Some of the exciting new happenings this year include Santa Claus, who has agreed to ride on a fire truck supplied by the South Berwick Fire Department, greeting children in the Central School gym as the parade ends.

The Mayor of Whoville, in the person of South Berwick Town Manager John Schnepf, wearing  the traditional lighted Grinch sweater will present the “Cup of Good Cheer” to the NEIGHBORHOOD group who builds the award winning float. In the spirit of last June’s “Kids’ Day“, groups or neighborhoods are being encouraged to gather on ‘black Friday’ the day after Thanksgiving for ‘float making parties’, and to enter their creations in the holiday parade on Saturday. Float rules and application forms are available at the Municipal Building and at P. Gagnon and Son on Main Street.

There will be a contingent of sailors from the USS Helena, many commercial floats, vintage cars, a WW2 vintage Jeep. Marching units will include Boy and Girl Scouts, and sports teams from Marshwood High School. The Marshwood High School Marching Band will participate, along with a record number of floats.

Prior to the parade the South Berwick Strawberry Festival committee will treat parade watchers to free hot cocoa and Spring Hill supplied cookies. After the parade the Rollinsford American Legion Auxiliary will provide parade participants with cocoa and goodies at the Federated church in South Berwick.

Last year, horns ruled and kids had a blast ‘gently exploring’ their favorite vehicles.

Admission is FREE for families.  Beranger Volkswagon of Rochester will be holding a Test Drive event.  We ask all licensed guests to participate in the Drive Event.  Berwick PTO will receive $5/per drive.  We will be having a drawing of (2) $25 Einstein’s Gift Certificates for all VW Drive participants.

–FREE ICE CREAM Courtesy of North East Ice Cream, LLC
–THE MEAT HOUSE will be smoking brisket and hot dogs~ All food sales will benefit the PTO~
–RE/MAX Coast to Coast will be offering tethered hot air balloon rides (weather permitting)
–The Lindt Gold Bunny Car will be handing out FREE chocolate!
–Meet Lee Motor Speedway, Rookie of the Year, Ryan Green and his racing family

Come gently explore over 40 vehicles!  This year our sponsors include;  Independent Concrete Pumping, Hannaford Trucking, AMR, South Berwick Rescue, Tanguay Racing, Green Racing Family, Brown Truck Racing, Pepin Concrete, Hall’s Bros Roofing,  Waste Management, SUR Construction, L & S Equipment,  Beranger VW, Depot Honda, P. Gagnon and Sons, Berwick PD, FD, and Hwy Dept, Kittery PD, Lebanon Rescue, Boulanger Paving, Great Works Well Drilling, Cass Towing, Sanford Armory, SAD 60 Trans. Dept, NorthEast Ice Cream LLC, Lindt Chocolate, RE/MAX Coast to Coast, Uno’s Chicago Grill, The Meat House, and Todd’s Touch

I haven’t heard all the details, but I do know that some of the masterminds behind the hugely successful Kid’s Day have made it their mission to rejuvenate this community tradition.  This year the parade will start in Rollinsford and end in South Berwick.  I hear that the planners will be encouraging groups and neighborhoods to create floats.  They promise more details soon.  Mark your calendar:  South Berwick Holiday Parade – Saturday, Nov. 28, 4PM.

Fall Storytimes
Pre-registration begins Wednesday, Sept. 2, for fall Storytimes which start Sept. 24. Parents are encouraged to register early because there are limited openings due to space constraints. Please come to the Library to register.

Laptime for Two’s: A program of stories, flannel board activities, finger plays, songs, snack and social time. For children ages 2-3 with an adult. Offered Thursday at 9:10.

Family Storytime: A program of stories, flannel board activities, finger plays, songs, snack and social time. For children ages 18 months to 3½ with an adult.  This program works well for families with more than one child. Offered Friday at 9:10.

Storytimes: A program with stories, flannel board activities, finger plays, songs, and a craft project to help take home the weekly theme. For children ages 3-6. Offered Thursday at 10:10 or Friday at 1:30.

Library Hours
The Library is open Monday and Wednesday 1-8 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Friday 1-5 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m.-12:45 p.m.

For More Information call 207-384-3308 or visit the Library at 37 Portland Street.

The program will be led by a certified teacher with many years of museum experience.  Children will be led on a fun tour of Hamilton House, learning about how people lived in the past and examining some of the “strange” objects they used in everyday life.  The children will also have a chance to participate in a craft activity as well as making a booklet about what they learned during their visit.  The program concludes with story time and a snack.

