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For over a decade, the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center has hosted an event that adds a bit of sizzle to summer’s sweltering interlude.
Held entirely indoors, the 11th Annual Summer Kids’ Day offers families the chance to have fun while staying cool.
The event, which is presented by Synergy Bank and Cenac Marine Services LLC, is set for Saturday, July 17, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. With an array of activities, games, prizes and more, children will not have to look far to find something that peaks their interest, according to Betsy Breerwood, marketing manager for the civic center.
“We really have a variety of things that all kids can enjoy,” said Breerwood. “We have non-stop entertainment, activities, a free play zone that has a rock wall, inflatable slides and bounce houses … over 40 vendors that range from face painting to balloon art to sand art and then we have some public servants, who are there to provide public safety and hurricane information.”
In this year’s Character Corner, the illustrious Dora the Explorer and Clifford the Big Red Dog are available for hugs and photographs. The New Orleans’ Hornets and their mascot, Hugo, will also make an appearance.
The meet-and-greets will take place in the meeting room of the civic center. This is the first year that the event has spilled over from the arena into another section of the building. The primary purpose for this expansion, according to Breerwood, is to help improve the flow of human traffic.
“We’ve had such an overwhelming response – an overwhelming attendance,” she explained. “We had over 5,000 people last year, so just to make it more enjoyable and maneuverable, especially for those with strollers and things like that, we decided to expand. More space means people can obviously get around a little bit easier.”
Another new implementation is the option to buy tickets in advance. Those who pre-buy their tickets from the Civic Center Box Office can skip on through a separate entrance.
Tickets are $2 for children ages 2 to 12 and $5 for adults.
“Many of the activities are free; however, some activities do cost money, such as the pony rides, face painting and so forth,” explained Breerwood.
Several of the 2010 scheduled activities are successful repeats from years prior, but there are a few new ones.
“In addition to a new Home Depot workshop, we will also have the Louisiana Children’s Museum’s Earth Balloon, which is a 22-foot inflated ball that you can walk through and see the Earth with all of the oceans and continents,” exclaimed the marketing manager. “It’s really neat!”
Live-entertainment will take place throughout the entirety of the event.
“Some of our featured artist on stage include the Xylophone Man, Papillion the Pirate and Betsy McGovern, who sings children’s music,” she said. “We also have some local entertainment, including dancers from Gerald Dishman’s Academy of Dance, musicians from a rock band camp in Thibodaux and performers from South Terrebonne High School, who will sing a couple of songs from their performance of Beauty and the Beast.”
Children and their parents can also expect to enjoy the Audubon Zoo Bug Mobile, an indoor petting zoo with pony rides, age specific play areas and chances to win a multitude of prizes, including a $500 gift certificate to Southland Mall.
“There are lots and lots of activities and lots of fun for the whole family,” Breerwood said. “And it’s all held indoors.”
The Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center is located at 346 Civic Center Blvd. For more information about this event, call (985) 850-4657 or e-mail info@houmaciviccenter.com. Tickets are on sale now!
