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By Jeanna Baxter White

KidsFest will be Saturday, May 4 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Brock Gym and Masonic Picnic Grounds at 644 N. Main St. in Mocksville.

This free community event is sponsored by Smart Start of Davie County in conjunction with Davie County Recreation and Parks and Davie Family YMCA and will occur rain or shine. The goal ois to provide a fun day of learning for children and to raising awareness for the services and activities available to families of young children in Davie County. KidsFest is a community collaboration with 23 agencies.

KidsFest will have two new attractions: the Kidpower Safety Bus and a Be Active Kids session. Sponsored by Davie Domestic Violence, the Kidpower Safety Bus is an initiative of Kidpower North Carolina and offers interactive hands-on activities that teach kids the skills needed to stay safe around adults.

The Be Active Kids sessions will inspire families to play outside together. Attendees will receive a free outdoor activity kit to take home. There is limited space for these classes, so be sure to sign up as soon as you arrive.

Also, new inflatable games will be outside at the Masonic Picnic Grounds.

“KidsFest is a fun-filled festival that has become a favorite annual tradition for kids of all ages,” said Gena Taylor, executive director of Smart Start of Davie County. “We thank the many community agencies, especially the Davie YMCA and Davie County Recreation and Parks, that partner with Smart Start of Davie County to host this event. We encourage families and child care providers to join us for a fabulous day with lots of interactive activities and learning.

“We have also set a goal to enroll 300 additional children in our Dolly Parton Imagination Library Program. Children receive free books by signing up.  Please help us reach our goal and share information with any child, aged birth to 5, who lives in Davie County.  Registration is on our website: www.daviesmartstart.org or families can sign up at the Smart Start table during KidsFest”

BLOCK Fest will be back again. BLOCK Fest® is a research-based exhibit that helps raise awareness of early math and science learning by offering hands-on block play experiences to families with young children. Parents, preschool teachers, and the community will become more knowledgeable about the importance of early math and science learning as it affects school readiness and later math success. BLOCK Fest is for children birth-5 years old and will be held in the Brock Gym from 10 a.m.-

1 p.m.

Kids of all ages will enjoy the excitement of inflatable games and slide, a magic show and balloon art, face painting, bunnies, a fire truck and much more.

The Davie YMCA will offer several activities for children including the “smoothie bike,” Kid Mayhem, and a presentation on how to save a friend’s life. The Senior Center Boogie Brigade Dancers will showcase their fancy footwork at 10:20 a.m. in the picnic area.

Davie County Recreation and Parks will offer martial arts demonstrations at 10 a.m. and showcase dance classes at 10:35 on the main stage.

The all-county elementary school chorus will perform at 11 a.m. on the main stage followed by Zumba.

Ryan Short will perform a magic show at 12:20 in the picnic area.

The Mocksville Fire Department will be offering tours of a fire truck and teaching fire safety.   

The Mocksville Masonic Lodge will be selling hotdog meals and drinks, and proceeds will benefit the Masonic Children’s Home at Oxford. Sunset Slush will have Italian Ice for sale.

There will be many representatives from community non-profit and service agencies hosting crafts, games and providing information to parents on family resources and childcare. Each vendor inside the gym will feature an interactive activity for children.

Smart Start will be giving away free T-shirts, books, and toothbrushes, while supplies last, to young children at the Smart Start table inside the gym. Each family will receive a canvas tote bag filled with free items from attending agencies.  Taylor is grateful to the following sponsors for providing the t-shirts: Almost Home Childcare, Cardinal Innovations Healthcare, C&D Express Enterprises, Inc., C&M Lawn Service, Child Evangelism Fellowship, Davie Family YMCA, Kountry Kids Learning Center and Preschool, Novant Health – Hillsdale Medical Associates, Sunset Slush, and Terry Law.

“Our annual KidsFest shows families how much fun it can be to learn and do activities together,” Taylor said. “We want to encourage parents to visit with the variety of local agencies to learn more about the programs and services that are available to them in Davie County.”

All events at KidsFest are free, but registration at the Smart Start table is required.  While there, sign-up to win two tickets to Wet N Wild Emerald Point water park (Sunday-Friday) during 2019 season. The winner will be announced at 1:45 p.m. at the main stage.