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SEPTEMBER 3, 2009 ISSUE

Grandfather Mountain Hosts 6th Annual Kidfest September 12

Glen Bollick will be on hand during Kidfest to spin his yarns and keep kids laughing with exciting and humorous stories of mountain characters and their adventures.

On Saturday, September 12, Grandfather Mountain will gear up for another exciting Kidfest, an event designed to provide kids with their very own day at Grandfather and get them excited about the nature and culture of the North Carolina mountains.

The day will kick off with a guided hike at the Woods Walk trail with Naturalist Jesse Pope. At 9:00 a.m. Pope will share some interesting secrets about the inhabitants of the forest at Grandfather Mountain.

At 10:00 a.m. a guest from the Watauga County Library is scheduled to share interesting stories about nature, animals and mountain culture. Craft time follows with a nature craft relating to the books that were read.

The Blue Ridge Wildlife Institute introduces Birds of the Blue Ridge at 11:00 a.m. The demonstration is in the Nature Museum and is led by Nina Fischesser, who teaches children about the personalities and habits of hawks, owls and other feathered creatures of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Grandfather Naturalist Jesse Pope will share some interesting secrets about the inhabitants of the forest at Grandfather Mountain during a guided hike at the Woods Walk trail during Kidfest.

Face painters will be on hand from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. at the Fudge Shop. Kids attending Kidfest are welcome to get painted up for the special day. In years past, children have gotten their faces adorned with insects, flowers, snakes and furry animals.

Mountain culture is a special and very important part of Kidfest. At 12:30 p.m. storyteller Glen Bollick will be on hand to spin his yarns and keep kids laughing with exciting and humorous stories of mountain characters and their adventures. Bollick is not only a great storyteller he is also a talented musician and can build and play about any instrument. Children and parents alike will thoroughly enjoy his creative way of telling stories with bluegrass instruments.

An interesting addition to Kidfest this year is Western Carolina University’s Gamelan. A Gamelan is an Indonesian-style musical ensemble that includes a variety of percussive instruments including xylophones, drums, bamboo, plucked strings, metallophones and others. The Gamelan will be held from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. with a concert and an interactive portion for children.

Face painters will be on hand from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. during Kidfest at the Fudge Shop. Kids attending Kidfest are welcome to get painted up for the special day. In years past, children have gotten their faces adorned with insects, flowers, snakes and furry animals.

Members of the Habitat and Naturalist staff will be on hand from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. to talk with guests in the wildlife habitats and lead enrichment activities for the otters, cougars and deer. “Enrichment” is any thing new or different to break up the animals’ day. This could be a new toy in their habitat or an exciting food for them to enjoy.

The day will conclude with a Children’s Nature Program at 3:30 p.m. Grandfather’s Naturalists are scheduled to lead children in the Thicket Game at the Woods Walk trail. The Thicket Game is hide and seek with a nature twist.

The first 250 children ages 4 to 12 receive an activity packet upon arrival at the park. Packets include a Grandfather Mountain coloring book, crayons and special Kidfest button.

Kidfest activities on Saturday, September 12, are included in the regular park admission. For more information, call 828-733-2013 or click to www.grandfather.com.