The community at large is pitching in to offer the first Children’s Winter Festival, a free and fun-filled afternoon from 1-4 p.m. Feb. 8 at Rotacrest Hall for children in the 12-and-under age range and their families.
Regional District of Central Kootenay Areas A, B and C, the Town of Creston, Kootenay Employment Services, Welcoming Communities, the Lower Kootenay Band and an anonymous donor are providing funding to rent the hall, purchase decorations, balloons, snacks, fish pond items, face paints, coloring items and more for the children.
Members of Lower Kootenay Band will open the festival by welcoming all and will close it with a family round dance.
The infamous B-Boys are donating their time, talent and expertise to build a beautiful ice castle on the Creston and District Community Complex grounds to be enjoyed by all. You may have seen their castles at Home Hardware Building Centre and the Ramada Hotel.
Thanks to a bevy of community volunteers, the children will enjoy a stage show put together by Marlene Nash, with sound by Paul Hutcheson from the Snoring Sasquatch: a puppet show by Bridgit Currie and Daisy Mae, Velvet String Fiddlers, juggling by Jayden Gigliotti, Creston Valley Public Library chief librarian Aaron Francis strumming and singing children’s songs, Melissa Calderon’s Zumba dance for family, highland dancing by Lori Kepke, kung fu by Neil Ripski of Red Jade Martial Arts, storytelling (Michael White with a legend from Lower Kootenay Band, Aaron Francis, Ric Little), Mackenzie and Abdul singing and playing African drums, and more.
Activities include a fish pond, colouring table, a Play-Doh table manned and sponsored by the Therapeutic Action Program for Seniors, a toddler’s corner manned and sponsored by Success by Six, face painting by members of the Teen Action Committee and numerous community volunteers who will be assisting with decorating and clean-up.
It’s time to celebrate our families and our children!
—KOOTENAY EMPLOYMENT SERVICES