Dialing up the fun

It's usually pretty tranquil on the banks of the sleepy Sturgeon River as it meanders through St. Albert. Ducks waddle through bulrushes and the odd paddling canoeist are the biggest sources of springtime action.

But this weekend carnival tents and stage scaffolding will mushroom before our eyes in preparation for dozens upon dozens of yellow school buses unloading streams of children looking for adventure.

Starting Tuesday, May 29 and running until Saturday, June 2, the 31st annual Northern Alberta Children's Festival swings ahead full throttle. Hosting 90 main stage shows and 100 site performances, the colourful, five-day fest has become one of the largest and best organized in North America with about 55,000 expected visitors.

Fun, fun, fun

This year's slogan is Warning: Too Much Fun, a motto plastered across a big red button that squawks when punched. It's a kid magnet that draws giggles from big and small, and festival director Nancy Abrahamson is planting it on site so everyone can pummel it. Yes, this year it's learning through fun.

"We want everyone to learn something. If you can learn through laughing, what better way is there?" asks Abrahamson.

During the festival, she will be immersed in this imaginative world of childhood making sure all the cogs and wheels are operating smoothly.

"When the festival is on, I see wonderment in the kids' faces. I see tears of joy. I see them laughing and it makes it all worthwhile," says Abrahamson.

Every year the festival reaches a new level with more cultural events to see and do. No dry lectures here, it's all an interactive cultural exchange represented by six countries: Ukraine, Russia, Australia, Iceland, United States and Canada.

There is an explosive range of entertainment from clowning, dancing and puppetry to music, storytelling and black light theatre. And that's merely touching the tip of the iceberg.

New wrinkle for the diapered crowd

The biggest innovation this year is Telus Toddler Town. It debuts as a "festival within a festival" and is targeted to the diaper crowd that may find the outdoor party a bit overwhelming.

Located in a quiet corner of Lions Park, it is a large hexagonal-shaped entertainment tent hosting a series of fairytale theatre presentations, storytelling and the nimble fingering of Amir Amiri, a classically trained dulcimer player.

Stitched onto the 2,000-square-foot hexagonal centre are four offshoot tents organized as a diaper station, nursing area, craft room and reading corner.

"All parents can bring their own snacks and if we have an emergency such as a baby crying that won't stop, we have little secrets up our sleeves," Abrahamson adds.

In front of the Arden Theatre is the outdoor stage, a beacon of fun that unleashes Joaquin Diaz's five-piece merenge band, percussionist Mr. Mark's funky beats and Malcolm the Magician's sleight of hand tricks.

Trendy rapper

One of the outdoor stage's trendiest performers is Saskatchewan rap artist Eekwol a.k.a Lindsay Knight. Blending her background in Plains Cree indigenous music with contemporary rap, she delivers a powerful message.

Eekwol (pronounced equal) first launched into rap highlighting native struggles with poverty, education, violence, gangs and loss of identity. But since the birth of her three-year-old son Keesik, a creative portal in children's entertainment opened naturally.

"Children are like sponges. They are so eager to learn about the world and that's the prime age to interest them with different cultures. The young minds respond so well and they have so much fun. We need to focus on that and lay a foundation for life," says Knight.

Nursing those fertile imaginations are activities such as Inuit storytelling, creating mosaics, stiltwalking and clown boot camp. A new activity this year is the Musée Heritage's Dino Dig, where kids can play palaeontologist burrowing through dirt for dinosaur bones, teeth, footprints and fossils.

One of the more inventive literary endeavours is playwright/novelist Marty Chan's Quest for Odysseus' Bow. In this multi-media adventure, children become ancient Greek sailors searching for the magic bow. Guided by constellations, they retrace Odysseus' journey from Troy to Ithaca. Armed only with their wits, these junior Indiana Joneses must sneak past a blind Cyclops; foil some sirens; outwit Circe, a pig-loving sorceress, and tame Scylla, a six-headed sea monster.

"It's all the crazy stuff I wanted to do as a kid and wasn't allowed," chuckles Chan, who returns for a third consecutive year.

Held in the St. Albert Public Library, rolling chairs will fashion the ship. Designer Marissa Kochanski of St. Albert Children's Theatre constructed shadow puppets and Jeff Samsnow and Sally Poulsen designed a cartoon video to accompany the adventure.

"When kids walk through the festival, it reminds one that the way you see the world is through imagination and anything is possible and for two hours that magic is real cool."

Roaming throughout the festival site will be a mish-mash of fable-like roving artists – the Green Fools fairy stilt walkers; Mortal Coil's frolicking frogs; veterans Nikolai, the wacky juggler and Neatoe the mute clown.

New trolls

New to the festival this year are The Trollsons, mythical woodland creatures that live in Canada's forests. Popping out of the woods are Grandpa Troll, Uncle Knute and Young Thor.

Chatting one-on-one, the masked troll family dances, sing Laplander songs, play the accordion and drum, tell fortunes and are generally full of mischief and merriment.

"Some kids will follow us and get upset when we take a break. They don't know the troll traditions and they really find the material, the jokes, the songs interesting," says Heidi Sprecht, founder of Pangaea Arts, the company that produces The Trollsons.

Part of the magic of mask is that people of any age drop their shyness.

"There's something that allows people to engage in conversation," Sprecht says. "The mask creates a slight division. It makes people feel safe. They become part of the imaginative realm and you can have long conversations with them.

Visitors can join the activities for $3 and see the big-ticket main stage shows tagged at $10.50 for adults and $9 for children.

This year, organizers have also debuted Friday Family Fun Night and Saturday Family Fun Day. On these two days visitors can buy wristbands and attend any number of site activities and unsold shows. Wristbands are $15/adults and $10/kids.

Anyone wishing to enjoy the festivities without spending any money is welcome to bring a picnic basket and dine alfresco by the Sturgeon and watch the roving artists stroll by.

Starting today at noon, St. Anne Street will be blocked off to traffic until Monday, June 4. Free park-and-ride is available every 15 minutes from St. Albert Centre to the festival site, Tuesday to Thursday and Saturday, 7:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Friday from 7:45 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Free activities

Every year many people enjoy strolling through the International Children's Festival simply to revel in the colourful characters and electric energy. You don't have to spend money to have fun.

Below is a list of free activities:

• Dream Tree in Lions Park – decorate a leaf and add your contribution to a festival tree

• Sound Garden on Global Canadian Heritage Trail – make music using everyday objects

• Monk in the Front Plaza – add a brushstroke to a collaborative painting and create a masterpiece

• Inflatables in Millennium Park – jump and roll around

• Education Station at Front Plaza – construct a castle or sculpt a mountain with innovative products

• Beaners hair embellishments in Lions Park – put wild colours, funky beads and sparkly gel in your hair

• Face painters, balloon artists, airbrush tattoos and sidewalk chalk