Calling all parents and young children! For a day full of fun and entertainment, the Town of Clifton is the place to be, this Saturday, July 30, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., in the town park on Chapel Street.
That's when the Clifton Betterment Association (CBA) is hosting the first annual Northern Virginia KidFest 2005 — an extravaganza where professional children's entertainers will perform their songs and shows live, throughout the day.
"WE'RE GOING to have a great time," said event chairperson Jacquie Lambertson, owner of Clifton toy store, Noodles & Noggins. "And it's an opportunity to experience the best children's music the D.C. Metropolitan area has to offer — all in one place."
Entry fee is $5, and then all the shows and activities are free. Parking on the flood plain at the entrance to town is also free. And proceeds from KidFest go toward renovating the playground in the town park.
The old playground equipment was so dangerous that it had to be removed, and now Clifton residents are trying to raise enough money to replace it, as well as revitalize the park, itself. So KidFest is an event that children will enjoy on Saturday and other children will benefit from in the future.
Tickets may be purchased online at www.novakidfest.com, at Noodles & Noggins (in the Heart in Hand restaurant parking lot) or at the event, itself.
Since Lambertson's store focuses on creative and educational toys and games — plus musical instruments specially geared to children — many children's performers in Northern Virginia get their instruments from her. After they all talked about how wonderful it would be if there were some venue where they could entertain together, they came up with the idea of the Northern Virginia KidFest.
The festivities also include moonbounces, face- and hair-painting, an obstacle course and 4-foot-high by 16-feet-long mural boards where children may paint whatever they'd like. Also planned are a gift bazaar, raffle and silent auction for adults, plus food and beverages.
Children's performers will be: singer/songwriter Oh Susannah, alias Susan McNelis, whose children's album won an award; Banjo Man Frank Cassel; Wammie-award winner Eileen Joyner, a singer known to her young fans as EJ; mister don, award-winning children's entertainer and songwriter Don Bridges; Milkshake, singer Lisa Mathews and guitarist Mikel Gehl, whose videos "Happy Songs" and "Fingers & Toes" air on the satellite and cable TV Noggins Network; and Rocknocerus, a two-person music group.
MORE THAN 20 local vendors are participating in the gift bazaar. They include: T&T Apiaries, selling honey, soaps and candles; Warm Woods of Clifton, hand-crafted wood furniture; BurpinStyle, fun baby accessories; Usborne Books, craft and educational books; and Clifton Collection by Jacquelyn, unique jewelry creations.
The Fairfax County Police Department will also hold a Crime Prevention Day during Kid Fest. McGruff the Crime Dog will attend, and police officers will do child fingerprinting and offer bike-safety tips.
Costumed merry pranksters will offer raffle tickets for sale and make balloon animals. Attendees may also purchase hot dogs, pork-barbecue sandwiches, soda, water and other treats and snacks. (Coolers are not allowed).
Silent auction/raffle prizes include, for example, a youth mountain-bike donated by Washington Bike Center, Dinosaur Extravaganza basket donated by Melissa and Doug, Cranium game donated by Cranium, auto-detailing gift certificate donated by Farrish Auto, and a Creativity Craft Kits basket donated by Creativity for Kids/Faber Castell.
Among the major sponsors are Noodles & Noggins, Outback Steakhouse, Peterson Cos., See Mommy Run, Our Kids, Home Depot and the Clifton Lions Club.