. There’s a YouTube channel, a Radio Kingston show, a magazine, and bimonthly meetings at which the community’s welcome to learn what’s available and suggest whatever else they’d like to see. Adventure Summer Camp, laser tag, kite building, and photography lessons bring the youth of the community together, and the gaming trailer and DJ services are a familiar and welcome sight at everything from community festivals to backyard parties.
“When we started it was just me and a volunteer board,” says Waters. “Little by little, I got to meet people and understand more of what was needed, find the niches we could fill here. Around year three or four, I started to see what we could really do—be a full service organization, create our own programming and have our own media. So for the last five or six years we’ve been focusing on that. We actually have some paid staff now, so we can do a lot more.”
A flagship event happening this month, the annual MyKingstonKids Halloween Fest and Parade, has grown into a two-day fiesta that starts with a parade up Broadway at 2 pm on Saturday, October 25 and finishes up with festivities at the Kingston Plaza both Saturday and Sunday. This year’s theme, Wizards and Sorcerers, is tailored to inspire creativity; everyone is invited to join in and play. “We welcome participation from all community organizations, businesses, churches, individuals, groups, and residents—whether you’re walking, driving a vehicle, or part of a band, there’s a place for you in the procession!” says the MKK announcement.
Along with the Imagine Park, archery, slime making, pumpkin carving, face painting, photo booth and more, there will be My Kingston Kids specialties that you can actually rent for your own fiesta: the gaming trailer and virtual reality, which (along with Laser Tag) come with all the trimmings. “We’ll even bring the red carpet, red velvet ropes with stanchions, TV screens—everything you need to make it really special,” says Waters. “Renting all that out helps us support the organization, and it helps other organizations to be able to get that from us and save some money over what it would cost any other way. It has a huge multi-generational appeal. Kids can show parents games they like, and parents can challenge kids to PacMan and other stuff they grew up on.”
Waters doesn’t remember exactly when it was that he and My Kingston Kids became Hudson Valley Current members, only that it’s an alliance he’s been cherishing since he got started. “I’ve always loved the idea—my ex business partner had a barter company that I was part of, doing graphics and web design in exchange for credits,” he says. “When I learned about the Current, it was a lot like that, but more manageable, with actual monetary value through currency or digital credits. It was a no brainer for me, and I joined right away. We use Currents for marketing and we use Tilda’s for meetings and brunches and catering. It’s worked out really well for us.”
New at this year’s Halloween Fest will be a sensory safe zone provided for anyone who needs a break from the bustle; the entire My Kingston Kids team has been trained in how to provide that peace. There’s also an active Mental Health and Wellness division aimed at helping kids and parents survive and thrive. “We want to help address the mental health crisis, and work to open up the conversation around mental wellness in the community, so it’s not so stereotypical and stigmatized, Mental health is part of everyday living, not some scary subject they can’t talk about.”
Visit MyKingstonKids.com for a guide to all kinds of free, fun activities for local youth. And come on out October 25; join the parade, or just enjoy the sights and sounds of happy families of all descriptions, a big win for us all.