KidLit coming to Princeton
PRINCETON — Area residents who were sorry to see the end of Festival 9 3/4 last year, take heart.
Festival 9 3/4 may be gone, but Harry Potter and the other great characters from children’s literature will be back in Princeton next year as part of KidLit 2010.
The idea for KidLit was born about the same time as Festival 9 3/4.
“There were several of us, when we first started planning Festival 9 3/4, who knew that eventually we were going to move on to something else,” said LuAnn Salz, one of the coordinators of KidLit. “This opens up a world that is incredible, and we can do so many things. And it lends itself to a fresh event every year.”
KidLit 2010 will be held on South Main Street in Princeton on Sept. 25, 2010, and will retain much of the same carnival atmosphere as Festival 9 3/4 with activities, games and food. The difference is KidLit will encompass the entire genre of children’s literature rather than focus on just one element.
“KidLit 2010 will be 50 percent carnival, 50 percent children’s book event and 100 percent fun,” Salz said. “The whole world of children’s books is so rich with fantastic ideas and wonderful opportunities for activities.”
Planning has just begun for next year’s event, and Salz said there are lots of ideas to explore. Some things in the early planning stages include deciding which of Harry Potter elements to keep, a Mad Hatter Tea Party, and a golden ticket hunt like in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” There will also be classes, perhaps Forensics 101 for kids who love Encyclopedia Brown or Nancy Drew, and classes for adults, such as teaching adults how to write for children or storytelling workshops.
KidLit also hopes to bring authors and illustrators to the event, and Salz said Father Dominic Garramone from St. Bede will launch a new series of picture books at the event.
Salz said there is a five-member core group for KidLit, and they are looking for anyone who wants to be involved to give them a call.
“We’re looking for people who want to be involved in the organization of it or people who want to be involved just in the execution of the event,” she said. “We’re going to need a ton of worker bees to make it happen, just like we did for Festival 9 3/4.”
And that’s still not all.
Salz said they are in the process of creating the non-profit KidLit Foundation to get new books into the hands of Bureau County children who couldn’t otherwise afford them.
Salz said she is excited about KidLit in part because reading is so good for children.
“Early literacy not only helps children in school, but it helps them in life,” she said. “They’re just more successful.”
But that’s not the only reason.
“From a purely crazy standpoint, it’s fun,” Salz said with a smile.
KidLit fundraiser
The KidLit committee will hold a trivia night for its first fundraiser on Oct. 24 at the Bureau County Metro Center. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m., and play begins at 7 p.m. There will be a 50/50 raffle, door prizes, cash prizes for the winning teams and refreshments. The cost is $100 per table with 10 people at each table, and pre-registration is required. Information about the trivia night, plus the latest news and contact information is available at the Princeton KidLit Web site at www.princetonkidlit.org or by calling or sending a text message to (815) 200-9877.
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