Clark County celebrates children

15th annual festival will feature live music, games, pony rides, craft workshops and more15th annual festival will feature live music, games, pony rides, craft workshops and more

View File photoGuillermo Rizo, 9, laughs while taking a ride on a Ferris wheel during last year?s Children?s Festival at the Winchester Cultural Center and Park. Advertisement

It's an event children all over the valley look forward to each year.

The 15th annual Clark County Children's Festival will return from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Winchester Cultural Center and Park, 3130 S. McLeod Drive.

The free event will feature activities, rides and concessions that combine recreational, creative and cultural events to engage and educate festival-goers.

Recreation and cultural specialist Joseph House said the center anticipates that more than 2,000 people will attend.

Festival-goers will have the chance to paint ceramic tiles, craft paper flowers and spin paint to create their own artwork as part of the indoor and outdoor workshop craft series. Other activities will include carnival games, mock battles with the Knights of Black Talon, pony rides, storytelling and a drum circle.

"Children and adults will have the opportunity to indulge in some creativity with any number of our workshops," House said. "This activity is also a crowd pleaser."

The outdoor play area will feature an inflatable obstacle course, jumping bounce house, a fun train, face painting, Ferris wheel, fire-eaters, stilt walkers and balloon animal artists.

"This is a very carnival-type atmosphere, and that's partly why it's so fun," House said. "But we also want it to be educational, and we strive very hard to find that balance."

As part of an outdoor stage experience, the festival will present live entertainment, including Winchester's own dance group, the Star Catchers, and the Winchester Players, the center's youth theater troop. There also will be performances by Dixie Dooley, steel drums by Harris Todman, the Encore Dance Vegas City Arts, Joyce Rice from the Candoos, African Arts Productions, Showbiz Kidz and the Lohan School of Shaolin.

"This is sort of the capstone to our year," Star Catchers instructor Tiffannie Bond said. "The kids who participate in dance really look forward to performing at the children's festival because everyone is so upbeat, the entire vibe is very positive."

According to House, there are a number of incentives for people to attend the event, but among the most is live entertainment.

"People come for different reasons, but one of the most popular seems to be the live entertainment," House said. "This may be the Year of the Rat, but the people from Shaolin do an incredible number with dragons and Chinese New Year. It's my personal favorite part of the show."

For more information, call 455-7340 or visit www.accessclarkcounty.com.

CHILDREN'S FESTIVAL

* What: Crafts, bounce houses, face painting, live entertainment and more

* When: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday

* Where: Winchester Cultural Center and Park, 3130 S. McLeod Drive

* Tickets: Free

* Information: 455-7340 or visit www.accessclark county.com.