Kid Fest is taking over Memorial Park in Hope on Aug. 2.
The free family event, presented by the Hope & District Chamber of Commerce, will feature a variety of kids activities as well as community information booths for parents.
“I often hear a lot of complaints from parents that there’s nothing for their children to do in this location and I thought we might be able to try and fix that,” said organizer Sherry Farley.
“It’s basically going to be a fun-filled day for the kids as well as an educational experience for the parents to find out what’s available in the community for their children.”
There will be face painting, kids sumo suits, jungle-themed waterside, story time, cotton candy, drum healing workshop, and magic show and balloon art with award-winning Tony “Zany Zack” Chris.
Chris has performed as a main stage act at children’s festivals and music festivals across B.C. and Alberta for nearly two decades. Last year, he was named children’s entertainer of the year, stage magician of the year and close up magician of the year in Vancouver.
Caricature artist Cory Van Ieperen will also be at the event. While both his passion and talent cover a broad range of artistic disciplines ranging from painting, printmaking and drawing in a variety of mediums, to comics, cartoons, animation, and web graphics, his artistic flair comes shining through in his caricatures.
Ieperen has fine arts degree from Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design and recently held a position of art director, developing, producing, illustrating and animating online ‘cartoon’ video presentations for financial professionals and the investment market.
Another highlight of Kid Fest will be Abbotsford’s Cinemazoo, which is setting up a petting zoo in the tennis courts with goats, sheep, lambs, fancy chickens, chicks, rabbits and a miniature horse.
For parents, there will be information regarding eye health, dental health, reading skills, and bike safety. BC Hydro with also be offering an interactive educational display to let kids know how to conserve energy and what they should do if they see a line down.
“I think there’s a lot of parents that either aren’t aware of what’s available for them in the area for their children or they might be afraid to ask,” said Farley.
“We want parents to be well-informed and have as much information as possible for their children’s development.”
Kid Fest runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Memorial Park field. In addition to the kids activities and information booths, Cooper’s Foods will be there hosting a hot dog and hamburger barbecue, and Ted Soucie of Hope-sicle will be in the park providing ice cream and popsicles.
For more information on the event, contact Farley at 604-869-1262.