Bouncy House at the 2024 Fall Festival.  1,882 children attended the festival this year.

This past Saturday, 1,882 children (with their families) joined us at our annual Fall Festival, and it was so much fun!

A Beautiful Fall Afternoon

Fun for the whole family. Spidermen!

It was a great way for families to spend time together on a beautiful Fall afternoon in the center of our city.  Moms & dads, along with grandparents, aunts & uncles – and other adults – enjoyed fresh air and exercise, as they walked to the various activities of the festival on a breezy, sunny October afternoon.  Smiles & laughter were evident all around.

Volunteers Bring the Festival to Life

Mission Arlington’s volunteer Bible study leaders gathered kids from their homes in apartments across our community, and our volunteer bus & van drivers travelled the city bringing children to and from the festival.  High school students from Bowie’s baseball team, Lamar’s (Lulac), and Seguin’s Key Club helped in a variety of ways.  College students from various UTA teams (honor’s college, Freshman Leaders on Campus), church groups, civic clubs, families, and so many more, made a huge difference as they cooked hotdogs, served the food, watched over the bouncy houses, loaded kids onto hayrides, operated the carnival games, handed out prizes, picked up trash, and handed out candy.  These volunteers welcomed children, complemented their costumes, encouraged parents, and generally gave life to the festival.

It was a “Happening” Place

• Food – Hotdogs, chips, cookies, and water, plus picnic tables to enjoy the food with the family.
• Bouncy Houses (5 of them) where children could bounce safely – to their heart’s delight.
• Hayride – Wagons with hay travel twice around a field, filled with laughing, smiling children & their families.
• Carnival Games – Inside our gym, children could play any number of 15 different carnival games, with prizes awarded at each station.
• Candy – Each child received a small bag of candy on the way out of the festival.

Free to All

Is anything free anymore, truly free?  Not typically, but everything is always FREE with the Mission.  The following statement has been our motto for some time:  “God gives.”  “You give.”  We give.”  From the very beginning (all the way back to 1986), under the servant leadership of our Director, Tillie Burgin, Mission Arlington has not charged for any service we provide.  You give it, and we give it away.  This has truly been our privilege.

We are Thankful

We give our Lord the “glory” for the way he put this Festival together again this year, and for His presence with us during the event.  We are also so grateful for each of you who gave your time, talents, and/or resources to make this event possible.  Thank you so much.