Kids party to kick off Jacaranda

Circle of fun: Hopeful Jacaranda Flower Girl candidates parade for the judges at last year’s Jacaranda Children’s Party. Four children are selected on the day to be part of the Jacaranda Queen’s party.

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Jacaranda Festival Parade of Youth 2009

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Jacaranda Queen crowning 2009

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MARKET Square’s beautiful Jacaranda-lined lawn will host a throng of pint-sized super-heroes and nursery rhyme characters tomorrow as the annual Jacaranda Children’s Party kicks off this year’s festivities.

The event, a staple of the Jacaranda Festival for decades, invites children to turn up dressed in costume for plenty of child-friendly food, music and entertainment. Event director Dannielle Bower said she hopes this year will be a cracker.

“This is my second year directing it and I absolutely love it,” Ms Bower said.

“We get lots of support from business houses throughout the day and it’s just a really great morning to start Jacaranda off.”

“The morning will be filled with heaps of fun, dancing, music and entertainment for children.”

Ms Bower said apart from the costume competition there would also be dancing, fairy bread, a Jacaranda cake, a clown and other entertainers.

Children’s costumes will be judged across a number of categories, including nursery rhyme character, TV character, pairs, Jacaranda blossom, cheapest, male character, female character and toddlers (under three years old). Ms Bower said although the children’s costumes were judged, it was all in good fun and all children attending would receive a prize.

As with most Jacaranda events, there is also a degree of pageantry to the event and judges will be on the lookout for junior members of this year’s Queen’s party.

“The general idea behind the kids’ party is that it’s a great way to start Jacaranda, but it’s also to pick the four titles that are part of the Queen’s Party this year,” she said.

“There are four titles up for grabs; the Jacaranda Party Princess and the Jacaranda Party Prince, which is ages 8 to 11. There will also be titles for the Flower Girl and Page Boy, which is ages four to seven years.”

Ms Bower said the four children selected for these roles would join the 2010 Jacaranda Queen’s Party and would be recognised at the official crowning ceremony on Saturday week.

The event will start at 9am tomorrow morning at Market Square in Grafton and Ms Bower encouraged everyone to come down to what she said was going to be a “great, fun family day out”.

Ms Bower said the day would also go ahead rain, hail or shine with the event to be moved to the undercover area at Grafton High School if it is raining.

The children’s party will officially kick off this year’s Jacaranda Festival, which includes the Queen crowning ceremony on October 30, Jacaranda Thursday on November 4, the Venetian Carnival on November 5 and the Prince Street Float Procession on November 6.