Finishing a school year always feels good.

“It feels amazing,”” said Johnathan North, who just completed his sophomore year of high school. “I’m so glad to be done with the year. It was pretty rigorous, pretty involved.”

So how do you make it even better? In Woodland Park, you have a barbecue.

The City of Woodland Park and area first responders did just that by hosting annual End-Of-School BBQ on May 21 at Memorial Park.

“It’s a way to come together and celebrate accomplishing the school year while being able to have fun with each other and enjoy great food,” said North, who has been coming to the end of year BBQ since he was in seventh grade.

For North, the event was a chance to pause before entering into a summer during which he said he would be doing a lot of yard work and fixing up his house.

“It’s looking a little rough,” he said.

But the event didn’t just draw older kids. Nolan Williams was sitting at a picnic table surrounded by younger kids, two of which were his daughters, ages 3 and 4.

“My kids have had a great time here, they’ve made new friends,” he said with a sly nod to the half dozen kids surrounding him. “Everyone has been super nice.”

First responders provided games for the younger children, including a pie eating contest and a popular firefighter obstacle course. Participants pulled the fire hose, pushed a ball with a jet of water, crawled through a tunnel and finished by dragging a training dummy to the finish line.

Elsewhere, the balloon pop game provided an opportunity to display both speed and destruction, an irresistible combination for young boys.

Older kids were gathered throughout the park. Some playing basketball, others soccer or volleyball. Many were just talking. All were enjoying the chance to socialize in a relaxed setting.

“It’s just to kick the kids off for the season and let them know we’re going to miss them,” said Lt. Renee Bunting, the community operations officer for the Teller County Sheriff’s Office.

“We have a good turnout today. It’s a lot of fun.”