SPRING HILL, Tenn. — Hundreds of kids and their families took over Fischer Park Sept. 27–28 for the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance’s (USA) fourth annual Campin’ in the Park.
After setting up their campsites Saturday morning, participants enjoyed activities such as a scavenger hunt, archery, backyard bass, yard games, arts and crafts, frisbee golf, raffle drawings and an outdoor movie to wrap up the night.
This year’s turnout once again brought together residents from Spring Hill and surrounding communities. Since its inaugural event in 2022, which drew nearly 150 campers, the free, public event has grown to more than 500 participants this year.
Fischer Park has hosted Campin’ in the Park all four years and includes an ADA-compliant playground with padded artificial turf, three football/soccer fields, tennis and basketball courts, walking paths and picnic pavilions.
Hosted in partnership with the City of Spring Hill, Campin’ in the Park is part of Work Boots on the Ground, the USA’s flagship conservation program that provides free, community-based youth outreach events nationwide.
Brian Costantino, a member of United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 1853 in Spring Hill, took photos at the event and encouraged other union members to volunteer.
“Community involvement is super important for unions,” he said. “It builds good relationships and alters people’s perception about unions. It also makes everyone involved feel like they belong, and that is what solidarity is all about. We are always there for each other, and we can be there for everyone else as well.”
USA Conservation Coordinator Maggie Sager said she saw the impact firsthand while running the archery station.
“One of the first kids that came to archery was a really little boy,” Sager said. “At first, he was very hesitant to step up to the line, but after we got him set up, he hit the target on his very first try. His parents and I were cheering him on, and he was beaming with pride. He wanted to keep shooting for as long as he could and was smiling the whole time.”
Nathan and Brooke Hernandez, who moved to Spring Hill from Dallas with their two daughters in June, said the event helped them feel connected to their new community.
“It makes us more familiar with what happens here and the kind of community that this is,” Nathan Hernandez said. “This isn’t just a city where people live and do their own thing. It definitely feels like a community that comes together.”
The Hernandez family enjoys hiking, disc golf and fishing and said the culmination of familiar activities made the event memorable.
“We’ve only been here a couple months and honestly we’ve been looking for activities like this to do as a family,” Nathan Hernandez said. “The fact that this was available so soon after we moved here—it was a no-brainer for us to be part of something like this.”
Sager said she hopes families left the event inspired to spend more time outdoors.
“More than anything, I hope families left with some unforgettable memories and a renewed excitement to spend time outdoors together,” she said. “Whether it was trying archery, sleeping in a tent or simply playing in the park, our goal was to create a positive, fun and welcoming space for families to explore nature side by side.”
Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA): The USA is a union-dedicated, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose members hunt, fish, shoot and volunteer their skills for conservation. The USA is uniting the union community through conservation to preserve North America’s outdoor heritage. For more information, visit www.unionsportsmen.org or connect on Facebook, X, YouTube and Instagram.
Work Boots on the Ground (WBG): WBG is the USA’s flagship conservation program that brings together union members willing to volunteer their time and expertise to conservation projects that improve and enhance public access to the outdoors, conserve wildlife habitat, restore America’s parks and mentor youth in the outdoors. The USA’s Work Boots on the Ground program works closely with federal, state and local agencies and other conservation groups to provide manpower needed to complete critical projects that may otherwise go undone.
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