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The fifth annual St. Bernards Kidz Fun Fair has been scheduled for 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 21, at St. Bernards Auditorium at 505 East Washington Avenue.
The free event is designed for youngsters in Kindergarten through Grade 5 and will be a fun morning of entertainment and health education for parents and children. This year’s Kidz Fun Fair will have an emphasis on the importance of fitness, with the theme being “Finding Your Fit.”
“This year, Kidz Fun Fair will emphasize the importance of physical fitness throughout life,” says event co-chair Sueann Pace, a member of the sponsoring group, the Women’s Advisory Council of the St. Bernards Development Foundation. “This year’s KFF also will be used as a way to help youngsters get ready for going back to school by providing free backpacks containing some basic school supplies.
“At our third annual Kidz Fun Fair, we were overwhelmed by the need in Northeast Arkansas to help families supply their K through fifth grade students with some basic school supplies,” Pace says. “So last year … and again this year … we will help supply some back-to-school basics. Backpacks and supplies will be distributed while the supply lasts.”
Pace noted that a number of organizations and businesses from Jonesboro and Northeast Arkansas have joined the Women’s Advisory Council to help collect school supplies this year. “We appreciate the support we are receiving from businesses, organizations and individuals to help area youngsters get off to a good start for the 2010-11 school year.”
The doors will open at 8 a.m. on Aug. 21 to a health-fair-like setting, and K through 5 youngsters will be able to pick up school items, including backpacks, while supplies last. Special Kidz Fun Fair T-shirts also will be available for children while supplies last, as will children’s books.
Younger children will receive copies of How Jonesboro Got Its Name, a book written by Jonesboro native Sister Henrietta Hockle, a past chairperson of the St. Bernards Governing Board and past prioress of Holy Angels Convent. The book was written to coincide with the sesquicentennial celebration of the founding of Craighead County and the designation of Jonesboro as its county seat.
Sister Henrietta combined her love of children and history by writing the children’s book about events that led to the naming of Jonesboro. It incorporates historical facts in a rhyming text. The soft-back book was illustrated by Kim Vickrey, associate professor of art at Arkansas State University, and Whitney Fowler of EyeSpeak.
Books to be given to older youngsters are copies of Chocolate Fever by Robert Kimmel Smith. That soft-cover book is about Henry Green who loved chocolate so much that he ate it at every meal. He ate it in “normal” ways – chocolate cookies, chocolate cake and chocolate milk. And he ate it in unusual ways – chocolate syrup on mashed potatoes and chocolate sprinkles on buttered noodles. One day at school Henry broke out in large chocolate spots, and when the school nurse took him to the hospital, he was diagnosed the “Chocolate Fever.” What happens after that? Young readers will be able to find out.
The author was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and has a number of children’s books, adult books, plays and television scripts to his credit. In addition, he has worked as both a copywriter and a creative director at ad agencies.
The fun fair will include a wide variety of activities. Booths will be set up both inside and outside at the Auditorium by groups and organizations that provide pediatric health-related and safety services and enrichment programs. Among booths and exhibits expected to attract a lot of attention will be the Arkansas Game and Fish mobile aquarium, the Bill and Alice Nix Petting Zoo from Arkansas State University, DARE vehicles, a fire truck, an Air Evac helicopter, the KAIT Storm Tracker, the Turner Dairy cow and more.
Among organizations with booths will be Children’s Clinic, the Craighead County Library, the ASU A-Team, the United Way, the ASU Museum, ASU Cheerleaders, Howl and more. Special costumed characters also will be on hand. Jonesboro Radio Group will have remote vans on site, and Trey Stafford of The Fox will serve as emcee.
This year’s entertainment will include three presentations about the importance of “Finding Your Fit” by a group of young performers from the Curtain Up Crew of The Foundation of Arts in Jonesboro. They will sing, dance and act as they keep children … and their parents … involved in a high-energy show, with performances at 9, 10 and 11 a.m. The performance will be under the direction of Kristi Pulliam, community development director for the Foundation.
Performers are to include Meagan Cremeens, McKenzie Griffin, Daniel Holt, Elea Pulliam, Betsy Sherman, Daniel Stotts, Wade Stotts, Carly Welsh and Kelly Welsh.
Winners of this year’s Fun Fair Art Contest will be recognized about 11:30 a.m., with the first place-winners in Grades K through 5 receiving new bicycles and safety helmets. Art entries will be displayed at the event and will be related to things children enjoy.
Kidz Fun Fair is the signature event sponsored annually by the Women’s Advisory Council of the St. Bernards Development Foundation. This year’s gold sponsors include Children’s Clinic, the City of Jonesboro Advertising and Promotions Commission, Junior Auxiliary of Jonesboro, Merrill Lynch and National Healing.
Silver sponsors are Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield, Fat City Apparel, Jonesboro Radio Group, Ocean Dental, Sharp Office Supply, Ritter Communications, Rotary of Jonesboro and Turner Dairy.
Bronze sponsors include Air Evac, Kohl’s, RheaLana, St. Bernards Healthcare Associated Regional Providers (SHARP), Stuck Associates and Sysco.