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Together time
Photo
Laney and her daughter Gianna Pinciaro, 7, of Boardman make crafts at the Mommy & Me for Tea and Fashion Show at Boardman Park on Sunday.
By ELISE McKEOWN SKOLNICK
BOARDMAN
Little girls in party dresses filled the Lariccia Family Community Center in Boardman Park to spend some one-on-one time with mom — and to have the chance to be a fashion star.
The Boardman Park’s Mommy & Me for Tea and Fashion Show offers moms and their daughters, age 3 to 8, an opportunity to spend some time together, said Karen McCallum, the park’s recreation director.
The eighth annual event Sunday included a punch fountain, salads, desserts and other munchies. The moms and daughters made crafts together, such as beaded bracelets and pictures frames that looked like picket fences. A professional photographer took photos of the moms and daughters together.
The event culminated with a fashion show.
“The little girls are the models,” McCallum said. “It’s just a cute event where the little girls get to walk down a runway and the moms are snapping the pictures, and we have a little runway music.”
Heather Heid and her daughter Shelbi, 7, attended the tea last year, and had so much fun that they came back for this year’s.
“They put the girls first, center stage, and it’s just a fun time for the moms and daughters to spend together,” Heather explained.
The main reason the Boardman pair came back for a second year is time.
“Just time away from everybody else, to focus on time together,” Heather said.
Shelbi chose to wear a purple dress with sequins.
“Because I like the color purple,” she said.
She picked a red flower to wear in her blond hair.
The fashion show is fun, she said. Her favorite part is twirling her dress.
This year was the first for Angela Nespeca and her daughter Angelina, 6, of Boardman.
Angelina wore a dress with big yellow flowers and black polka dots.
“I like the Steelers, that’s why I got this dress,” she said.
She particularly was interested in the fashion show.
“I wear a lot of fashion clothes,” she said. “I’m a fashion girl.”
The event is a great opportunity for the community to come together, Angela said.
“You get to meet new people,” she said. “I think it’s fun.”
And, she added, “I’m excited to be here with my girl.”
About 45 moms and their daughters attended the tea and fashion show.