Dinosaur Petting Zoo (Australia)

Pet their scaly skin. Feed their ferocious appetites. Get close enough to those razor-sharp teeth to smell prehistoric dino-breath! The Dinosaur Petting Zoo brings kids inches away from the steely claws of the most magnificent beings ever to roam the earth, all controlled by the masterful puppeteers at Australia’s Erth Inc. Accompanied by some fascinating fossil-facts, told with heart and humour, the Zoo hypnotizes audiences with its complex creatures. And while the baby Dryosaur seems cute, be careful not to turn your back on the Tyrannosaur! Recommended for ages 5-plus.  www.erth.com.au

The Monkey Bunch (Ontario)

The Monkey Bunch is bringing power — and rock ‘n’ roll — to the little people! Storming the stage with a four-piece band, this Juno-nominated act believes that given the chance, children can and will change the world. Ready to take their enviro-friendly message to the sandbox, to the playground and beyond, these rock stars engage audiences with humour and music that both kids and adults can enjoy. This high-energy concert will have your kids dancing, rushing the stage and going BANANAS!  www.themonkeybunch.com

The Funny Waiter Show (Ontario/Michigan)

This ridiculous “comedy waiter act” has a spectacular plate-spinning finish. See marshmallows become airborne appetizers! Who will catch one in their mouth first? Then, there’s the epic water drinking duel, always a crowd favorite! Plate Spinning? Nine at once! One of the most exciting finales ever has been given a comedy makeover with non-stop laughs. This plate spinner is not a rude waiter. Instead he gets his laughs – as much as any stand up comic or comedian – with original comedy routines involving food, drink, music, and more. http://www.johnparkcomedy.com/funnywaiter.html

Fred Penner & The Cat’s Meow Band (Manitoba)

International children’s musical star and festival fave returns with all his sing-a-long hits! Fred Penner has been a prominent children’s entertainerin North America for over 25 years. Fred is a member of the Order of Canada, and is recognized internationally as an exceptional artist whose music resonates with family values and imaginative style. www.fredpenner.com

Jake Chénier (Manitoba)

Jake will perform some of his trademark songs, like “Buzz Buzzity Buzz” – which won the John Lennon International Songwriting Contest Grand Prize in the children’s category. Dedicated to the educational entertainment of children, Jake Chénier has performed in over 600 schools, fairs and festivals across Canada and the United States. www.jakechenier.com

Al Simmons (Manitoba)

Al Simmons’ one-man, multi-prop, music-filled, off the wall performances have elevated audiences world-wide to collective giggles and all-out guffaws. At once childlike in its simplicity and sophisticated in its execution, Al’s humour touches a responsive chord in people of every age. Vaudeville’s half-century run of popularity may have died back in the 1940′s, but don’t try to tell that to Al Simmons or the crowds of fans that have packed theatres across North America to see him.  http://www.alsimmons.com

Summer Bear Dance Troupe (Manitoba)

Interactive hoop dancing – and much, much more! Formed under the direction of Barbara Nepinak, there are Ojibway, Cree, Assiniboine and Sioux tribes represented in the Summer Bear Dance Troupe, ranging in age from four and up. They perform dances such as the Grass Dance, the Traditional, the Fancy Feather and Shawl Dance, the Hoop Dance and the Jingle Dress. The name of the group originated from the original Ojibway name of Nepinak – “Neebin-ni-maqua” meaning SummerBear.  The regalia of the dancers are usually handmade by the group – custom made for each dancer and carrying meaning for each individual.  http://www.folklorama.ca/performers/97

Other Highlights:

This year’s Kidsfest features one of Manitoba’s finest French-Canadian children’s performers, Jake Chenier, acoustic/bluegrass children’s musician Aaron Burnett, comedic daredevil, Gustavo the Impossibilist, and many other world class entertainers. Also back by popular demand is the “Interactive Venue” where kids can actively participate in workshops with headline performers. Try flying through the air during our Swinging Trapeze Workshops with Dragon Fly & A Girl In The Sky, learn some cool magic tricks with Anders Boulanger, and learn some hoop dancing moves with Summer Bear Dance Troupe.

Kidsfest also presents more than 24 lively hands-on activity centres where kids can play with clay, make a kite, try on costumes, create a pair of wings, make crafts like necklaces and paper bag puppets and go “critter dipping.” All activities listed here: http://kidsfest.ca/festival-info/activities

Maybe you were at the first Children’s Festival at Assiniboine Park back in 1983. Perhaps you attended, volunteered or performed during those first few start-up years – and now have kids or grandkids who attend.

Or maybe you just have a wonderful Kidsfest memory – or old photos – you’d love to share.

In any case, we’d love to hear from you! Share your stories and photos with us.

Whether your experience is decades old, or recent, we’d love to hear what it is. Please email your interesting stories to our Kidsfest publicist Lisa Saunders at lisa@soundstrategy.ca. We’ll be selecting a few stories to share on our Kidsfest website and social media pages in the next few weeks.

The Winnipeg International Children’s Festival – celebrating 30 great years! Join us June 7-10, 2012 at The Forks in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

The annual Winnipeg International Children’s Festival has launched a fundraising campaign, “$30 for 30 Years.” Al Simmons and Fred Penner are Honourary co-chairs of the campaign and they’re asking people to donate $30 (representing a dollar for every year) to keep the festival going for another 30 years. The goal of the campaign is $30,000.

View the full story here: http://www.cbc.ca/manitoba/scene/theatre/2012/04/02/kidsfest-30th-anniversary/

Thank you to CBC reporter Andrea Ratuski for covering the story.

As honourary co-chairs of the Winnipeg International Children’s Festival 30th Anniversary Fundraising Campaign, Al Simmons and Fred Penner are asking all Kidsfest Friends to donate a minimum of $30, which represents $1 for every year the Festival has existed. Funds raised will help make sure Kidsfest continues in our community for another 30 fun-filled years!

The fundraising goal of this year’s $30 for 30 Years campaign is $30,000.

People interested in donating to the $30 for 30 Years campaign can visit the Kidsfest donor page at http://kidsfest.ca/about/donor-page or email kidsfest@kidsfest.ca for a donor sign-up sheet.

The campaign is a pre-curser to this year’s Kidsfest happening June 7-10 at The Forks.

To read Carolin’s story, visit http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/columnists/its-spring-break-whos-got-time-for-boredom-144071976.html

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