KCKidsFun

**Wed 1/13 UPDATE: Good Morning!  Head over to the Kids Fun Facebook page by 2pm today and enter our latest giveaway! 2 sets of foreign language classes for kids…  WOW!**

We first noticed this trend last year and by the looks of it, Daddy/Daughter Date Nights (or Dad/Daughter Dances, or any of several names we’ve seen used) must be wildly popular. Many local parks & recreation departments are hosting these father/daughter bonding evenings. And they look like fun!

Most of the events seem to be scheduled in the few weekends just before and just after Valentine’s Day. All of them include dancing, many include dinner. It’s a great excuse to gather some friends, dress up and pay extra attention to the littlest lady in your life! (And all of these events welcome “other-than-dad” dates like grandpas, uncles and family friends!)

Here’s our list of Kansas City-area father/daughter dances for 2010:

Friday, February 5, 2010

• Daddy/Daughter Valentine Dance, sponsored by Blue Springs Parks & Rec – girls ages 4 & up; registration req’d
• Father/Daughter Enchanted Wonderland Dance, sponsored by Lee’s Summit Parks & Rec – registration req’d
• Daddy Daughter Ball sponsored by Olathe Parks & Recreation – ages 5 to 12, registration req’d
• Daddy/Daughter Date Night at Cinderella’s Ball, sponsored by the city of Shawnee – ages 5 to 13

Saturday, February 6, 2010

• Leawood Daddy/Daughter Date Night, Lodge at Ironwoods Park – registration req’d
• Daddy/Daughter Valentine Dance, sponsored by Blue Springs Parks & Rec – girls ages 4 & up; registration req’d
• Father/Daughter Enchanted Wonderland Dance, sponsored by Lee’s Summit Parks & Rec – registration req’d
• Daddy & Daughter Dance – Providence Community Church, Lenexa – registration req’d

Friday, February 12, 2010

• Father Daughter Valentine’s Ball, Matt Ross Community Center, Overland Park, KS – registration req’d. Call 913/895-6390 to register

Friday, February 19, 2010

• Daddy/Daughter Date Night sponsored by Blue Valley Recreation Commission, south OPKS, registration req’d, K-5 only
• Daddy/Daughter Dance sponsored by Gladstone Parks & Rec – girls from 3 to 15, registration req’d

Saturday, February 20, 2010

• Daddy/Daughter Dance sponsored by Gladstone Parks & Rec – girls from 3 to 15, registration req’d

Saturday, March 27, 2010

• Dad and Daughter Date Night sponsored by Spring Hill Recreation Commission – registration req’d

We also found a few mom/son “date nights” – a great idea (though probably a bit less fancy)!

Friday, April 23, 2010

• Mom/Son Date Night, Blue Valley Recreation Commission – K-5 only

Friday, April 30, 2010

• Mother/Son Spring Soiree sponored by Lee’s Summit Parks & Rec – registration req’d

Labor Day Weekend in Kansas City is already upon us! How did this happen?! Where has summer gone?!

I’ve got a second-grader and a first-grader (as well as two-year-old twins) and we’re already knee-deep in homework and reading logs and school projects. And I’m looking forward to relaxing this weekend with the kids. It will be the last non-soccer weekend for two months – so I’m going to enjoy the lack of schedule. But I also want to end the summer of 2009 on a fun note for the little ones.

We’re considering the Irish Fest at Crown Center and Pops in the Park. I know some folks who are headed to Independence for Santa-Cali-Gon Days. How about you? Does anything on our list of Kansas City’s family-friendly Labor Day events sound good?

Friday, September 4, 2009

• Royals vs. Angels- Kauffman Stadium – Buck Night (popcorn, small pretzels, small Pepsis and peanuts just $1!) and FIREWORKS FRIDAY!
• Secret Garden, Barn Players Theatre, Mission KS – August 28-30 and September 4-6 and 11-13
• Kansas City Irish Fest – Crown Center (KCMO) – thru September 6 – food, crafts, activities, music and dancing – admission free for kids 12 and under
• Santa-Cali-Gon Days, Independence, MO – huge carnival, games, food, music and more! – thru September 7
• Friday Family Fun Night – Kansas City Public Library, Plaza branch – 7pm – FREE!

Saturday, September 5, 2009

• Saturday Morning Storytime for Preschoolers, Toy & Miniature Museum (KCMO) – 10:30am – free with museum admission
• Free Movie at Kearney Amphitheatre (Kearney, MO) – movie starts at dusk – High School Musical 3
• Secret Garden, Barn Players Theatre, Mission KS – August 28-30 and September 4-6 and 11-13
• Kansas City Irish Fest – Crown Center (KCMO) – thru September 6 – food, crafts, activities, music and dancing – admission free for kids 12 and under
• Tallgrass T-Shirts – Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center (KCMO) – 10am to 3pm - FREE!
• Kid Flicks at the Library, Johnson County Library, Oak Park branch – 2pm (bring a pillow and a friend!) – under 7 must be accompanied by parent – FREE!
• Pops in the Park – Kansas City Symphony at Shawnee Mission Park, Shawnee, KS – concert at 7pm; gates open at 5pm with “Instrument Petting Zoo” at 5:30pm
• Saturday Dive-In Movies at the Westin Crown Center (KCMO) – movie begins at sundown; food/drink available for poolside service – this week’s flick: Wall-E (open to registered hotel guests only)
• Santa-Cali-Gon Days, Independence, MO – huge carnival, games, food, music and more! – thru September 7
• Renaissance Festival, Bonner Springs, KS – weekends thru October 18

