Lawrence resident Charlie Bryan and his 13-month-old daughter Bella play with bubbles Saturday at the Dad Days Community Festival at the Douglas County 4-H Fairgrounds. Dads, moms, children and others participated in games, tutorials and other activities at the event.

The organizers for the first Dad Days Community Festival on Saturday at the Douglas County 4-H Fairgrounds would likely have appreciated the idyllic father-son scene a couple of miles away on Connecticut Street.

A man and a child just playing a game of catch on the sidewalk as soon as the midday rain stopped and the sun came out.

Lawrence resident Doug Harvey wasn’t Marco Napolitano’s dad, but rather the stepfather of Marco’s dad, Eric. Marco, 10, was in town from Wichita to spend some quality time with his grandparents. Harvey was helping Marco learn to play the guitar, and later they’d help Marco make his dad a Father’s Day present — a Kansas City Chiefs footrest.

“This is the good stuff,” Harvey said.

It’s exactly that type of family time the Dad Days events, held all week in Lawrence, were designed to encourage, said organizer Jenn Preston.

“To let them know how important they are in kids’ lives,” she said. “Everyone can say how they were impacted — positive or negative — by their father.”

Saturday’s festival, in which dozens of local fathers and their children took part in a variety of games and activities, was the final event of Dad Days, funded by a $50,000 federal grant. Preston said organizers hope to build on this year’s success, while encouraging fathers year-round to get more involved in their children’s lives.

Fellow organizer Bob Byers, who works in the child support enforcement division at the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, said it’s also important to highlight the many positive aspects of being a dad.

“Let’s celebrate fatherhood,” he said. “There are great reasons why to do that.”

Byers reeled off some statistics about how children with involved fathers do better in school, stay out of trouble and lead more productive lives.

But perhaps the most important reason is a little less scientific, said Byers, who has a 30-year-old son.

“Being with your kids is pretty cool,” he said.

It’s a point Doug Harvey seems to get as well, as he smiles while Marco lists all the fun things they did a few weekends back.

“We went to the Royals game, we went to Dave and Buster’s, we played guitar … “