News

Two more weeks and still so much to do! We have a swim meet this Friday and the fifth annual Reid Sacco Family Regatta on Sunday, plus our always-popular Movie Night (sold out again) and Tween NIght at Maine Rock Gym and Teen NIght at Fun-O-Rama. All that in addition to another week’s worth of summer sun and fun in our regular offerings. With so much going on, we hope you’ll join us in making the most of the rest of this summer.

 

KBIA to host swim meet this Friday

 

Come cheer on our young swimmers as they compete Friday night as KBIA, the second of our two annual club meets. All KBIA kids who have taken at least one week of Swim Team are invited to compete in a variety of races; please see Heidi in the pool to register. Swimmers should meet at KBIA for warm-ups at 5:30, and competition starts at 6. Burgers and hot dogs from the grill will be sold.

 

Set sail with us this Sunday

 

Sailors and spectators alike are invited to KBIA’s fifth annual Reid Sacco Family Regatta on Sunday. The day starts with a skipper meeting at 10:30 AM, followed by sailing at 11. Interested participants should register in the office to reserve a KBIA boat or bring their own boat to launch between 285 and 292 Beach Avenue. Due to the shallow nature of the cove, even at high tide, sailors should use an Opti, Laser, Taz or Chickadee watercraft.

 

A $10 suggested donation per sailor will benefit the Reid Sacco Foundation. The regatta honors a longtime KBIA student and instructor who died of sarcoma at age 20 in 2005. For information on the Reid Sacco Foundation, visit www.reidsaccofoundation.org.

  

 

 

 

Getting in and out safely at KBIA

 

Please help us keep KBIA safe for everyone! Our pick-up/drop-off zone is designed for a quick in-and-out, and it is imperative that drivers stay with their vehicles at all times. In case of emergency, this is the only way in for response vehicles. Kennebunk police have and will continue to ticket both areas. We appreciate your cooperation in helping us move traffic along in that busy section! 

 

 

Clynk for KBIA

CLYNK is another way to help preserve our beach and help KBIA at the same time! We now have those green bags available at our office for members to pick up, fill with returnables, and redeem them at the Kennebunk Hannaford (or any CLYNK redemption center). Proceeds from KBIA-tagged bags will benefit our nonprofit organization.

 

Explore Strawberry Island … start here 

 

While our children more commonly visit the island by walking directly over the sand at low tide, the rocky island is also accessible to the public via our “Gateway to Strawberry Island.” KBIA’s .34-acre rocky plot on Great Hill Road provides access to Strawberry Island. Just look for our sign at 38 Great Hill Road, next to the small plot owned by the Kennebunk Land Trust.  

 

 

 

Show & Tell in the Cove

See what you will find at our next Cove Walk

 

“At high tide, the cove fills with 6 to 8 feet of water for swimming, sailing, paddleboarding and kayaking.

Come low tide, however, and the cove between Lord’s Point and Great Hill Road in Kennebunk is a living touch tank of marine life and artifacts. Take a walk on the rocks and sand, and in the tidal pools, and you’ll see clams, oysters, rock crabs, hermit crabs, starfish, baby lobsters, plus an abundance of sea glass and china, along with seaweeds, sponges and living grasses. Periwinkle shells are everywhere, as are rocks large and small.”  ~ York County Coast Star, July 25 … read more!

KBIA marine biology and kayak instructor Ben Braasch will lead the final community Cove Walk from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2. Cost is $10 for families. Call 967-2180 to register. Visitors should wear old shoes and bring a bucket for catch-and-release collecting.

 

Life guard certification

 

KBIA is offering a life guarding certification class this weekend, and all KBIA members and employees are welcome to jump in this Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 2-3. The cost of the course is $300, and KBIA will pay half of the class for all employees. If you are interested in participating, please call the office at (207) 967-2180.

 

KBIA contributes to science world

 

Ever wonder about those orange-colored masses often found on rocks in the tidepools?

 

KBIA’s Junior Scientist class did, so children spent their week observing and recording their findings on the Orange Sheath Tunicate.

 

“We found 35 different colonies of Orange Sheath Tunicate in approximately 1,000 square feet. We found most of the tunicate on rocks rather than on the floor of the tidepool we were looking in. The color of the tunicate varied from bright orange to deep red.

 

Led by Michelle Webber, our Junior Scientists then shared their information with Vital Signs , a science-sharing project of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute Program. This report is just one of six marine species contributed by our popular class! Check it out!

