Published: June 20, 2008 01:37 pm            

Fairy-tale thank you | Arts center plans Fantasy Day for 40th milestone

BY RUTH RICE

RRICE@TRIBDEM.COM

A local arts center known for its work with children will celebrate its 40th anniversary by bringing storybook characters to life.

Family Fantasy Day will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Community Arts Center of Cambria County, 1217 Menoher Blvd., Westmont.

An 8-foot-tall storybook decorated with the words Once Upon a Time will be the center of attention at this free outdoor festival for children ages 4 to 12 and their parents.

“Families are at the core of what we do,” said Rose Mary Hagadus, arts center executive director. “Our 40th anniversary celebration is a thank you for their support.”

The larger-than-life storybook was constructed by Ron Hood and painted in a fantasy forest motif by Kim Pesarchic.

A dozen life-size characters will walk through the storybook’s pages at 12:30, including the Cat in the Hat, Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion from “The Wizard of Oz,” Cruella DeVille from “101 Dalmatians,” Shrek and Fiona, The Count and Cookie Monster from “Sesame Street,” Chewbacca from “Star Wars,” the Care Bears, Sponge Bob and Spiderman.

In a Fairy Tale Mix-up, characters who usually wouldn’t be together, such as Shrek and the Cookie Monster, will be paired up to tell children about themselves.

Characters also will walk through the crowd answering questions.

The characters, who will be in authentic rented costumes, will be high-school age and older youth under the direction of Angela Godin, who has a bachelor’s degree in theater arts from Pitt-Johnstown.

“When we started to talk about the 40th anniversary in March, we thought about a fundraising dinner, but that proved too difficult to do,” Hagadus said. “Angela called saying she had an interest in doing something with theater, so it was natural to fit her in.”

Adding to the character lineup will be several dancers from Johnstown Concert Ballet who will appear in costume as storybook characters from the company’s fairy-tale ballet productions.

Hagadus has been with the arts center for 25 of its 40 years and sees something new every year.

“This building has made such a difference,” she said of the Goldhaber-Fend Fine Arts Center. “I hope the arts center continues to grow. Our goal is to expand into the performing arts and use local talent.”

Children who attend Family Fantasy Day, as well as their parents, are invited to come in costume as their favorite storybook character.

At 1:30, the children and characters will participate in a storybook parade around the grounds of the arts center.

“There will be more than enough to do and time to move around,” Hagadus said. “We wanted to do something different, instead of just playing games. We wanted to involve the children and their families. We’re encouraging parents to dress up, too.”

Throughout the day, entertainment will be provided by local performers.

Juggler Andy from Northern Cambria will circulate through the crowd and will put on three shows from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. He will juggle bowling pins, torches and other unusual objects.

Local musician Rachel Allen will present “sound stories” from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., encouraging children to use hand instruments and movement.

Hands-on crafts will include making a fantasy picture using materials to create a 3-D effect.

“Everything will be in motion, going on all together,” Hagadus said. “We’d like to keep it all outside, depending on the weather.”

Kid-friendly foods available for purchase will include pizza, chicken tenders and fruit drinks.

Because the fantasy kingdom will take up the lower parking area between the log house and the Goldhaber-Fend center, parking will be available in the upper level parking lot and on the front lawn.

        

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