One of the major attractions at the 2007 Floral Street Fair will be the KidZone, a tented area of the Fair designed specifically for kids up to 10 years old. In the KidZone, children can read, draw and take part in arts and crafts activities. Puppet collector Alan Cook will also be on hand to display and talk about his prized collection of puppets from around the world. Kids may also have the chance to make their own puppets, and adult volunteers will be present to supervise.

Literacy Day is another interesting component of the KidZone. Sponsored by the Chinese Daily News ( 世界日報 ), Literacy Day is designed to get kids excited about books and reading. As part of the program, volunteers from CDN and Monterey Park’s Bruggemeyer Library will read stories aloud to the kids. The stories will be read in Chinese and English and relate to one of three themes: pigs (in celebration of the Year of the Pig), multicultural story or Chinese New Year in general.

After a few hours in the KidZone, children will definitely want to head over to see the Piggy Races. Here, the whole family can delight in the sight of small groups of pigs charging through the mud in a chaotic sprint for the finish line. If the kids want to get even closer to the pigs, there will be an “oily pig” booth nearby where they can try to keep a grease-covered pig from escaping from their hands!