 

Coming up: Reid Sacco Family Regatta

 

Sailors and spectators alike are invited to the Kennebunk Beach Improvement Association’s fifth annual Reid Sacco Family Regatta on Sunday, Aug. 10. The day will starts with a skipper meeting at 10:30 AM, followed by sailing at 11. Interested participants should register in the office to reserve a KBIA boat or bring their own boat to launch between 285 and 292 Beach Avenue. Due to the shallow nature of the cove, even at high tide, sailors should use an Opti, Laser, Taz or Chickadee watercraft. A $10 donation per sailor will benefit the Reid Sacco Foundation. The regatta honors a longtime KBIA student and instructor who died of sarcoma at age 20 in 2005. For information on the Reid Sacco Foundation, visit www.reidsaccofoundation.org.

 

 

Calling on your generosity

Donors will help fund scholarships for KBIA kids

And now through the end of August, friends of KBIA will match every $2 we raise with an additional $1 donation!

This is perhaps our most important mission yet because donors directly affect local children and their families who need a boost like KBIA in their lives. Scholarships are based on need and/or life-changing circumstances. By donating to our fund, you will give a child the opportunity “to be a kid,” experiencing a summer of swimming, sailing, crafting and so much more at KBIA.

Over the last five years we have built a new pool, replaced the playground, installed a new tent and made numerous structural upgrades to our facilities. Last on our list for our 100th Anniversary Capital Campaign is funding our endowment that helps support scholarships.

 

All donations — large, small and/or online — will help push us across our finish line.

Won’t you please “answer” our call?

 

 

TWEEN/TEEN NIGHT: G-Force Laser Tag at the beach (with Teen Night participants). 6-8 PM Tuesday. $24.

 

MOVIE NIGHT: “Toy Story,” Smith House, 7 to 9 PM Wednesday. $7. (for ages 4-10; Snack Shack will be open!) WEEK 6-7 MOVIE NIGHT IS NOW SOLD OUT. As of Monday morning, three spots remain for Week 8.

 

 

 

 

Please visit our website at www.kbia.net.

 

We’re on a roll now … the weather has been ideal and so have our first three weeks at KBIA. If you have been to KBIA recently, you know what we mean. It’s your beaming child who takes a confident bow onstage at drama. It’s your grandson who, once scared of the water, has proudly learned to paddleboard. It’s your teen gaining confidence “in the real world,” thanks to our hands-on Counselor-in-Training program. It’s your child who is now smitten by seals after taking one of our field trips! Thanks to some great offerings led by the best instructors around, our children are making connections and already coming full circle. If you haven’t been to KBIA this summer to see for yourself, what are you waiting for?

 

 

Help us make a splash this Friday

Swim-a-Thon donations will benefit scholarships

 
Swim … and help KBIA in its quest to continue giving scholarships for years to come! Kids can help make this happen on Friday as part of KBIA’s Swim-a-Thon . Our children and CITs raise money by asking for pledges or flat donations for swimming lengths* of the pool. They can do this during their regular swim classes on Friday, July 18, or during a special swim time at2:30 PM Friday. Collect your money based on the lengths you swim and bring it to the office at the watersports/awards on Saturday. Money raised will be used to fund the scholarship program at KBIA.

 

 

You’re invited …

Pool party is up for auction at Seaside Celebration

 
Please join us at KBIA this Saturday, July 19, for the first of our two annual get-togethers. The July BBQ and Awards Ceremony will kick off with assorted watersports in the pool for various ages:

9:00 AM:  3- to 4-year-olds
9:30 AM:  5- to 6-year-olds
10:00 AM: 7- to 8-year-olds
10:30 AM: 9 and older
11:00 AM: Free swim for all ages
11:30 AM: Diving exhibition, followed by Water Polo exhibition

At 12 PM, KBIA volunteers will serve up a barbecue lunch (hot dogs and hamburgers, lemonade, iced tea, chips and cake.) Cost is $6.

At 1 PM, we will begin the awards portion of the day, handing out various KBIA “wedges” and traditional KBIA honors. Be sure to check next week’s e-newsletter for a list of the winners!

From 6 to 8 PM, please join us on the KBIA lawn for our seventh annual Seaside Celebration. In addition to cocktails and light hors d’oeuvres for our 21+ member families, we will be auctioning off a KBIA parking spot, as well as — new this year — a pool party! If you can’t make it Saturday night (and we sure hope you can!) we will even accept bids by email. We kindly ask you RSVP by Wednesday, July 16.

 

 

 

Welcome home

Help Reid’s Ride mark 10 years

 
YOU are invited to join the Sacco family in celebrating the 10th annual Reid’s Ride next week. Lorraine and Gene, alongside friends and family, will start their bike ride this Sunday in Massachusetts and finish the route Monday at KBIA. All are welcome to ride the final third leg of the route, approximately 42 miles (Rye Beach, NH to the Burkhard Family Estate). That afternoon, on July 21, KBIA will host a barbecue, complete with eats and treats from Reid’s Ride sponsors and participants, for Team KBIA.  Reid’s Ride honors Reid Sacco, a KBIA counselor who lost his battle to cancer in 2005.
 
