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Groveport's KidSpace to open
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| Crooked Alley Playground's treehouse with attached slide attracted three participants of Groveport's preschool playgroup: Whitney Stewart, 4; Braylee Davis, 2; and Joey Lammers, 4. |
Kids will have their own place to learn, enjoy the arts, and just plain have fun as the village of Groveport will dedicate its Crooked Alley KidSpace, the village's arts and education center for children, on June 13 from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m., with a ribbon cutting at 10:30 a.m.
KidSpace, located at 630 Wirt Road at the intersection with Crooked Alley, was formerly used as a senior center, municipal offices and service station. It will offer scheduled programming and facility rentals for children up to age 12 through the village's Community Affairs Department.
Offerings will include children's art; dance; American Sign Language; guitar and vocal classes; visits from the Columbus Zoo and other major special events; a preschool child-parent playgroup; Scout meetings; and a site for birthday parties and other children's events. Other features include a Kids' Art Gallery to showcase works created by junior artists, library, children's garden, and an enclosed playground with a 15 foot treehouse.
A 28 foot hand painted mural on the interior honors the merging of Wert's Grove and Rarey's Port in 1847 to create "Groveport." KidSpace is located where the Ohio and Erie Canal once passed through town and the mural illustrates what a child would have seen at that exact site in the mid-19th century.
Major partners in the project include Columbus Foundation, Franklin Heating & Refrigeration, Gap Inc. Direct, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Rosati Windows and United Way. Significant support was received from American Electric Power, AHC Environmental Services Inc., Berwick Glass & Mirror, Build-A-Bear, Cardinal Health, Greater Columbus Arts Council, Limbach, Pickens Fence, Shaklee Corporation, and Stedman Floor Company, Inc.
"While Groveport's mayor and council have certainly taken the lead in creating KidSpace," said Community Affairs Director Linda Haley, "the generosity of area companies helped make today possible. Without their financial and product support, the renovation of interior and exterior spaces wouldn't have been nearly so impressive."
Dedication events include children's karaoke and musical games with Front Page Entertainment, visits with Civil War re-enactors and Krash the Columbus Clippers' mascot, children's games, food vendors, children's cornhole, sidewalk chalk, time capsule, raffles for a birthday party package, Origami, Hip Hop demos, and scavenger hunt. Children can make painted tiles for $10 per tile to mount on the large mural at the building's entrance.
The annual Groveport Nature Fair will be held in conjunction with the opening of KidSpace. at Heritage Park, 551 Wirt Road. It will feature a free hayride around Palm Pond; a visit from Smokey Bear; displays by Metro Parks and Groveport's Nature Center; face painting and free crafts. The Nature Fair will from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
For information on Crooked Alley KidSpace, call Groveport Town Hall at (614) 836-3333 or visit www.groveport.org/sections/affairs/children.asp
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