At the Sordoni Art Gallery table, Joshua Garibay paints his masterpiece while his grandmother Donna chats with the representatives from the gallery at a previous year’s Downtown Discoveries event.
                                 Times Leader File Photos

Downtown Discoveries Kids’ Fest coming to Midtown Village on Saturday

WILKES-BARRE — The Diamond City Partnership (DCP) will host its fourth annual Downtown Discoveries Kids’ Fest in Midtown Village, 41 S. Main St., Wilkes-Barre, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m Saturday, Aug. 17.

This free children’s event will feature Tux from the Penguins, face painting, balloon art, stilt walkers, children’s activities by the YMCA, Wilkes-Barre City Health Department, crafts by the Sordoni Art Gallery, ice cream and music by Vinsko Entertainment.

Festivities will also include the City of Wilkes-Barre fire truck, swag bags, games and giveaways.

“This free downtown children’s event drew over 400 people last year and we anticipate another great turnout on the 17th,” said Shelby Monk, DCP’s Marketing and Events Coordinator. “It is more important now than ever that we host events like these to bring families together and into Downtown.”

The Kids’ Fest will kick off a month-long Downtown Discoveries Scavenger Hunt and Passport Program that encourages children and their families to visit Downtown businesses and other city attractions like the Sordoni Art Gallery, Pour Coffee and Abide Coffeehouse. Families can mark their passports by participating in Downtown activities like attending the Farmer’s Market, taking a yoga class on the river, seeing a movie at Movies 14, and borrowing a book at the Osterhout Free Library.

The scavenger hunt also includes stops like the mural near Midtown Village, and the hidden petroglyphs on Public Square.

Downtown Discoveries Passports will be at the Osterhout Library, the YMCA, and the Luzerne County Visitors Bureau beginning on Aug. 26. Children can bring completed passports to the Osterhout Library by Sept. 30, to be entered in a contest to win prizes.

“We are very grateful to have the support from the community, especially our friends at Highmark, the presenting sponsor of the event for the fourth year in a row,” Monk said. “We would also like to thank Pennsylvania American Water Company for their generous contribution as well.”

For information on this and other upcoming events, visit downtownwilkesbarre.org or contact Shelby Monk at Shelby@wbdcp.org.