Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Rain can't dampen Kidsfest's success

Kids didn’t care about the wet weather.

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Kids didn’t care about the wet weather. (JANEK LOWE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS)

IF there's one refrain you'll rarely hear from a kid, it's that the rain spoils all of the fun.

That's why thousands of kids dragged their parents to The Forks for the Winnipeg International Children's Festival, even if was miserable and raining.

The full tally isn't in, but about 22,500 people took in the four-day festival, said Kidsfest executive producer Neal Rempel.

Considering the soggy weather, it's an impressive result, he said.

"It wasn't the greatest weather we hoped for, but we're used to it and the audience is used to it," Rempel said Sunday night. "They keep coming out.

"I've never met a kid who didn't like jumping in a puddle. It's a matter of getting the adults to get their raincoats on and get the kids out of the house," he said.

Rempel said the monster hit at the festival, now in its 28th year, was Bobs and Lolo, a female singing duo whose videos air on uber-popular Treehouse TV.

"I didn't realize they'd be so hugely popular, but they were a huge, huge hit," Rempel said.

Other popular entertainers at the festival included Swing, a pop duo from Quebec, and Hilby, the Skinny German Juggle Boy.

Not to mention Winnipeg's best-loved family entertainers: Fred Penner, Al Simmons and Jake Chenier.

"It was a nice balance of music and comedy and dance," said Rempel.

"Winnipeg loves its festivals, there's no doubt about that," he said. "Weather doesn't stop people from supporting the festivals. We have a really intelligent audience in Winnipeg and that's why we have worked so hard to produce a quality lineup and not let them down that way."

Rempel coolly credited the continued success of the festival to not only his genius, but his team of 800 volunteers.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition June 14, 2010 B1

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