GLOVERSVILLE — The city Recreation Commission on Thursday began planning the second annual Z-Fest, a fitness focused summer event, that will be followed this year by an outdoor movie night at Trail Station Park on Aug. 24.
The Recreation Commission and local Zumba instructor Alyssa Johnson partnered with one another last August to organize the city’s first Z-Fest featuring three hours of Zumba classes led by area instructors, tumbling demonstrations by the Romano Acro Dance Academy, music, children’s activities and local vendors.
For the second annual Z-Fest at Trail Station Park on Aug. 24, Recreation Commission member Samantha Yates suggested seeking out local fitness instructors in a variety of disciplines to add diversity to the event by offering multiple 30 minute exercise sessions at the same time throughout the park.
While last year’s event was profitable and well attended overall, Yates noted that many people came for just one of the 30 minute dance inspired fitness sessions scheduled over the course of the three hour event and left once the session was over.
“Nobody came and stayed all day,” Yates said.
“People were coming and going,” commission member Logan Barclay agreed.
Yates argued that offering a broad variety of workout options, such as various yoga flow sessions, would appeal to a wider range of community members at all fitness levels, proposing that the commission reach out to well-known instructors in the area to engage locals with an interest in developing community events who could also help promote Z-Fest among students.
Additionally, Yates recommended that other types of activities be incorporated during the event to increase lingerability and suggested that the final hour of Z-Fest feature children specific fitness activities to lead into the family friendly outdoor movie night the commission will host in Trail Station Park afterwards.
The Recreation Commission members responded positively to the suggestions, giving Yates the greenlight to begin contacting local fitness instructors to develop the schedule of activities and events to take place during Z-Fest in August.
