Within two weeks, most of the kids in Tucson will begin the slow, painful, angst-ridden march back to the classroom.
The Tucson Unified School District rings the bell Aug. 4. They have a few extra days in Marana — they go back Aug. 8 — but if you’re in the Sunnyside Unified School District, you are days away from the first day of the 2016-17 school year on July 27.
So think of the Loft Cinema’s eight-day Kids Fest Saturday, July 23, through July 31 as summer’s last hurrah.
The fun starts with kids activities and games at 9:15 a.m. each day. At 10, The Loft will screen a different movie — nine in all — from the Disney classic “Despicable Me” to Tim Burton’s slightly twisted “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Throw in classic Looney Tunes cartoons and the big-screen version of girl power superheroes “The Powerpuff Girls” and you have enough variety to keep even Mom and Dad’s attention.
With the Kids Fest now in its 10th year. The Loft is looking to draw an even larger audience than the nearly 4,000 who attended last year.
There will be games, themed activities, movies and as much popcorn as you can eat. The best thing about the Kids Fest? Everything is free.
“We try to make an appeal to every family and make it as welcoming as possible,” says Loft program director Jeff Yanc.
The Loft hosts special events throughout the year, but this is the nonprofit’s signature event tailored just for kids.
“It’s nine days straight focused on kids,” Yanc said. “The kids go berserk.”
Some popular activities the Loft will bring back from previous Kids Fests include watching Looney Tunes cartoons and handing out carrots; and an all-time favorite that guarantees lots of gasps and amazement from the kids — rocket balloon launches in the theater.
The theater seats 500 people, and those seats get filled on a first-come first-served basis. The Loft expects weekend movies to draw more attention and suggests arriving early to guarantee seats.
Every year, The Loft tries to include at least one foreign film in this mix. This year’s pick is the 1974 British-American fantasy-musical “The Little Prince,” based on the 1943 classic French children-adult’s novella “Le Petit Prince” by the writer, poet and pioneering aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. The author famously disappeared as World War II was drawing to a close, some 15 months after his fable was first published.
“The Little Prince” was a box office bomb when it was released in theaters, but grew to be a classic.
The Kids Fest also will include a free raffle for a $50 gift certificate to Mildred & Dildred Toy Store in La Encantada, 2905 E. Skyline Drive. Prizes will be given out daily.
“We have had a tremendous amount of success with The Kids Fest and enjoy being a part of the last blast kids can indulge in before going back to school,” Yanc said.
The Loft’s Kids Fest is sponsored by Trail Dust Town, Long Realty Cares and Ortho Pros.
