Mexican Fiesta coming to SIC Kids' Fair
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[This year's Kids' Fair, with a Mexican fiesta theme, will be held at Southeastern Illinois College from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m April 10. SIC has been hosting the Kids' Fair for about 15 years.
The event will target children from birth to fifth grade. Registration will be in B-C lobby, which is located just outside Deaton Gym at the northeast end of campus.
According to event organizer Donna Hearn, the fair is designed to help promote reading and education, health, nutrition and safety. Hearn serves as SIC's community outreach supervisor.
Back for an encore performance, The Patrice Heiken Puppets of Evansville will perform twice on the day of the fair. The performances are free and open to the public. Both shows, at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., will be held on the college campus in B126 East and West. The puppeteers will perform Mexican Fiesta. The 10 a.m. performance is primarily for pre-kindergarten and child care providers. The 6 p.m. show is part of the Kids' Fair.
The Canadian National Railway will again be sponsoring Little Obie, a scale model of a real locomotive and caboose on which the children and adults can ride. Ambulance and fire truck demonstrations are also planned for the kids.
Other characters at the fair will be Shawnee National Forest Service's Smokey Bear, SIC's falcon mascot, and Ameren Illinois' Louie the Lightning Bug. In addition, the event will host a number of fun games and activities, both indoor and outdoor, for children.
WEBQ Radio will feature its famous Wheel of Chance, while Egyptian Health Department will challenge children to a game of Spanish Numbers Bean Bag Toss. Face painting, games, and free tacos-in-a-bag will be provided by WADI Head Start. Chips provided by Harrisburg Medical Center and lemonade, along with other treats, will be on the menu.
The Masons will also be at the event, doing DNA swabs and fingerprinting children for free. Packets will be given to parents so they can utilize the information gathered in the event of an emergency.
The 2012 Kids' Fair is made possible through a community partnership with WADI Head Start, Harrisburg Medical Center, Harrisburg District Library, and Egyptian Health Department. In addition, there will be approximately 25 area vendors in attendance representing public agencies, civic organizations and local businesses.
Call 618-252-5400, ext. 3213, or toll free 866-338-2742 for additional information.