TCC joins Ch. 8 for Family First
by Michael Kraft, reporter

    With lots of free summer time, children get bored and parents look for a variety of activities.

    TCC, in conjunction with WFAA’s Family First program, sponsored a Fun Fair and town hall meeting on the NE Campus to let parents know about what activities are available to their children over the summer.

    During the fair, TCC jazz musicians provided music; children could ride ponies, and clowns from the Family First program created balloon animals.

    Exhibitors were varied, from museums to camps with everything in between.

    American Airlines presented its C.R. Smith aviation museum, featuring the history of commercial aviation. A variety of science and history museums participated. The Science Place in Fort Worth, the Dallas Museum of Natural History and the River Legacy Living Science Place Museum all offer summer activities that include day camps and exhibits geared toward children.

    Music and art are strong summer staples, and several organizations offered opportunities for children to learn to express themselves.

    The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra is having its 11th annual Concerts in the Garden festival in the Botanic Gardens through July 8. If music instruction is what a child wants, the Taylor School of Music provides individual music programs for children three and up to learn the instrument of their choice. Kindermusik is a music program geared toward teaching children up to the age of seven about music, singing and playing instruments.

    For people interested in creating their own art, the Dallas Museum of Art is holding classes in painting, sculpture, photography and video production during the summer for children and adults.

    The Craft Guild of Dallas will offer art classes and had a sculpture table set up so fair participants could sculpt with clay.

    Summer would not be complete without camps, and based on Family First participants, the Metroplex offers enough camps there to keep children busy all summer.

    Leadership Camp in Midlothian helps children learn to be more effective and positive leaders.

    A sewing camp teaches beginning to advanced sew techniques. NRH2O is offering summer camps for aquatic activities.

Southern Methodist University has sports camps for children of all ages and interests.

    The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders have a camp for young girls interested in learning cheerleading and choreography.

    A charm camp promises development in table manners, visual poise and grace, grooming and appearance, personal fashion and building a positive attitude.

    The largest groups represented at Family First were the theatre and dance troupes.

    The Eastwind Production Company is a ballet troupe that produces plays and teaches students the art of ballet. The Dallas Black Dance School is geared toward those who want to learn styles of dance including jazz and modern.

    Sheena’s Dance Academy has lessons for many styles of dance including ballet, lyrical, tap, jazz and swing.

    Theatre Arlington and the Dallas Children’s Theatre provide summer classes for children up to 18 to learn about acting and stage work.

    After the fair, a town hall style meeting, emceed by Channel 8’s Brad Watson and Karin Kelly, was held to answer questions and to showcase some of the students of the represented groups.

    The Imagination Celebration performed an African dance and percussion show while Dallas Cowboys cheerleader camp participants put on a display.

    Eastwind presented a rendition of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and the Tuzer company offered a solo ballet act.

    Sheena’s Dance academy and the Black Dance Theatre each performed, and the Passport to Asia group featured an East Indian classical dance.

    Francois Duberry sang for the Taylor School of Music while the SMU Broadway Musical Theatre College had two singers. Children from Theatre Arlington and the Dallas Children’s Theatre did monologues and other acts.

    Watson and Kelly awarded door prizes, such as free meals and free massages.