From the banks of a pond, Elise Ernette helped her two sons, Kingston and Caymen, bait hooks and cast their fishing lines.
Around them, mothers and sons fished, snacked on hot dogs and prepared for a hayride, as part of Arlington's Mom & Son Lock-In Friday night at Cliff Nelson Recreation Center.
"As a mom of boys, I was always a little jealous of father-daughter dances,' said Ernette, an Arlington mother. "I was stoked when I heard about this. I look for any opportunity to hang out with my sons.'
About 200 people attended the annual overnight event, which included dinner, fishing, a treasure hunt, a hayride and a late-night movie.
In its third year, the event aims to give mothers an opportunity to bond with their sons while getting involved in the community, said Courtni Anderson, recreation program coordinator for Arlington.
Arlington resident Tamara Hill, who attended the lock-in with her 6-year-old son, Jacob, said she hates to camp, but her son loves it. This event appealed to both of them.
"I don't do bugs, and I don't outside,' Hill said with a laugh, as she and her son made their bed. "It's a great compromise. We can play outside all night, but then we get to come inside to sleep. We're both happy.'
Mary Dryden, an Arlington mother, has attended the lock-in every year with her son, Dallas, now 9, and she was hooked after the first time.
"It is so much fun to have a place where our boys can just be boys,' Dryden said. "And it gives the mothers a chance to sit and talk and catch up.'
Mothers and sons set up sleeping bags, tents and air mattresses in the gymnasium, where they would later settle down to watch Wreck-It Ralph on a big screen.
"The most important thing is I'm making memories with my son,' Dryden said. "That's what this is all about.'
Headlines, Highlights, News, Parks & Recreation