Saturday, July 5, 2008

Festival fun for kids

By Dan Hilborn
Published Aug. 6, 2005


There's no need to pay a babysitter or leave the kids at home when the Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival returns to the outdoor amphitheatre of Deer Lake Park on Aug. 13.

In fact, the annual music festival probably offers a greater variety of fun and entertaining programs for children than it does for adults, who should be satisfied by listening to some of the top musicians in the world, says Ruth Hoyem, coordinator of the spacious 'family area' at the festival.

"We have a lot of fun out there," said Hoyem, who manages a team of professional art instructors and volunteers who will keep the kids busy while the sound of music fills the park.

Located on the lower lawn, at the right of the mainstage, the family area features crafts, games and other activities. And it's got great sightlines, so parents don't have to miss a minute of the music.

"These kids will be getting an experience to work with real artists," boasts Hoyem, who's officially known as a fine and performing arts programmer. "We are an arts centre, and the people who help out at the festival are mostly instructors who teach at the Shadbolt."

The instructors who lead the activities are Shelley Twist and Mona Lochan, who both teach clay and visual arts at the Shadbolt in addition to working on the summertime Kids' Art Camp programs. Sonica Gujral is a teacher in the theatre and dance programs and she also helps out in the family area.

The area also has a host of dedicated volunteers, many of whom have helped out with Burnaby's kids' programs for years, and several who've been at the Blues Festival since its inception.

And the group has come up with an amazing list of activities to keep the kids busy.

Probably the most popular craft is the making of cardboard instruments - an activity that started at the very first Blues Festival when a group of kids and adults worked together to create a lifesize cardboard piano.

"By the end of the day we had this huge piano and then the kids made all these banjoes and things," Hoyem said. "The idea really took off, and we've seen some incredible instruments created by children."

Smaller kids might enjoy creating a 'Blues Hound' sock puppet, which can be made with no sewing or gluing. "We introduced the Blues Hounds last year, and the kids had a blast," Hoyem said. "They made everything from little dogs to dragons to mystical creatures. No two were the same and once the kids put the puppets on their hands, they were playing and dancing along with the music."

Other crafts include: rain sticks, empty tubes filled with rice that make a 'swooshing' sound; Blues Head Bugs, fishing net corks stuffed with beads and other ornaments; face painting; body tattoos; and, new this year, the creation of a giant group mural/collage on large sheets of foam core.

If the kids get bored with that, there's always a huge collection of bubble- making devices on site.

"We just have a lot of bubbles available - bubble wands, fly swatters, all kinds of things," Hoyem said. "The really little kids seem to just love it."

And Hoyem believes the family area is the most fun place to be during the blues festival.

"Myself, I love making the instruments because there's this whole sense of accomplishment," she said. "We don't have any rules on how to do this, the kids just have to figure it out for themselves. It's really magical to see how the kids pull it all together, creating a musical instrument from what started as a heap of cardboard.

"It's a fun area and it keeps the kids busy," she said. "Not only are they physically doing something, but they're also being entertained by the antics of the children and their parents.

In addition to the family area, which is open from 2 to 8 p.m., the blues festival features a St. John Ambulance first aid station, a lost-and-found tent, band souvenir and CD sales, plus a diverse group of food and drink vendors. There will also be a beer garden on site.

The Neville Brothers from New Orleans will headline this year's festival, with other mainstage acts including Johnny Clegg, Lhasa, Mem Shannon and the Wailin' Jennys. A second stage will feature Joe Johnson, John Campbelljohn and Vancouver's own Brickhouse.

Alan Scales, facility and event services coordinator for the City of Burnaby, said the high quality of this year's performers is the result of the increased interest from the festival's two main sponsors.

"Chevron and Telus are joint mainstage sponsors and both of those companies dramatically increased their sponsorship levels," Scales said. "They more than doubled the amount of their sponsorship to help us get an act of the prominence of the Neville Brothers."

Bring a low lawn chair or blanket to sit on, but umbrellas are not permitted. No animals are allowed, except working dogs, and coolers will be subject to search.

Regular tickets to the sixth annual Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival are $40 in advance or $45 at the gate ($30 or $40 for students and seniors), and children under 12 are admitted free when accompanied by an adult.

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