Tag: kids

Zoppé Italian Family Circus is Here!


The Circus is HERE! Redwood City is proud to welcome, Zoppé, An Italian Family Circus from October 14th through October 23rd for spectacular two-hour performances that will enthrall the entire family! The Circus tent will be set up next to the Downtown Library at 1044 Middlefield Road in Redwood City and will host matinee and evening performances.

Nino & Julian
Nino and Julian {Photo by RickPurdue}

The Zoppé Family Circus welcomes guests into the intimate 500 seat tent for a one-ring circus that honors the best history of the Old-World Italian tradition. Starring Nino the clown, the circus is propelled by a central story (as opposed to individual acts) that feature acrobatic feats, equestrian showmanship, canine capers, clowning and plenty of audience participation. Giovanni Zoppé, the sixth-generation circus performer who plays Nino, says the show aims higher than what passes for circuses these days. “We try to touch every emotion during the show,” he says. “They’ll laugh, they’ll cry, and they’ll feel for the characters. It’s more of an event than a show.”

Giovanni revived the Zoppé Family Circus in America four years ago, and has since been building its reputation with audiences and critics as an enchanting exhibition of traditional European circus. The Zoppé Circus evokes something from a picture book: the clown, the trapeze, the dancing dogs, the ring and the tent, created to be reminiscent of the one-ring European family circuses of the last century and will thrill and amaze children and adults alike with its breathtaking stunts and astonishing acrobatics. Plus, Zoppé brings a new thrilling act this year, the Rosales Family from Mexico City, Mexico, a family of acrobats and jugglers including 8 year old twin boys who will melt your hearts. The Zoppé Family Circus is a once-a-year event not to be missed, so get your tickets early!

Official Webpage

Tickets can be purchased Online & at Red Morton Community Center. Call the ticket Hotline for up-to-date information 650.780.7586.

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  @rwcevents

Record-Breaking Turnout for Motorcycle Poker Run!

350 motorcyclists turned out for the 7th Annual Poker Run!

Record-Breaking Turnout for Motorcycle Poker Run – $40,000 Raised for San Mateo County Kids

Redwood City, CA – A record-breaking crowd turned out for the 7th Annual Redwood City Poker Run on Saturday, May 14. An incredible total of 350 motorcyclists and guests showed up on over 300 motorcycles to raise money for Redwood City’s After School Sports Programs, including Redwood City Police Activities League and Redwood City Parks & Recreation, as well as the San Mateo County Sheriffs Activities League. The entire goal of the event is to help children in San Mateo County, and this event really accomplished that, having raised nearly $40,000 for that great cause!

Jason Pullen Stunt Rider
Jason Pullen, Motorcycle Stunt Rider

The economic situation today is particularly challenging for many kids growing up in San Mateo County, and they need the community’s help more than ever. This annual motorcycle ride fundraiser is a great way a lot of folks to give back to the community, while having a great time. The fundraising ride was assisted by the California Highway Patrol, San Mateo County Sheriff’s Department, and put together with the dedicated work of many great volunteers. The main sponsors of this fabulous fundraiser are Dudley Perkins Co. and the Golden Gate Harley Owners Group (HOG) Chapter.

It was a beautiful ride up Highway 35 and along the beautiful San Mateo County coastline, and this year included a surprise guest, stunt motorcycle rider Jason Pullen, to add a little more excitement to the day. The prize drawing included fabulous items such as a 42-inch flat screen, and a several of sets of new tires. The entire event was a great success, and most importantly raised significant funds for kids in San Mateo County.

The official event website is redwoodcitypokerrun.com where there is more information about this wonderful annual fundraiser.

WANTED! Have You Seen This…CAT?

Where did my socks go? Sometimes it’s the dryer, but maybe… it’s this little guy!


Dusty the Klepto Cat
Dusty the Klepto Cat's Mug Shot


Dusty the Klepto Cat   is one of our local celebrities and possibly San Mateo County’s Most Wanted Crook! Dusty has appeared on Animal Planet, The David Letterman Show, CNN, KGO and will now be riding through the 10th Annual Pet Parade this Saturday, along with many of the items that he has stolen from his neighbors throughout the years. You can see Dusty in action on You Tube (of course)  stalking his neighborhood for goodies, courtesy of Animal Planet. So if you cannot find your left running shoe, your child’s stuffy or your UNDERWEAR, you may want to rethink… “Did I lose that?” or was it “DUSTY THE KLEPTO CAT!?”


