Community Corner

Locals Flip Over Hopkins-Minnetonka Kids' Fest

Hopkins-Minnetonka Recreation Services hosted Kids' Fest on Sunday.

Nearly 3,000 people flocked to the on Sunday afternoon for Hopkins-Minnetonka 2011. 

The Horgens, from Hopkins, were among them. Their first stop was the craft station set up by the .

“The kids have really enjoyed it in the years past,” said mom Nicole Horgen. “It’s an awesome event, really priceless for the kids.”

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Nicole's two daughters, students at , enthusiastically agreed.

“I really really love it here. It is really fun to do the art stuff,” Keira Horgen, 9, said, pausing only long enough to quickly look up from the homemade book she was laboring over.

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Hopkins-Minnetonka Recreation Services hosted Kids’ Fest. In exchange for the afternoon of free activities, attending families were encouraged to bring canned goods for area families in need. According to Minnetonka city spokesperson, Jacque Larson, 110 pounds of food were collected from attendees and donated to the . 

Kids’ Fest tuned out to be exactly that- a fest of fun, with a plethora of children’s activities, including face painting, hip-hop dance classes and even a reptile station set up in the Minnetonka City Council Chambers.

Minnetonka City Manager stopped by Kids’ Fest with his wife, Kim.

“It’s great. It’s so fun to see all the families, all the grandparents and parents with the kids. It’s a great day,” Gunyou said surveying a scene of kids planting wheat grass at the Stand. “We don’t always have such great weather but it’s a great day today. “

With temperatures peaking in the mid-forties, many families spent their afternoon enjoying the outdoor activities of s’more making-- and s'more eating, 750 by day's end-- ice sculptures and the highly popular dog sled rides.

The Silver Creek Sled Dogs made the 200-mile trip from Two Harbors, MN. And many kids waited in line, in the mud, for nearly an hour just to get their turn at a 60-second ride in a sled pulled by 5 dogs.

So was it worth the wait? According to Minnetonka’s Laurie Powell Anderson and her children Noah and Teagan—definitely.

“Noah and Teagan thought it was a very special part of their day,” Anderson said.

Other activities included bingo with prizes, open swimming at ’s remodeled adult and kid pools, open batting cages and free skating and skate rentals at the .

The also set up a fire simulator on the second floor of the Community Center—just steps from ’s office door. The demonstration allowed kids as young as 1-year-old to don a fireman’s hat, hold a fire hose and put out what looked a lot like a real fire.

According to his mom, Kim Wear, Minnetonka 5-year-old, Gabriel, loves anything having to do with the fire department. So it was no wonder that this station was a hit with the Wear family.

“The Minnetonka Fire Department does an amazing job of educating and inspiring kids!” Kim Wear said.

Sunday was puppeteer Wayne Krefting’s of  Woodland Puppets, third appearance at . And at his puppet show, Krefting showed off the skills of a true children’s entertainment pro—keeping more than 30 kids so entranced that they sat still and remained quiet. When the puppet production was all done, the audience was even invited to meet the puppets in person.

“Who wants to meet rabbit?” Krefting asked the kids.

“I do! I do!” shouted almost every kid in the audience. Then at once, they swarmed Krefting and his puppets—a scene which could easily be compared to teen idol Justin Bieber being swarmed by a gang of tween girls.

"Seeing a community provide an entertaining, supportive, and hopefully inspiring arts program for their future is always a wonderful experience," Krefting said once the toddler mob had cleared. "The enthusiasm of the kids and their families makes performing for them a joy."

Minnetonka’s Darla Hines came to Kids’ Fest with her 8-year-old daughter, Megan.

“It’s a great event. It’s fun that they put something on to pull everyone together,” Hines said. Hines also said she was thankful she is to live in Minnetonka, in part because, “they put on community activities like this.”

And as the day wound down, and as they headed to their cars, faces-painted and goody bags stuffed with free toothbrushes and stickers,  many kids were overheard giving their parents a play-by-play of their favorite activities at Kids' Fest.

Lauren Horgen, 10, said the open swimming at  was her favorite part of the day and something she had been looking forward to all week—so much so, that, “I couldn’t wait this morning so I woke up really early.” 

 


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