BANGOR, Maine — For the sixth year in a row, Kid Central Festival will take place in downtown Bangor, with new events to delight children and their families, including the unveiling of a new street piano. Last year a piano sat in Pocket Park next to Central Street Farmhouse in downtown Bangor and people of all ages sat down to play, filling the streets with song.
This Saturday, a special Kid Central Festival concert featuring the second street piano will help kick off the event.
Bangor-based singer and songwriter Stesha Cano will unveil her third album, “For Greyson — American Traditions,” with a live performance starting at 11:30 a.m. for the festival, a day of fun and free activities both inside and outside for children to enjoy in downtown Bangor. Along with guitarist Josh Small, Cano will perform with Andrea Beaulieu of Studio Linear on the newly renovated street piano.
Kid Central Festival will be headquartered at Bagel Central’s Meeting House at 33 Central St., where families and children can pick up a Kid Central map and schedule to plan their day of fun. Some of the activities this year will include a scavenger hunt through downtown with Explore Bangor, henna tattoos at Mexicali Blues, a fingerprinting art project and flower planting with Beal College, make your own cannolis at Giacomo’s and a reading and book signing of “You’re Doing THAT in the Talent Show?!” with Maine children’s author Lynn Plourde.
To draw from Plourde’s reading, the festival will feature its first children’s talent show.
No matter the talent — singing, dancing, yoyo-ing — kids are welcome to storm the stage with their uniqueness at the Darling’s Children Pavilion, which will be set up in Norumbega Parkway.
Last year there were approximately 800 kids and their families participating in the events.
“Five or six years ago, I wasn’t seeing a lot of kids downtown,” Gibran Graham, organizer of Kid Central Festival said. “I grew up in a community where downtown was a place where kids went at every age. I really wanted to see that happen down here. So the idea behind this was to create a free festival for kids 12 and under where they could participate in different types of activities.”
Cano’s infant nephew, Greyson, the inspiration for her newest album, will be in attendance for his first-ever Kid Central Festival.
Cano’s newest release is a collection of original compositions and American folk music made specifically for Greyson.
“I wanted to put together a gift of music to give to him,” Cano said.
Cano’s recordings have been more jazz and soul than traditional folk thus far, but with songs like “You Are My Sunshine,” she hopes to delight Kid Central Festival participants.
Kid Central Festival will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 7. For more information, visit the website at http://www.kidcentralfest.com/
