DOWAGIAC — A new source of family friendly fun will be coming to Dowagiac on June 16.

The Dowagiac Church of Christ, located at 58273 M-51 S., Dowagiac, will host a family fun fair event from 1 to 5 p.m. on June 16. The event, which is free and open to the public, will feature a number of family friendly activities including games, a dunk tank, face painting, pony rides, a bounce house, a volleyball court, hayrides and more. Refreshments, such as popsicles and popcorn, will also be served at the event.

“This is the first time we are doing this type of event, so we are really excited to try it out. This is an all hands of deck situation for us,” said Mandy Wallace, one of the event’s organizers. “We are all helping to make this happen. We are going to have all sorts of games and attractions for kids of all ages.”

Wallace described the family fun fair as “carnival-style,” which she said will allow attendants to experience as much of the event as possible.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” she said.

Offering a free event for the Dowagiac community fits the church’s pattern for community service, Wallace said, citing the church’s roadside cleanup efforts and the church’s foodbank.

“We do several things throughout the year,” she said. “We are happy to provide a fun event.”

Other than community service, one of the motivators for the Dowagiac Church of Christ to host the family fun fair was the ground the church itself sits on, Wallace said.

“We have this nice, big, open grassy area on our grounds,” she said. “We do a lot of things in the community to let people know that we are active and that we are here, but we wanted to find a way to use the space that we have — our building and our lot. Other than our regular services, there is not a lot we can do to let people know we have this space here, so we thought [the family fun fair] would be a good way to do that.”

Wallace said that she hopes the community will turn out for the family fun fair, and will enjoy it as much as she and the other event organizers have enjoyed planning it.

“It’s nice to do something for the community, but it’s also nice to do something specifically for young kids and families,” she said. “This is a free way to spend a summer afternoon with your family. We hope that it will be a lot of fun.”