PlayStreets Brings Free Fun to Families in Linden and the South Side

Davonna Smith didn’t go looking for PlayStreets. PlayStreets came to her.

One hot August day, Ms. Smith was driving through the South Side when she turned the wrong way down Whittier Street and encountered a roadblock. She was frustrated, but then her 9-year-old daughter, also named Davonna, spoke up. “Mom, I see an ice cream truck!” Ms. Smith parked the car, and they went to take a closer look.

They could hear kids playing. The scent of pizza wafted towards them. Then Ms. Smith spotted the Nationwide Children’s Hospital logo and volunteers in blue t-shirts. Ms. Smith had taken all three of her kids to Nationwide Children’s since they were babies, but she didn’t know the hospital had community programs like this. So began Ms. Smith and Davonna’s introduction to PlayStreets, free summer block parties put on by Nationwide Children’s Healthy Neighborhoods Healthy Families initiative. 

Every summer, Healthy Neighborhoods Healthy Families collaborates with the South Side and Linden communities to hold PlayStreets events from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on select Saturdays. Every event includes free food, beverages and music. Parents can relax while their kids play. From games, obstacle courses and giant inflatables, to puzzles, coloring books and sidewalk chalk, there’s something for everyone.

At their first PlayStreets, Ms. Smith met Ed Miner, project manager for Healthy Neighborhoods Healthy Families. He gave her the schedule of the upcoming events and Ms. Smith didn’t hesitate. She encouraged family, friends and neighbors to come with her to the final two PlayStreets events of the summer.

“A lot of people can’t go out and do things because of their financial situation,” Ms. Smith said. “But this is free! And fun! You don’t find that every day.”

And it was fun for both daughter and mother. Little Davonna got her face painted like a rainbow unicorn, sang karaoke with a live band, met local author J.P. Mitchell and got a signed copy of Mitchell’s picture book, Sweet Fire. Ms. Smith loved that her daughter could play freely and safely with friends and family. “I’m so glad these events are available right down the road in our community,” she said. Ms. Smith plans to bring Davonna – and everyone else she knows – to every PlayStreets event next summer. 

Published November 2025