Winston-Salem, North Carolina Official 2009 Visitor Guide - (Page 9) Find a wealth of familyfriendly ways to entertain and engage children in the City of the Arts #: -*4" 8"554 nce a month, Erin Goliszek and her family spend an evening viewing art and talking with artists. Mom, dad, and the kids, now 11 and 6, have attended the First Friday Gallery Hops on Trade Street since the event began. “They’re super kid-friendly,” Goliszek says of the Gallery Hops, when Winston-Salem’s Downtown Arts District studios and galleries open their doors into the evening. Her family likes to admire the sculpture, photography, and ceramics on display, but they also like the festive vibe. “There’s music when it’s warmer, and they’ll have sidewalk chalk and ice cream,” Goliszek says. Gallery owners even set out bowls of Goldfish or other kid favorites alongside the grown-up snacks. Such opportunities to expose and engage children with the arts, up close and hands-on, keep multiplying in and around the City of the Arts. Here are some family-friendly favorites: Like the Gallery Hops, Family First Workshops on the first Sunday afternoon of each month bring devoted regulars to Reynolda House Museum of American Art, the renovated home of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company founder. Children and parents can work side-by-side on an art project related to a current exhibition at the museum. In the fall and spring, free Community Days celebrations feature live music, art activities for the kids, and free adult admission to the museum. Year round, children under 18 can enter the museum free of charge. The Children’s Theatre of Winston-Salem presents a full slate of performances and workshops – more than 200 a year – aimed at age groups from preschool through elementary school. The 2009 season, for example, includes a range from Max & Ruby and The Great Alphabet Adventure, best for pre-kindergarten through third grade, to Songs of the Soul, appropriate for second grade through adult. The grand, restored Stevens Center downtown O serves as a performance space for the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, the city’s symphony, Piedmont Opera, and many other arts groups. For many families, attending the School of the Arts’ production of The Nutcracker is a beloved annual tradition. Another favorite annual performance is the Piedmont Opera’s production of Ahmal and the Night Visitors in early December. At other times during the year, the opera company encourages middle-school and high-school age students to experience professional opera by offering $3 student tickets to final dress rehearsals. Kid-size play is also offered at the Children’s Museum of Winston-Salem, where little ones can shop at a supermarket, work in a doughnut factory, and visit a veterinarian, among many other activities. The museum maintains a focus on early childhood literacy with frequent story times and special events. Exhibits planned at the museum for 2009 include Arthur’s World, a traveling exhibit for fans of the PBS series, coming in the spring; a brand-new Children’s Theater Festival; and in the fall, Clifford the Big Red Dog traveling exhibit. Families with school-age children can also entertain their younger siblings at SciWorks, where the hands-on galleries include "tot spots" dedicated to preschoolers. Also at the science center, a kids work area features a grocery store, barnyard puppet theater, a Magic School Bus exhibit and activities to develop gross motor coordination in the preschool set. Historic Bethabara Park sets the scene for Bookmarks, a one-day festival of books and reading that brings nationally known authors to town, usually in September, and entertains readers of all ages with panels, storytelling, demonstrations, writing workshops, and booksignings. The competitive RiverRun International Film Festival, entering its eleventh year, screens a mix of narrative, documentary, short, student and animated films each spring. Children can enjoy animated family matinees on the Saturday morning of the festival. “There’s a lot to do in this town,” says Golizsek, a schoolteacher. “With five universities and all the galleries and museums, our family can find something to do almost every weekend, and most are inexpensive.” Y 83*5&3 -*4" 8"554 JT B 5SJBEBSFB XSJUFS BOE FEJUPS XIP XBT HSBUFGVM GPS DIJMEGSJFOEMZ DVMUVSBM PGGFSJOHT XIFO IFS UXP LJET Winston-Salem Visitor Guide 2009 9 XFSF ZPVOH http://www.thecityofthearts.com
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