A day for kids to shine

Popular music will blast through the speakers as Scott Berquam and his team take the stage to perform a choreographed act of flying kicks and swift karate moves at Riverfront Park during Kids Day on Saturday.

Berquam, 18, has always loved being able to do things most other people can’t, like back flips and jump kicks, and he’s recently begun teaching others his skills as well.

Kids Day, an annual celebration dedicated to all things kids, offers the perfect opportunity to both show off and pass along his skills.

Kids Day was founded more than 20 years ago by the Chase Youth Commission. Initially spanning a full week of activities, the now one-day event is dedicated to connecting kids with fun products, activities and services offered by the community, said Chris Leinweber, event manager for Clear Channel Radio. Anyone can have a booth at the festival, but they must offer something for the kids. It can be as fun and goofy as they want; the more creative, the better.

KSPS, a major sponsor of Kids Day, will bring popular kid characters Curious George and Clifford the Big Red Dog to the park, along with Aqua Duck, the mascot for the Spokane Aquifer.

Blanketing Riverfront Park from the gondolas to the clock tower, local businesses will offer activities as diverse as a cow milking contests to jumping in a bouncing castle. The Spokane Regional Solid Waste Council will teach kids about composting in a way they can understand; by encouraging them to dig in the dirt and explore a worm bin.

There will be the classic face-painting booths, an entire tent devoted to video games and a place to practice the ancient Japanese martial art of art of Kendo by whacking a practice dummies with bamboo swords.

Children will get to explore fire engines and meet real firefighters.

On a more serious note, children can be fingerprinted for emergency purposes and their parents can obtain health information from the Spokane Regional Health District.

Every activity is free.

Through it all, the focus on kids will be evident, especially in the numerous performances taking place on stage. Spectators will have a chance to meet the performers and learn a few tricks of their own.

Ten-year-old Holly Miller has been training as a gymnast for six years and loves to dance and perform in front of an audience.

“It was really fun watching kids do the stuff,” she said of the youngsters who watched her show last year and imitated the moves. “They were excited to learn.”

“It’s such a great experience for them,” said Holly’s mom, Julie Miller. “They train so hard. It’s nice to get to show off. It wows the other kids, wows the parents. They get a lot of ‘atta boys!’ for this.”

After the gymnasts complete their program of flips and tumbles, spectators can head over to the Northwest Gymnastics booth for a chance to take some tumbles of their own on the gym’s mats and mini trampolines. Some of the older students help coach, a kids-helping-kids approach.

Gene Villa, owner of Family Karate Center, takes a similar approach at his booth.

“The kids watch the show to be entertained. Then they can come to my booth afterward to be educated,” he said. Demonstrations set to music are more entertaining, he said and the added choreography makes for a better performance. After the show, kids can go to the booth for activities such as kicking the bag, punching and learning to block an attack from a big foam bat.

Dojo students assist in instructing kids who stop by. “The kids relate really well to the teenagers because they can see themselves doing the activity with them,” Villa said. “They’re learning from someone real.

“The best part of the event is it highlights alternatives for what kids can do,” said Villa, who became involved with Kids Day nearly 10 years ago. “It can have a real positive impact on their lives.”

Northwest Gymnastics owner Mike Armstrong agreed. “There are lots of quality programs. The atmosphere is so fun and upbeat.”

In nearly 20 years, it has yet to rain on Kid’s Day and extended forecasts look promising.

“Hopefully Mother Nature takes her course and gives us a good day,” Leinweber said.