Plenty of favorites set to return to Clark County Children’s Festival

Many attendees of the Clark County Children's Festival come for the rides, animals and shows, but there is also the opportunity to create part of a permanent art installation, churn butter or knock a teenager into cold water.

The 19th annual Clark County Children's Festival is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Winchester Cultural Center, 3130 S. McLeod Drive.

Event organizer Joseph House , a recreation and cultural specialist at the center, said the festival is shaping up to be a good one, with many returning activities and several exciting new ones.

"There's going to be so much going on," he said. "We're looking forward to seeing all the kids."

The Star Catchers Support Crew, made up of parents of the Winchester Star Catchers hip-hop and contemporary youth dance team, plans to operate a snack booth and a dunk tank to raise funds for team trips. The dunkees inside the tank haven't been decided on yet.

"We'll put whoever we can get our hands on in there," said Star Catchers founder and director Tiffannie Bond. "Possibly some of the kids. I'm not getting in there. Some of the kids are actually excited about getting dunked."

The Star Catchers are celebrating the group's 10th year and plan to give a preview of the June anniversary show at the festival.

"At the anniversary show, each class will perform a dance from the 10-year history of the group and a new piece," Bond said. "We'll be previewing some of that at the Children's Festival. Also, we've put together a six-minute montage of some of our best dance routines from over the years."

The group is tightly knit, with many of the performers returning for every session over the years. Bond said she's particularly excited by an unintentional tribute to the program's early days. One of the oldest members, Carlo Nunley, graduated from high school and out of the Star Catchers program in 2010, Bond said. "His little sister Jennifer Fortune joined the group, and by coincidence, for this show she's learning the first dance her brother performed."

Other Winchester groups planning to appear at the festival include the show choir Encore and the Tiny Tots Glee Club.

Magician Dixie Dooley plans to perform and return as master of ceremonies. Also set to perform are Caribbean steel drummer Harris Todman and African drummer Dele Adelfemi. The trio Jazz Out the Box plans drum workshops.

For the seventh year, children will have the opportunity to make part of a permanent art piece at the center.

"The kids get to paint a tile, and that tile is assembled into a picture," House said. Artists Sierra Slentz and Su Limbert are scheduled to head this year's tile workshop.

Also returning this year is Roos-N-More, a Moapa-based zoo set to bring in farm animals such as goats, turkeys, pigs and sheep and more exotic animals such as a coatimundi, armadillos and big snakes.

The festival is also set to feature two Renaissance re-enactment groups. Black Talon plans to fight mock battles with children with medieval weapons, and the Kingdom of Albion plans interactive demonstrations of archery and more peaceful skills, including rope braiding and butter making.

"There's always something new being added, something to keep it fresh," Bond said. "The changes aren't as important as what hasn't changed. You see a lot of people coming back who came here as kids and are now bringing their kids. It's become a community tradition, something people look forward to every year."

While admission and much of the event is free, there are minimal fees for carnival rides, concessions and some activities. For more information, visit clarkcountynv.gov or call 455-7340.

Contact Sunrise/Whitney View reporter F. Andrew Taylor at ataylor@viewnews.com or 380-4532.