Sunday, September 6, 2009

• Secret Garden, Barn Players Theatre, Mission KS – August 28-30 and September 4-6 and 11-13
• Kansas City Irish Fest – Crown Center (KCMO) – thru September 6 – food, crafts, activities, music and dancing – admission free for kids 12 and under
• Santa-Cali-Gon Days, Independence, MO – huge carnival, games, food, music and more! – thru September 7
• Renaissance Festival, Bonner Springs, KS – weekends thru October 18
• Kansas City Museum – First Sunday Family Fun Day

Monday, September 7, 2009

• Royals vs. Angels, Kauffman Stadium – Royal Nite – $5 upper level seats!
• Live at the Legends (KCK) – live music for mom & dad; Wonderscope Kids’ Zone for the little ones! – noon to 3pm
• Santa-Cali-Gon Days, Independence, MO – huge carnival, games, food, music and more! – thru September 7
• Renaissance Festival, Bonner Springs, KS – weekends thru October 18

Summer in the Kansas City metro means fairs and festivals! And they’ve already started! The Brookside Art Annual was held last month and the next few weeks brings the first wave of true summer events. The best news? Each and every fair has a TON of awesome activities to share with your kids!

So, get ready for Tilt-A-Whirls, funnel cakes, ferris wheels, corn dogs, cotton candy, livestock and live music. Fair and festival season is starting…and there are so many that you have ABSOLUTELY NO EXCUSE to not catch at least one!

The 2009 Kansas City fair and festival schedule looks like this:

Prairie Village Art Fair, Prairie Village, KS – May 29 thru May 31

Serb Fest – St. George Serbian Orthodox Church, College & Greenwood (west of Pflumm), Lenexa KS – May 29 and May 30

Old Shawnee Days – Shawnee, KS – June 4 thru June 7

Lee’s Summit Downtown Days – June 5 thru June 7

Festa Italiana – Zona Rosa, Kansas City North – June 5 thru June 7

Mardi Gras Days – downtown Overland Park, KS – June 5 and June 6

Vaile Strawberry Festival, Vaile Mansion, Independence, MO – June 6

Irish Street Fair – Kansas City, MO – June 6

Sugar Creek Slavic Fest – Sugar Creek, MO – June 12 and June 13

Greek Festival – St. Dionysios Greek Orthodox Church, Overland Park – June 12 thru June 14

Scottish Highland Games & Celtic Festival, E.H. Young Park, Riverside, MO – June 12 thru June 14

Dragon Boat Festival – Country Club Plaza, KCMO – June 13

Fiesta Filipina – Filipino Cultural Center, 79th St. between Antioch & Frontage in Overland Park – June 13 thru June 14

Chalk & Walk Festival, Crown Center Square, Kansas City, MO – June 20

KC Riverfest – Berkley Riverfront Park, KCMO – July 2 thru July 4

Cass County Fair, Pleasant Hill, MO – July 14 thru July 19

Amelia Earhart Festival – Atchison, KS - July 17 thru July 18

Miami County Fair, Paola, KS – July 18 thru July 26

KC Fringe Festival – various KCMO locations – July 19  thru July 26

Platte County Fair, Platte City, MO – July 22 thru July 25

Douglas County Fair, Lawrence, KS – August 5 thru August 9

Wyandotte County Fair, Kansas City, KS – July 28 thru August 1 (CANCELED THIS YEAR DUE TO UNAVAILABILITY OF SPACE AT THE WOODLANDS)

Johnson County Fair, Gardner, KS – August 3 thru August 8 – don’t miss the rodeo, Family Fun Night or the parade!

Missouri State Fair, Sedalia, MO – August 13 thru August 23 – 12 & under FREE every day; lot of free kids’ entertainment

Festival of Butterflies, Powell Gardens, Kingsville, MO – August 7 thru August 9 and August 14 thru August 16 – no carnival but still super cool!

Leavenworth County Fair, Tonganoxie, KS – August 11 thru August 15

Ethnic Enrichment Festival, Kansas City, MO – August 21 thru August 23

Trails West!, St. Joseph, MO – August 21 thru August 23

Parkville Days Riverfest, Parkville, MO – August 21 thru August 23

Lewis & Clark Trail Days, Buckner, MO – August 21 and August 22

Santa-Cali-Gon Days, Independence, MO – September 4 thru September 7 – TONS of fun for kids and adults alike. If you’ve never been, you should definitely try this one!

Kansas City Irish Fest, Kansas City, MO – September 4 thru 6- awesome children’s area at this Crown Center event

Kansas City Renaissance Festival, Bonner Springs, KS – August 30 thru October 13

The 48th Annual Annunciation Greek Food Festival, Kansas City, MO – September 11 thru September 13

Old Settlers Days, Olathe, KS – September 4 thru September 6

Valley Fair Daze, Grain Valley, MO – September 10 and September 11

Kansas State Fair, Hutchinson, KS – September 11 thru September 20 – Nat & Alex Wolff, the Naked Brothers Band closes the Fair on the 20th!

Blue Springs Fall Fun Festival, Blue Springs, MO – September 18 thru September 20

Zona Rosa Art Festival, Kansas City north, MO – September 18 thru September 20

Jesse James Festival, Kearney, MO – September 11 thru September 20

Plaza Art Fair, Kansas City, MO – September 25 thru September 27 – spend some time at the Kids’ Art Workshop!

(Photos via jonathan_moreau)