DANCING INSPIRATION
Alynne Michaud, age 3, dances to a Fred Penner song at the PotashCorp Children’s Festival on Sunday. The festival is in its 29th year.
The howling winds on a sunny Saturday afternoon couldn’t hide the laughter and playful music that echoed over the PotashCorp Children’s Festival at Kinsmen Park.
In its 29th year, the festival’s theme is Bridges — both as a celebration of Saskatoon’s bridges and as a metaphor for making connections in the community. And at first glance, connections across Saskatoon’s diverse community are definitely on display.
This year is Martin Brennan’s first time at the festival, attending with his wife Janelle and two daughters: four-year-old Claire and one-year-old Paige. But he said he’s having a great time with his young family, and loves seeing Claire take part in activities like painting at the new cardboard box village.
“Claire’s having a hoot. She’s pretty shy, so she kinda likes to stay as far away from everybody else as possible,” Brennan joked.
From activities like getting down and dirty at the PotashCorp Fossil Find to gymnastics and martial arts as part of the ParticipACTION 150 Play List, to a live performance by Fred Penner, the list of things to do at the festival is long — and fun — for all ages.
Under the Saskatoon Public Library tent, storytellers have a chance to read to anyone who stops by to listen. For 13-year-old volunteer Aunum Abid, who read a story based on her Pakistani heritage to a small but rapt audience, the festival gives her a chance to share some of her culture with the kids of the city.
“In Saskatoon, we have a very diverse society, and there’s many people from different cultures and religions,” Abid said. “Today was pretty great. The kids were engaged, and I had a wonderful time.”
Next to a teepee near the main entrance, indigenous dancer Randi Lynn Nanemahoo-Candline from the Bigstone Cree First Nation in Alberta lead children, parents, and grandparents in a traditional round dance. One of the dancers was Dale Harvey, his 20-monthold daughter Mylah in one arm as they moved in the circle — “her first round dance!” Dale said.
Mylah’s mother and Dale’s wife Stacey stood and clapped from the edge of the crowd. For Stacey, the multicultural part of the province is important knowledge to impart to her children.
“I love that there’s different tents where kids can explore dancing of different cultures, and games,” she said. “Having (Mylah) exposed to pieces of our history is really important as she grows up in Saskatchewan.”
And on stage under one of the biggest tents of the festival, children and parents alike were laughing out loud at the Robert Munsch-themed puppet show put on by Wide Open Children’s Theatre.
“When you see the adults getting into it too, or encouraging their kids, it’s just so great to see all the different generations enjoying something.” show narrator Nathan Coppens said. “The parents grew up with these stories, too. ”
The PotashCorp Children’s Festival has brought together people from around the province — and it sounds like that’ll continue into the future.
“We’ll definitely come back again,” Stacey Harvey said with a laugh, patting her pregnant belly. “We have lots of years ahead of us.”