To join in the fun, please register today!

 

 

CITs to take on the ropes course

All teens welcome July 22

 

Calling all teens who has been or will be a KBIA CIT this summer! On Tuesday, July 22, our CITs will head out for a day on the Ropes Challenge Course at the Sweetser campus in Saco.The main focus for this annual offering is developing leadership skills, communication, motivation by relying on each other — then applying it to their Counselor in Training course. They will be using both the high- and low-ropes course.

Teens should meet at 9 AM by the steps of Strong Cottage at KBIA, where they will return for pickup by 4 PM. Interested participants may sign up in the office or by emailing CIT Coordinator Maureen McEnaney.

 

 

This week at KBIA

 

TWEEN NIGHT: Pool Party, 6 to 8 PM Tuesday. $24.

 

MOVIE NIGHT: SOLD OUT “Tarzan” 7 to 9 PM Wednesday at Smith House. $7.

 

TEEN NIGHT: Funtown, Saco. 5:30 to 9ish PM Thursday. $24.

 

COVE WALK: 12 to 2 PM Sunday, July 20, meeting at the steps of Strong Cottage at KBIA. $10 per family; open to the public.

*please pre-register for all events at the office so we may accurately plan for tickets and transportation.

www.kbia.net  / KBIA facebook

 

Now in our third week, we’ve have had a busy beginning to our 104th season at the Beach! As we look back at Sunday’s “Day at the Beach” Road Race and look ahead to Friday’s KBIA Swim Meet, we also continue to offer more than 55 amazing opportunities to learn and/or practice kids’ favorite hobbies and educational interests. We aim to please all ages and interests at KBIA. Please read on to find something that interests you, and then jump in! See you soon.

 

 

23 years and running of “A Day at the Beach”

 

Following Sunday’s “Day at the Beach” 1K and 5K road races, you could say we’re still on a runner’s high! It was a brilliant day for the 23rd running of our annual race, and the cool but sunny day could not have been better for “A Day at the Beach.” This year we hosted a total of 286 runners, with 65 kids in the 1K fun run and 221 runners in the 5K race.

 

Congratulations to Bobby Turner, the overall boys 1K winner, and Caitlin Wiseman, the overall girls 1K winner. In the 5K race, Miles Courteny of Portland crossed the finish line first with a time of 17:54; 14-year-old Martha MacDonald of Toronto was first in the women’s division, clocking in at 20:00. Check them out in action, along with pics from just about every runner, on KBIA’s facebook page!

 

Many thanks to all who turned out to make this a great day of community, and many thanks to our volunteers in the yellow shirts who kept everything running smoothly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flying the Grand Ol’ Flag

KBIA uses a yacht club flagpole

 

With pride, we fly our colors every day: the American flag, the Canadian flag for our visiting friends, the State of Maine flag and even the KBIA burgee. 

 

KBIA has a “yacht club flagpole,” different from a traditional flagpole, so that means the American flag flies as it would on a ship. Consistent with U.S. flag etiquette, the national ensign flies on the gaff, which represents the stern of a boat and the position of command.

 

 

 

 

 

The pool is the place to be for parents (and grandparents … or anyone over age 15) for some summer swimming. Our pool is open weekday mornings from 7 to 8 AM to adults for morning lap swim. Fee is $50 a week or $200 for the summer.

 

 

 

Missing a headband, goggles or that special lunchbox? You might want to check our gray box located outside of Smith House, which is the smaller of our two buildings.

 

 

 

 

You’re Invited!

 

Please join us from 6 to 8 PM Saturday, July 19, for our annual Seaside Celebration at KBIA. Our traditional cocktail party for adults is our traditional night to kick back with old friends and meet new faces, all in our spectacular setting by the sea. Please RSVP by July 14.

 

 

 

TWEEN NIGHT: Funtown, Saco. 5:30 to 8:30 PM Tuesday. $24.

MOVIE NIGHT: “The Emperor’s New Groove” at Smith House, 7 to 9 PM Thursday. $7. Limited to the first 50 children, and as of 12 PM today, MOVIE NIGHT IS NOW FULL.

 

 

 

 

www.kbia.net  / KBIA facebook

… From sea to shining sea. Being where we are, on the shining sea in Maine, we take our responsibilities very seriously to celebrate Independence Day in style. We will hold our traditional boat parade, and in the spirit of making the most of the season, we will hold classes as usual on Friday, July 4. At day’s end, we invite you to stay at the beach for fireworks at dusk, roughly 9:15 PM. The fireworks are set off between Gooch’s and Middle beaches, and they look great from Mother’s Beach and the KBIA area as well! Happy Independence Day from all of us at KBIA.