The fee for the program is $15 for children and grandchildren of Historic New England members, $30 for non-members.  To register, please call Historic New England’s Southern Maine office at 207-384-2454 or register online at www.historicnewengland.org.  Hamilton House is located at 40 Vaughan’s Lane, off Brattle Street, in South Berwick, Maine.  Hamilton House is one of 36 historic houses owned and operated by the non-profit organization Historic New England.

Thursday, July 9, 10 a.m. “Miss Mary Mac Jump Rope Rhymes.” Bring your jump rope and join us in the backyard for fun and exercise.

Friday, July 10, 1 p.m. “Knick-knack Paddywack,” stories, music, craft and snack.

Monday, July 13, 10 a.m. Explore South Berwick History @ the Counting House, grades 8 and up, families welcome. Docent Ernie Wood will talk about the Chadbourne digs and other history of special interest to high school students. Refreshments.

Monday, July 13, 6:30 p.m. Family Song Time around the campfire with singer/songwriter Sammie Haynes. We’ll supply the marshmallows; bring chairs or blankets and a roasting stick! Lots of kid/family-friendly songs to enjoy. See firsthand how the lost art of singing with family, friends and neighbors helps build a strong community. Sammie has been entertaining children and their families for many years and has received numerous awards, including a Parent’s Choice.

Wednesday, July 15, 6:30 p.m. Bedtime Stories. Come dressed for bed with your favorite stuffed animal or doll.

Thursday, July 16, 10 a.m. Tissue Box Puppet. Bring an empty tissue box to create a puppet.

Friday, July 17, 1 p.m. Remarkable Farkle McBride. Story, music, craft, snack.

The Library is open Monday and Wednesday 1-8 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Friday 1-5 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m.-12:45 p.m.
For More Information:  Call 207-384-3308 or visit www.south-berwick.lib.me.us.

Knit-erature Book Group will meet Monday, June 15, at 7 p.m. Knitters, stitchers and crafters of all interests are invited to come and work on their projects and discuss their current reads.

Children ages 2-16 are invited to sign up this week for South Berwick Public Library’s “Be Creative @ Your Library” Summer Reading Program. Stop in at the Library to get details on special summer activities such as drop-in craft days, camp fire sing-alongs, story times, and book discussions for children in grades 3-5, grades 6-8, and grades 9 and up to talk about their favorite books.

The first 200 children to register will receive a Portland Sea Dogs ticket, and there will be other prizes throughout the summer such as book bags, book marks and items from the treasure chest. As a special incentive, Muddy River Market Place is donating a free kid’s meal to all children who read a library book for 20 minutes a day for 30 days.

Summer Reading Program events include:
Wednesday-Friday, June 17-19, 1-3 p.m. Create sidewalk chalk art at the Library.
Monday, July 13, 10 a.m. Explore South Berwick History @ the Counting House, grades 8 and up, families welcome.
Monday, July 13, 6:30 p.m. Family Song Time with Sammie Haynes. Songs by the campfire for all ages and sizes.
Monday, July 20, 6:30 p.m. Sing-along @ the Campfire with Boy Scouts & Girl Scouts. All ages. Rain date July 22.
Thursday, July 23, 1:30 p.m. Boston Museum of Science presents “Super-Cold Science.”
Wednesday, July 29, 10 a.m. Explore South Berwick History @ the Counting House, ages 4-8, families welcome.
Thursday, July 30, 10 a.m. A Picnic in the Jewett Gardens. Story for ages 3-6 but all ages welcome.
Monday, Aug. 3, 1 p.m. Explore South Berwick History @ the Counting House, ages 9-13, families welcome.
Monday, Aug. 10, 1 p.m. Sarah Orne Jewett Stories for Children.

The Library is open Monday and Wednesday 1-8 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Friday 1-5 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m.-12:45 p.m.

Enough with the words, here are some pictures:
Baxter the Maine Library Coon Cat greeted kids and families as they gathered for the Everything Wheels parade.

There was a clown and Smokey the Bear from the Maine State Parks too.

People with all kinds of wheels got ready for the parade.

Central School Principal, Vicki Stewart was the Grand Marshall.

The Everything Wheels parade started and the kids and all their wheeled vehicles began to wend their way from the Community Center to Central School.

And still more rolled onto the street.

There were all kinds of bikes, trikes, wagons, scooters, skateboards, skates, and even cars.

Balloons, bright colors, and lots of happy kids made it a great parade.

There was even a pirate ship with a very cute pirate.

Bill Page and friends rode a bicycle built for four.

Town Manager John Schempf and an American eagle walk along the parade route.

Along the route other parents and children watched the procession of kids and their wheels.  More than one said, “Next year we’ll be in the parade.”

The parade ended at Central School where there were all kinds of activities.  Here children lined up for free bicycle helmets donated by the Kiwanis Club.

