This past weekend, our youngest daughter was invited to abirthday party at one of the many facilities here in Brookhaventhat cater to such events.

I must say that, as usual, I was very impressed at the staff, howorganized the party was, and the fact that they were able to keep20-plus very active 8-year-olds entertained for an entire hour anda half.

After the party was over, I marveled to my husband about just howmany kid-friendly activities there are – whether in the manychurches, retail establishments or parks – in this community.

This past summer, my girls enjoyed attending several of thechurches’ vacation bible schools, besides their own. They had theopportunity to meet kids they might not know otherwise and fosteredsome good friendships in the meantime.

Many of the area churches have strong, vibrant youth groups thathave weekly activities in the evenings for the young people.

Brookhaven enjoys the unique quality of being the hub for SouthwestMississippi in terms of family-friendly shopping, dining andentertainment. If you glance at the parking lots of any of the manyestablishments that cater to family-friendly activities, you willsee car tags from Lincoln, Copiah, Pike, Lawrence, Walthall,Franklin and Amite counties, just to name a few.

Of course, there are incredibly fun family-friendly places tocelebrate free of charge. Kids Kingdom offers a paradise ofplayground fun, along with a covered pavilion and picnic tables,which makes it an easy and trouble-free spot for hosting a birthdayparty or afternoon picnic.

Brookhaven also has several city parks, which are a luxury forfamilies. With the well-maintained playgrounds, tennis courts,basketball courts and covered pavilions, holding a leisurelySaturday picnic is easy and convenient.

I have said many times how fortunate my family is to be located inBrookhaven. Cliff and I started our family in Greenwood, andalthough we have many good memories and friends there, it reallywasn’t where we wanted our girls to grow up.

When we found out that Cliff was coming on board with the Chamberof Commerce, we brought the girls on a riding tour of the town. Thething that really struck me was that not only was there thrivingbusinesses and activity on Brookway Boulevard, but everything wasconsistently well-maintained and busy all the way todowntown.

Just this weekend, we had fun attending the Ole BrookFestival.

It is great to stroll through the streets and see friends andneighbors out browsing the vendor booths. The kid-friendly areasand shows were awesome for parents who had kids that needed to burnoff some energy after a day of eating sugary treats.

There were over 8,000 people who came to the festival last year; ahuge crowd was expected this year.

My girls enjoy counting the out-of-town car tags that come in forthe festival. We note tags ranging in distance from Hinds County toLouisiana.

Yeah, I have to say that it is great to live in Brookhaven!

Lifestyles Editor Rachel Brumfield can be reached at The DAILYLEADER at 601-833-6961 ext 134, by e-mail atlifestyles@dailyleader.com or you can write to her at P.O. Box 551,Brookhaven MS 390602.