'Palooza for Youth Encore Magazine: The Cape Fear's Alternative ...

Kid-a-palooza
Sat., 6/2, 8 a.m. ? 3 p.m.
Cameron Art Museum
Free ? www.wilmingtonparent.com

ALL FOR FUN: The Kid-a-palooza will feature live art-making, book readings, music, dance and other forms of entertainment. Courtesy photo

For a day filled with the per-fect blend of family-friendly creativity, pony rides, and bounce houses, look no further than Kid-a-palooza. The annual, one-day festival event showcases the talents of youth in music, dance, art and entertainment, and provides an opportunity for kids to display their talent to the public.

Produced by Wilmington Parent Magazine, in collaboration with Learning Express Toys and Kids Exchange Biannual Consignment Sale, this year?s Kid-a-palooza will be held at the Cameron Art Museum. The museum will lend its grounds and classrooms from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for a unique experience that allows children to tap into and explore their artistic potential.

?Children love the opportunity to do hands-on activities,? Georgia Mastroieni, curator of education at CAM, says. ?It allows them to create, have fun and build confidence. Art-centered events foster their imaginations and teach children how to collaborate with their friends.?

CAM is certainly no stranger to family-oriented events. The museum is dedicated to integrating children into the arts, with their family days, afterschool classes and the popular monthly Kids @ CAM program, which allows children to explore museum exhibitions and create hands-on art projects.

?For this year?s [Kid-a-palooza], we were looking for a central location with outdoor space and parking, and CAM was an excellent fit, with their [numerous] youth programs,? the publisher of Wilmington Parent Magazine, Keith Jaworski, says. ?It?s a great resource for families, and we hope the event showcases some of their offerings.?

CAM also offers the Kids @ Camp, a creative outdoor art camp that is offered during several four-day sessions throughout the summer. (There will be a table at Kid-a-palooza that offers information about all of these events.) Children will also be given an opportunity to work together at a craft table, where they will take part in a collaborative mural that will be on display at Kids @ CAM on June 16th.

?Participation in the art mural makes the experience of art-making so meaningful,? says Kim Kelly, CAM?s communications manager.

Kid-a-palooza promises a completely different lineup of entertainment and demonstrations from last year, as each act has something new to offer. This year storyteller Diane Bonney will read the beloved children?s picture book ?Skippyjon Jones.? A local schools? art show, held in the CAM Museum School, will feature work by students from Wilmington Christian Academy, Music School of Wilmington Band, St. Nicholas Children?s Greek Dancers and the dance group Best Foot Forward, from Wrightsville Beach Elementary.

CAM will be offering free art classes during the event, too. Covering subjects ranging from pottery to photography, demonstrations of CAM?s Master Classes will also be held in The Museum School. Beginning in June, Master Classes are week-long programs taught by professional artists for middle and high school students.

?These are classes in the visual arts, dance and creative writing for students who are serious about the arts,? Kelly says. ?This gives students an opportunity to gain instruction from professional artists and learn what being a professional artist entails.?

The YMCA, Taekwondo Martial Arts, Jazzercise and Port City Gymnastics will also join the party, offering demonstrations throughout the day.

?Events like this offer kids the opportunity to perform in public, or showcase their talent,? Jaworski says. ?Their hard work and dedication to the arts deserves recognition.?

state of the union drinking game oscar noms capital gains tim thomas oral roberts les paul fred thompson