Sammie Haynes and friends led a sing-along.

There were lawn games.

Up and down Main St. there was fun to be had.  Here, the Strawberry Festival hands out cotton candy.

At Historic New England’s Sarah Orne Jewett House there was a teddy bear and doll hospital dispensing sewing repairs, bandages, and kindness to much loved toys.

Community organizations sold treats.  Here the Marshwood Class of 2012 sells PB&J sandwiches to raise money for class activities.

The Touch A Truck area behind P. Gagnon & Son was a popular place with kids getting to see all kinds of big trucks up close.

Even getting a chance to sit in the driver’s seat.

Inside P. Gagnon & Son a display  of Lego constructions showed the creativity of the town’s young Lego experts.

]]> http://the236diner.com/2009/06/07/kids-day-2009-in-pictures/feed/ 1 http://the236diner.com/2009/05/26/more-details-about-south-berwick-first-annual-kids-day/ http://the236diner.com/2009/05/26/more-details-about-south-berwick-first-annual-kids-day/#comments Tue, 26 May 2009 11:57:46 +0000 Molly Colman http://the236diner.com/?p=1148 Children always ask, “Why is there a Mother’s Day and a Father’s Day but no Kid’s Day.” Well, in South Berwick there is now a Kid’s Day.

The first ever South Berwick Kids’ Festival will be held 11 to 4 pm Saturday, June 6, on Main Street in downtown South Berwick.

Kids and anyone they bring along will be invited to launch the festival with an all wheels parade down Main Street, led by Grand Marshall Vicki Stewart, Central School Principal. Participants can decorate and ride anything with wheels — lawnmowers, grocery carts, book carts, wheelbarrows, cribs, doll carriages, wagons, and yes, even bikes and trikes.

The day, uniting businesses and residents, will continue up and down Main Street inside stores and out on the sidewalks and lawns. It will feature music, dancing, ice cream, art, a toy auction run by and for kids and many other activities. Children are invited to bring Lego creations for a Lego contest, to stay for a free movie at Central School and to head to P. Gagnons for “touch a truck.” (“Children are encouraged to bring their Lego creations of all shapes and sizes to The Little Hat Company so that they can be on display at the P. Gagnon and Son lobby.)

The festival began as an idea a few women discussed over coffee and grew to include just about every group and organization in town. Powderhouse Ski Hill will be there, accompanied by Shawnee Peak Ski area from Bridgton. The Sarah Orne Jewett House will host a doll and teddy bear clinic. And the South Berwick Public Library has arranged for the state mascot, Baxter, to make a special appearance.

In addition, the Kiwanis will be giving out 100 free kids’ bike helmets and York Hospital will be giving away sports bottles. There will be 1000 paper cranes, art on the lawn, snow cones, smoothies, ice cream, popcorn and goodies galore.

Clubhouse Kids after-school program will help kids decorate flower pots, that will include a live plant. High school students have offered to do face painting.

“This is the way the Strawberry Festival started in 1976. The idea is to have a simple concept – a very special day for families to enjoy themselves without spending money.”  Cynthia Gagnon.

“A group of us were thinking about how much we love this town, and what a great place it is to bring up children,” said Jennifer Houghton, owner of Little Hat Co. “So we just decided we wanted to have some kind of festival where we could both celebrate our town and have a great time with our children. And that’s how SBKD was born.”

The full schedule includes:
11:00 am – An Everything Wheels Parade
11:30 pm – Sammy Haynes in concert.
12:30 pm – All Kids Auction:)
11-2 pm – Lego Contest: Bring your lego creation for display and judging.
12:00 pm – Family Folk Dancing led by Kris Bisson
1:00 pm – Ryan T. Higgins reading and signing of Twaddleton’s Cheese, followed by Jane Cowen-Fletcher and original works
2:00pm Family Yoga presented by ChildLight Yoga
3:00 pm – Free Movie in Central School Gym

More information is available by contacting Kris Bisson at kristine_bisson@comcast.net.

Flag Football:         Grades K – 3
Pee-Wee Football:  Grades 4 – 6
Jr. High Football:    Grades 7 – 8
Cheerleading:         Grades 4 – 8

Registration is also accessible online at: http://eteamz.active.com/marshwoodlittlehawks

The cost for Flag Football is $35.  The cost for all other levels is $95 if registered by July 1st or $105 after July 1st.  Additional family members receive a $10 discount.
Participants in grade 4 and up are required to have up-to-date physicals prior to equipment handouts in August.
7th & 8th grade football players who have not participated in the league before must provide a photocopy of their birth certificate at registration.
For more information, contact:  Susan Casey, (207)438-9617