It’s that time of year again!
On June 2nd, Federal Hill Main Street will host the 13th
Annual Jazz & Blues Wine & Art Festival featuring the popular
children’s play area, Kids’ Kross Street! Misty Keens, parent volunteer and co-coordinator,
says she’s excited about their return and feels the activities provided by
Kids’ Kross Street enrich the Federal Hill community.
“I’ve
immensely enjoyed organizing Kids’ Kross Street. Shane and I have been
fortunate enough to have inherited a very dedicated core group of volunteers
that give so much to this community throughout the year. It’s nice to be a part
of that,” says Misty.
.jpg)
SoBo Kids, the neighborhood family volunteer
organization, returns to the festival to adorn children of all sizes with
colorful face paint and temporary tattoos. Their station will be operating
between 1 and 3 pm. There will also be a sidewalk chalk area where children can
create their own masterpieces and a bubble pool, along with some do-it-yourself
craft booths.
After they’ve been artfully crafted into their favorite
cartoon character or animal, be sure to accompany your little ones to listen to
the famous Urban Pirates, who will host story time at 3 pm. After patiently
sitting through these sedentary, though fun activities, your kids are sure to
be bursting with energy and excitement! What better way to channel that energy
than jumping around in one of the two moon bounces? To keep kids safe, parent
volunteers take turns supervising the blow-up vessels (which also enables them to
enjoy the festival’s adult activities, including the amazing music line-up).
The overwhelmingly popular rice-pools (who knew?) will be
set up again this year, where toddlers can amaze and amuse their senses using
the many toys on hand to scoop up and play with raw rice. Lawn games will be
ongoing, where older kids can compete in bean bag and ring toss. After all the
jumping, throwing, tossing, running, and playing, our kids are sure to work up
an appetite! Satisfy their hunger and perhaps spark cultural curiosity by
participating in a sushi-rolling demo with Roy’s Restaurant.
“Every kid will be entertained,” said volunteer co-coordinator
Shane Splitt. “Every parent will be able to enjoy the time while their child is
busy playing.”
Thanks to volunteers and organizers, Kids’ Kross Street
will continue to be an integral part of the Jazz & Blues Festival, helping
to create memories and build bonds within the Federal Hill community. “I hope
that the future brings in a new band of parents willing to give back to this
community that gives so much to them,” says Misty.
For more information on the festival, go to
www.historicfederalhill.org
Briana Lopes, Intern
