All Kids Fair returns with an in-person event this weekend: 6 ways to have fun

The annual All Kids Fair, which brings together vendors who offer activities for children and families, is returning to an in-person event on April 3 after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic.

The fair will be at the Samanea Mall in Westbury instead of its typical hotel venue so that classes and booths can be spread out among the food court and hallways, says director Barbara Kaplan. “We have an enormous amount of space,” she says.

In addition to more than 70 vendors offering information about Long Island summer camps, after-school programs and special needs options, birthday party venues and more, the fair will have three bounce houses, face painters, balloon artists and other entertainment. Activity areas will let children try out chorus class, fashion design, non-touch cardio boxing and more. Weather permitting, there will be an outdoor petting zoo and food trucks.

“It’s very much like a normal year for us,” Kaplan says. This would have been the 12th annual Kids Fair if not for the pandemic.

Here are six experiences to explore at the event:

Clown around. Clowns from Clowns.com will be entertaining families. But they aren’t the only characters scheduled to be on hand -- Mr. and Mrs. Mouse will meet-and-greet children, and Splish, the mascot of Splish Splash in Calverton, will make an appearance.

Explore music and sports. New York Fitness and Boxing of East Northport, for instance, which offers cardio-boxing classes for typical and special needs children ages 7 and older, will be offering kids at the fair the opportunity to learn the basics of a six-punch combination and to hit targets that instructors hold up. “Hopefully, they’ll walk away with some tips for boxing,” says co-owner Edwin Rivera.

Check out exhibitors. Stroll from booth to booth to get information from dozens of programs and venues that cater to Long Island children, including Goldfish Swim School and Saf-T-Swim, The Kiddie Clubhouse, Urban Air and Long Island Speech and Myofunctional Therapy.

Play video games. Dave & Buster’s Westbury is providing four games that will be free to play — Basketball Pro, Pac-Man, Monkey Ball and Gridiron Blitz. “It should be a lot of fun,” says Heath Nelson, general manager of Dave & Buster’s in Westbury.

Donate a book to vie for prizes. Each person who brings a new or gently used children’s book to donate to The Book Fairies — or contributes cash — will receive a raffle ticket for prizes including four pay-one-price admissions to Adventureland, a free month of karate lessons, a private group chess lesson for up to 10 students and more. The Book Fairies, based in Freeport, collects and redistributes books to underserved communities on Long Island and in New York City. “We’re grateful that they’re giving us the opportunity to be the charity of choice,” says Eileen Minogue, executive director. “It raises awareness as much as it’s fundraising for us.”

Take photos with baby goats. The outdoor petting zoo, brought to the event by Long Island Pony Parties & Petting Zoo of Medford, will include sheep, chickens, rabbits and goats. A separate enclosure will have a backdrop of hay bales and baby goats that will interact with children for photo opportunities, says owner John Meyer. “They can sit and take pictures with the goats on their laps,” Meyer says. The petting zoo will offer feed cups for a fee. There will also be an as-yet-undetermined charge to enter the baby goat enclosure, Meyer says.

By Beth Whitehouse

beth.whitehouse@newsday.comBethWhitehouse1

Beth Whitehouse writes about families, parenting and great things to do with the kids on Long Island. She’s been a Newsday editor and shared a 1997 Newsday staff Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the crash of TWA Flight 800.