More Information About the Pet Parade…
THIS WEEKEND!
10th Annual Pet Parade
Saturday, May 21 from 11:00am – 3:00pm
on Courthouse Square – 2200 Broadway St. Redwood City (MAP)

The parade itself starts at 12:00 pm, but you should definitely show up at 11 am for this wildly popular annual event. There are going to be over 90 vendor booths and a lot of fun activities – this just might be the biggest Pet Parade event ever! We will be calling the Guinness Book!

Pony rides – petting zoo – Monterey Bay Aquarium virtual aquarium builder –  a Game Truck full of video games and other activities – the performing Sky Dogs – Peninsula Humane Society mobile adoption van – photos with your pets with Posh Pooch Portraits – caricature artists – paw print art projects – a how-to for throwing a party for your pet (!)- food and beverage vendors – lots of booths with great stuff for you and your pet (how about matching outfits?) – a variety of pet rescue groups – and don’t forget the great Downtown restaurants all around!

The entire community is invited – children, adults, and families can enjoy the fun events and festive atmosphere, and sign up (in advance, or by 11:30 that day) to show off their pets, whether furry, feathered, or scaled, vying for a $100 Grand Prize for the top winner.

Get your registration form at RedwoodCityEvents.com, or contact: Jeri Joseph-Hover at 650.369.9010 or brightonrwc@aol.com. There is a $5 entry fee for each pet to be judged in a contest, but there is no fee to walk along and be part of the Pet Parade.

This event is sponsored by Redwood City Parks and Recreation Department, Redwood City Redevelopment Agency, and the Civic Cultural Commission.

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Top 5 Reasons Redwood City LOVES Andy Z!

 
How AWESOME is Andy Z &  The Andyland Band’s, Pumpkin Patch video? Show it to your kids and get them revved up for Saturday’s Concert (see below).
 

If you are saying to yourself…”WHO IS ANDY Z?” our guess is that you do not have a young child.  That aside, Andreas Zamenes, aka Andy Z, has been entertaining children up and down the Peninsula, around the Bay Area, at Birthday Parties galore and more recently over the airwaves of internet radio, Pandora!  Whether he’s gracing us with his repertoire of “Kindie” Rock, with hilarious original songs influenced by the likes of Smashmouth and Bob Marley or leading a group of exuberant little fans around our Courthouse Square akin to a modern day Pied Piper, Andy Z is sure to not only entertain your family, but bring out your inner-child.

Why do WE love Andy Z so much?

  1. He takes our children away from our their iPads and Televisions and into the imaginary world of Andyland.
  2. He gives us songs that can bridge the gap between classic childrens music and something we actually might CHOOSE to listen to!
  3. Getting into an Andy Z show is much easier than landing tickets to American Idol…oh and did I mention…usually FREE!
  4. Andy z and The Andyland Band don’t just sing songs, but put on a REAL INTERACTIVE SHOW, complete with kids in costume and dare I say Mob Dances? Well maybe that is a little extreme, but his Rendition of Sticky Sticky Bubble Gum sure gets those kids up and moving!
  5. And lastly…HE’S FROM REDWOOD CITY!

Not to worry! The word on the street is that he is expanding his reach to “Tweeners” (kids ages 8-12) with his newest Halloween Adventure themed album, due out on October 1, 2011. You can look forward to many many more years with Andy Z!

See Andy Z and the Andyland Band this Saturday, May 7,  from 11am-1pm on Courthouse Square in Redwood City! Families will enjoy a fun kid’s concert, an inflatable playland, and can also create a Mother’s Day Gift in the craft area. Bring sunglasses for you and the kids, it is sure to be a bright and beautiful day on the Square!

This concert is sponsored by the Redwood City Mother’s Club, the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department, and the Redwood City Redevelopment Agency.

He Sings, He Acts, He Teaches Kids! Meet William O’Neill.

Drama teacher Bill O'Neill

Who is William O’Neill?

When William O’Neill came to us, I thought, “could this guy be for real?”  Baritone Opera Singer, Actor, Drama Teacher, a performing arts Jack-of-all trades! Plus, his easy-going presence, playful demeanor and enthusiasm for the Arts was hard to ignore. Oh…and he also founded a very popular Theater and Singing program through the City of San Clemente PARKS & RECREATION! YES!  Thankfully, he decided to move up north and join us in Redwood City. He will be teaching After-School and Summer Theater programs this season (see below). We are excited to announce, that the Summer Camp will be held at the AMAZING Carrington Hall at Sequoia High School.

