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AV Children's Choir to perform at Fall Festival |
| Name: |
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AV Press |
| Date Posted: |
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Oct 10, 07 - 5:39 AM |
| Email: |
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bwilson@avpress.com |
| Where are you from? |
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Antelope Valley |
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AV Children's Choir to perform at Fall Festival
This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press on Sunday, October 7, 2007.
By BOB WILSON
Valley Press Staff Writer
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PALMDALE - The Antelope Valley Children's Choir has been added to the list of acts performing this weekend at the city's 22nd annual Fall Festival.
The 60-voice choir is composed of children ages 8 to 17 who will perform in a variety of musical styles, from classical to popular and including some songs in foreign languages.
"We're thrilled to add a group with the kind of reputation and musical excellence that the AV Children's Choir brings," said Steve Buffalo, Palmdale's special events manager.
"They've performed in places such as Carnegie Hall and have earned numerous awards for their music over the years," Buffalo said.
Saturday, Oct. 13, and Sunday, Oct. 14, the group will perform at 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. at the Antelope Valley Mall Studio Showcase Stage.
This year, the festival will have entertainment on eight stages, plus an international food court, a fine-arts pavilion, arts-and-crafts vendors, a farmers market and the cornerstone Enchanted Fairy Garden.
The event started out as a one-day community-crafts show with 35 artisans and 300 visitors, but it has grown into a two-day, award-winning celebration with about 150 artisans who attract about 50,000 visitors. The festival is at Marie Kerr Park, 30th Street West and Rancho Vista Boulevard (Avenue P).
"We've tried a lot of different things" to make the event as popular as possible, Buffalo said. What seemed to work best was capitalizing on the festival's appeal to children.
Toward that end, the city added the Enchanted Fairy Garden, which features costumed sprites who greet visitors and interact with youngsters, rewarding them with wooden coins and trading cards.
Within the fairies' garden is the Dragon's Lair, a castle facade with an animatronic dragon that roars and spews fog.
The fairies, when not greeting guests, participate in stage shows where they battle an evil wizard.
Visitors strolling the festival grounds encounter minstrels, dancers and stilt-walkers; walking statues and trees; a walking, flowing fountain; and a sorcerer riding a dragon.
Some sections of the grounds feature children's rides, interactive science activities, storytelling and reading.
"There are probably at least 60 events going on within the main event. That's generally what a 'festival' is: A multitude of different events," Buffalo said.
Among those events is one called "Illumination," a production that features costumed dancers, wild props and upbeat music amid a dazzling display of colored lights.
Another event is "Splash Dance," a display of colorfully lighted water that dances and sways in diverse patterns to the sound of song.
Rather than featuring one or two nationally known musical stars as in years past, the festival now showcases an array of entertainers on about a dozen small stages.
This year's roster of entertainers includes Fantastic Diamond, which is a Neil Diamond tribute; Nuns For Fun; Lost Knights; the Mariachi Divas; L.A. Salsa Kids; Alturas; Hollywood Hi-Tones; and the Old West Jamboree.
The Chiffon Arial Artists, a Cirque du Soleil-style act that does acrobatics on an 18-foot-long ribbon, will perform five times each day.
Festival browsers can find an array of handcrafted ceramics, pottery, jewelry, clothing, dolls, chimes, toys, dried flower arrangements and holiday ornaments, plus an international selection of foods, desserts and beverages.
All entertainment at the festival is free with the gate admission, which is $7 for adults, $3 for children age 6 to 12, $3 for seniors age 62 and over, and $3 for military personnel with identification.
Children age 5 and younger are admitted free, parking is free, and all children receive four free tickets for festival rides.
Two-day adult passes are available for $12 each.
bwilson@avpress.com |
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