 

 

 

American pride on parade
  

To celebrate Independence Day in our own unique fashion, Nils and our Waterfront Staff will be decking out our fleet and leading a boat parade around the Cove and over by Mother’s Beach, as conditions permit. From the Cove, our “Gollywobblers” class (ages 7 and older) will lead the parade.

 

Start time will be determined this week (watch our website andFacebook). All KBIA family and friends are invited to bring their own boats and join in the fun — or simply enjoy the “parade” from shore.

 

 

We are gearing up for this Sunday’s 23rd annual “Day at the Beach” 5K and 1K Kids Fun Run. Won’t you join us? Online registration is open through Friday, and runners will also be able to register that morning. We have free tech t-shirts for the first 150 registered participants, and we also have a limited supply of women’s cut race shirts this year! Also new this year, we are pleased to utilize chip timing for more accurate race times. The start and finish line is on Lord’s Point Road, and the course winds though the picturesque neighborhoods around the beach, finishing along Ocean Avenue and the sparkling Atlantic. 

 

 

To successfully execute this community race, we will need a host of volunteers. We will need help registering runners and answering questions as well as helping out on the roads and in the runners chute at the finish line. The first 25 volunteers will get a free gold “volunteer” tech shirt as our thank you to you. We can’t do it without you. No experience is necessary. Please email Maureen McEnaney to volunteer!

 

 

  

Just another perk of membership: 
open swims!

 

Twice a day we open up the pool for supervised open swims. All children ages 4 and older, enrolled in other KBIA classes that week, may participate. Please join us between 12 and 12:30 PM and then again between 3:30 and 4 PM Monday through Friday.

  

 

Parking, pick-ups and drop-offs

 

Please help us keep KBIA safe for everyone and stay with your vehicles in the designated pick-up and drop-off zone in front of the pool. It iscrucial to stay within the white paint — there is no spot before and after the crosswalk to the playground to enhance visibility of kids crossing the street. The drop-off/pick-up zone is also for emergency vehicles, so drivers must remain with their cars at all times. Kennebunk police have and will continue to ticket both areas. We appreciate your cooperation in helping us move traffic along in that busy section! 

 

If you want to park your car and walk your child to their class, please find a designated spot at the beach (with a Town of Kennebunk beach sticker) or along Ridge Avenue or another side street.

  

When dropping off your child, please advise the instructor who will pick him/her up. If a child arrives on his/her own, we will release the child on his/her own at the end of class. For bundled classes, please speak with our Bundle Counselor to make arrangements.

 

 

You’re never fully dressed without 
a … KBIA hat!

And our store has 
so much more!

 

Come visit Katherine and friends in our KBIA store, located just across from the office in Strong Cottage and open during office hours. Our new KBIA hats (as modeled by Katherine) feature the KBIA burgee and sell for $16. Need a sweatshirt? We have lots! How about a copy of Tony’s new book? We have both stories in stock. Watch for some new oval car magnets coming this week!

 

 

Got bathrooms? 
(or just a changing room?)

 

Need a bathroom break? Two public restrooms are located behind Smith House. If all you need is a place to change into your bathing suit, please use one of the four family-sized changing rooms located in the back of the white Adventures Tent.  

 

 

This week at KBIA

 

MOVIE NIGHT: “Wall-E“ at Smith House, 7 to 9 PM Wednesday. $7.

 

 

 

* Please preregister for all events at the office.

KBIA is once again alive with the sound of children laughing, squealing, singing, splashing and enjoying summer! On this Opening Day 2014 — our 104th season at Mother’s Beach — it’s music to our ears. We invite you to stop by and soak in the sights and sounds of a summer “the way it should be”!

 

 

This week at KBIA

TWEEN NIGHT: Pool Party & Pizza, 6 to 8 PM Tuesday, at the KBIA pool. $24.

MOVIE NIGHT: “Rio 1,” 7 to 9 PM Wednesday. $7.

 

 

 

Mark your calendars

 

 

Season Opening Day…………………………………………………………………… June 23

Boat Parade……………………………………………………………………………… July 4

Annual KBIA Membership Meeting………………………………………………….. August 16

  

 

Run for fun in our ‘Day at the Beach’ 5K

 

Registration is now open (and free tech t-shirts are still available!) for our 23rd annual “A Day at the Beach” 5K Road Race and 1K Kids Fun Run on Sunday morning, July 6. Runners may registeronline or at the office. 

 

Explore the Cove on guided walk

 

At high tide, the Cove at KBIA provides just enough water to swim, sail and explore the waters wih a paddle. It’s a whole new world at low tide, however, where snails, crabs and other creaturescan be found. Come explore the majestic Cove at low tide on a guided walk during low tide and see all the natural treasures you can find!

 

 

Cost is $10 per family; please register at the office prior to the walk. This family activity is open to the public, so please invite your friends and neighbors and help us spread the word.