Lewis Kidzfest Turns Downtown Joliet in 'Mini-Campus'

The 2013 Kidzfest, an annual free family festival in which downtown Joliet is transformed into a "mini-campus," will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 3.

Sponsored by Lewis University in Romeoville, the event focuses on activities that allow children to play, explore, imagine and create.

Among the groups participating are the Joliet Public Library, Joliet police and fire departments, Friendly Farms Petting Zoo, Chicagoland Speedway, Rialto Square Theatre, Haunted Trails, Will County Land Use, Gallery 7, Dave Dinaso Traveling World of Reptiles, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and more. 

All activities are free.

Children can pick up a Kidzfest certificate at a booth set up across from the Rialto Square Theatre on Chicago Street and earn marks for each activity they attend. Those who earn four marks on the certificate will receive an “aviator wings pin.”

Fest activities include:

•     Sit in a small airplane. Parents may have a free digital photo taken of each child in the plane, courtesy of Lewis University.

•     Test your skills on a Microsoft Flight Simulator game (for children in elementary or middle school), with direction from flight students.

•     Get free photo IDs taken by students in the criminal/social justice program.

•     Control and program robots with assistance from the computer science department. 

•     Become a scientist through chemistry and biology experiments, including concoctions using everyday materials. 

•     See yourself on television by visiting an electronic media van and see how a news program is created by the communications department.

•     Help make a Kidzfest banner with supplies and guidance from the Lewis Art & Design Department. Pottery demonstrations will also be intermittent throughout the day.

•     See a mastodon tooth and other small fossils and minerals and talk to a geologist.

•     Get blood pressures and pulse screenings for children and adults from the College of Nursing and Health Professions. Also, adults can undergo blood sugar testing and receive information on hypertension and diabetes awareness. Several wellness games will focus on nutrition, hand washing, exercise and smoking habits. A coloring book, "Be A Nurse,” also will be available in limited numbers.

•     Enjoy student performers from the Lewis Philip Lynch Theatre presenting performances at 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. at the outdoor stage.

•     Learn a lesson with finance games from the College of Business.

•     Choose from designs and get a new look at the face painting booth.

•     Enjoy farm animal stories, read by future teachers attending the College of Education, and bring home a free book, too! 

•     Improve athletic skills with tips from student athletes on sports including men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball and golf. 

•     Try on ROTC gear and equipment. Test your physical abilities and discover uses of Army radios.

“Kidzfest demonstrates the Lewis University mission to promote lifelong learning by encouraging children to take advantage of various learning opportunities, to ask questions, and to interest them in different fields," Brother James Gaffney, president of Lewis University, said in a news release on the event. 

"Moreover, the educational activities offered at Kidzfest are fun for the youngsters.”