Racine Sun

Racine County's inaugural youth sports expo last weekend was, by all accounts, a hit with many area young people coming to experience a wide variety of sports and recreation.

It's going to happen again next year.

"Thank you to everyone who showed up to the Racine County Youth EXPO," Racine Youth Sports said in a Facebook post the day after the expo. "The turnout was amazing and we couldn't have asked for a better event. Looking forward to next year!"

The event happened 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13 at the Racine Family YMCA's Sealed Air Branch in Mt. Pleasant. The free public information event offered a wide variety of family friendly activities, including prizes and hands-on projects, presentations and raffles, according to The Journal Times' coverage. About 20 private clubs and leagues were on hand with information that included local youth sports leagues, camps, programs, coaching and officiating opportunities.

The expo was presented by Racine County, the Racine Family YMCA, Racine Unified School District, City of Racine and the Village of Mount Pleasant.

The event had plenty of promotion ahead of time, including from Racine County Executive Jonathan Delagrave on the county's Twitter page and website.

"This youth sports expo is not just about how you get kids involved in youth sports but it's talking about what are the factors that we can encourage youth sports in our community," Delagrave said in a Nov. 3 Twitter post. "As we all know, youth sports is a foundational step in promoting a healthy county and healthy families."

Delagrave also talked about the expo in a county announcement issued ahead of the expo.

"This youth sports expo is so important to our community," Delagrave said in a count announcement. "It's not just about how you get your kids involved in youth sports, but it's talking about how we can encourage youth sports in our community. Youth sports are essential to the physical, mental and emotional well-being of our kids, and I believe an event like this one will help connect our residents to the many amazing sports opportunities available here in Racine County."