Military spouses looking to let off some steam while their significant other is away on training or a deployment will be able to do so for free May 9 at the downtown Family YMCA.

Cathy J. Stenfeldt, director of Project Strong Communities, a military family support group that works out of the YMCA, said military spouses can work off their frustrations at the downtown YMCA from 6 to 9 p.m. May 9 as part of the agency's Military Spouses Appreciation Day.

With a military identification card, military spouses will be able to work out for free and have their children looked after by YMCA staff.

"We'll offer a Pilates class, a reiki class, and the facility will be theirs to use so they can use any equipment they want from 6 to 9 p.m.," Mrs. Stenfeldt said.

With the 10th Mountain Division headquarters headed to Iraq over the next several weeks, Mrs. Stenfeldt said, she wanted to increase awareness of what the YMCA does for active-duty personnel and their spouses.

"We'll offer free child care at the downtown YMCA once a week for military spouses who have a deployed spouse or a spouse who's away on training," she said. "As long as they're away for more than two weeks, the spouses can utilize the service during regular hours."

Starting Monday, the child-watch hours will be from 8:15 to 11:45 a.m. Mondays through Fridays, and then from 4 to 7:45 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. Child-watch hours also will run from 8:30 a.m. to noon Saturdays.

For any child-watch hours, and for Military Spouses Appreciation Day, parents must preregister to ensure the YMCA has adequate staffing.

"We did this last year, and we saw success, so we wanted to do it again," Mrs. Stenfeldt said. "It's a very difficult thing to be a military spouse. You have to be strong and it's nice to be pampered or have a break."

People looking to use the child-watch service should call 755-2016 to preregister.