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Child’s Play

By Staff | Oct 26, 2012

The 15th annual Harney Point Kiwanis KidsFest will be held today, Saturday, Oct. 27, at Jaycee Park from 10 a.m. to

4 p.m. Look for more attractions at the popular Halloween-themed event.

KidsFest will feature entertainment throughout the day as well as two Halloween costume contests with prizes from 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Local attorney and former Cape Mayor Feichthaler has just been installed as the Kiwanis Club president, and said this event is the club’s biggest event of the year.

“It’s our largest event we put on every year and our primary focus is the health and safety of our community’s children. We’ve doubled the amount of attractions; we’ve always had a giant slide and will have that again, and we’ve also expanded to older children too. We also have three rock climbing walls and a bungee trampoline.”

You strap in and jump high, he said. “I’m planning on doing that myself. And our perennial favorite will be back – the pony rides.”

These are all free attractions, and also include a bounce house.

New this year is a backpack give-away from the Junior League of Fort Myers. That will take place during the opening ceremony at 10 a.m. for the first 200 children. “The backpacks will be filled, mainly with school supplies but also some goodies,” he said.

The festival also will offer health and safety information, family-oriented vendors, give-aways, crafts and food.

“Lee Memorial Health System will be there, along with the Cape Coral Fire Department and Cape Coral Police Department doing fingerprinting. There will also be some face painting and every vendor will have something for the kids.”

Admission is free. “We do ask that people bring a non-perishable food item for the Cape Coral Caring Center and we are asking for the first time a $2 parking donation per car. This event us to raise money for high school seniors scholarship and to support all of our clubs and schools.”

Thousands attend each year, and this year Feichthaler said he expects record attendance, based on the fact of incredible local turnout at many local events including Oktoberfest and the Farmers’ Market – and the projected beautiful weather.

He said donations have poured in for the festival. “There are two costume contests this year with great prizes. The Barbara B. Mann donated tickets to their upcoming production of Elf, and we have tickets to Oktoberfest a lot of other great prizes available.

For the costume contest, he said, “The roar of the crowd will determine the winner.”

Volunteers include about 20 core Kiwanis members, along with local high school Key Club members, the K-kids from middle schools and the Aktion Club from elementary school as well as boy scout troops helping with parking.

Sponsors include Fox 4 and Burandt and Adamski & Feichthaler Law Firm as well as Arthur Printing, Bayliner Properties, Junior League of Fort Myers and Cape Coral Kiwanis Club. Harvest Sponsors for the event are Main Street Children’s Dentistry, Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Personal Injury Attorneys, Surfside Dental, CenturyLink, Mike Scott for Sheriff campaign and Cape Coral Municipal Charter Schools.

Jaycee Park is at 4125 S.E. 20th Place, at the end of Beach Parkway off Del Prado Boulevard, in Cape Coral.