William, aka “Bill” started doing theater when he was very young. His Church-Music-Director-Father encouraged him to try singing and acting.  Bill started singing in the choir at the ripe age of five years old, and ventured on to do his first musical when he was eight. He has NEVER STOPPED SINCE!  His love for performing brought him to the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where he graduated with a M.A. in Voice and Opera. Bill has performed in many productions at the SF Conservatory of Music. Some of his more noteworthy parts include: Bottom, in A MidSummer Night’s Dream; Sarastro,  in The Magic Flute; Don Magnifico, in the opera of Cinderella; and Colline, in La Boheme.

Check out his Pipes & Chops in this video of Bill performing in La Boheme:

Some Fun Facts About Bill:

Fave movie: I’d have to say it’s toss up between The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and the Harry Potter Movies. I’m a big fantasy buff!

Fave TV Shows: Battlestar Galactica, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Iron Chef America

Fave Actors: Male: Matt Damon / Female: Natalie Portman

Fave Dessert: Gourmet Cupcakes! Especially from places like Sprinkles or Kara’s Cupcakes.

Fave place to see a show: Broadway in New York, OF COURSE! Second is Carrington Hall in Redwood City 😉

First acting role: A street kid in the musical of Cinderella when I was 8. My first speaking part, was Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol when I was in 7th grade.

Fave acting role: My favorite show I’ve ever been in is actually one I’m doing right now. It’s called a Year With Frog and Toad. I’m performing it with Bay Area Children’s Theater. I play the part of Toad.

First movie you ever saw: Hahaha… I think it was probably the original Tron in the early 80’s. I also recall seeing the original Clash of the Titans around the same time. So I’m not sure…

What does Music & the Arts mean to you?: I have advice for all of the kids out there, to never give up on your dreams. When I was a kid I had a lot of speech problems to overcome, but doing things like music and theater is what helped me to break though those problems and give me self-confidence. I wouldn’t be the adult I am today without all the training I had a as a child.

Camp & Class Information:

3rd-5th graders can enjoy…
Adventures in Theater Workshop – Tuesdays, 3:30-5pm beginning April 5th for 8 weeks
CLICK HERE FOR INFO/REGISTRATION

5th-8th graders can enjoy…
Too Much Drama! – Thursdays, 3:30-5pm beginning April 7th for 8 weeks
CLICK HERE FOR INFO/REGISTRATION

Summer Camp at Carrington Hall…
Summer Performing Arts Program – Monday through Friday, 8:30am-3pm, July 11-22. 
CLICK HERE FOR INFO/REGISTRATION



Update on Sand Play Replacement Project

Frog feature at Maddux
Ribbit! Meet our new pet at Maddux Park!

Kids playing on new equipment

We take safety very seriously. When we were made aware of a potential problem in our sand play area at Stafford Park back in January of 2009, we addressed this issue head on. Collectively, our staff felt that the right thing to do was to test the sand to see if indeed there was a problem. We found out there was – presence of what we considered high levels of e.coli – and we closed that portion of the park to correct it. We even went so far as to test other sand areas in our parks to ensure that these were safe. Most were, but we did find that we had an issue at Maddux Park as well.

We focused on these two parks by removing the sand and replacing it with large coarse sand, and when e.coli returned, we tried different approaches. From changing the drainage, treating the sand, turning off the water, and incorporating daily screening of the sand, high levels of e.coli returned inconsistently over the past two years. We felt that it wasn’t fair to our park users to come to a park where a portion of it was often closed. We needed to replace the sand play areas at these two parks with something else that still had a “high play value” for children.

The result after two community meetings held at each park was to transform the sand areas into tot water play areas.

We’re happy to report that Maddux Park is now re-opened! The initial reports for our little users are clear through their smiles as they run through the “spitting frogs”.

We’re also very close in re-opening the tot area at Stafford Park. The contractor is finishing up the “punch-list” items and we’ll open as soon as our high standards are met (again, it should be opened soon!).

Thank you for your patience through this project.

CHRIS BETH
Parks, Recreation & Community Services Director