FRANKLIN
The staff of the Franklin Summer Super Jam program had a full day of activities and a closing  program on Friday. The day opened at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center with a slate of activities for the youth to enjoy. These included two inflatable rides with popcorn and sno-cones. The top attraction for the day was the gamer bus, which was loaded with many of the youths’ video games. Up to 16 youth at a time were admitted to the bus that had music and air-conditioning for comfort.

For the closing program, the youth were transported to the auditorium of S.P. Morton Elementary School. Staff members Carolyn Lawrence and Malik Phillips served as the co-emcees. This consisted of a fashion show and performing arts presentation that was coordinated by Girlie McCauley, recreation assistant of the Parks & Recreation Department. The overall program consists of a mixture of modeling, gospel singing, poems, rap and dance routines.

The program concluded with the awarding of special program trophies and awards that were presented to the youth for outstanding participation in the program for the summer. Award categories included: Arts & Crafts; Basketball; Group Leaders Award; Best All-Around Athlete; Group Leadership Award; Swimming Award; and Most Helpful. The honors also included categories for Most Talented and Best Model.

The Franklin Summer Super Jam program is sponsored by the Franklin Boys & Girls Club of Southeast Virginia and the Franklin Department of Parks & Recreation.