Midwest Kidfest in Fargo, North Dakota

This year kids got to see the clowns, enjoy the magicians, play on the inflated play ground, watch a choir and play life sized games such as checkers. The kids also got to see up close some raptors from the University of Minnesota Raptor Center.

The Midwest Kidfest is held each year in the summer for the kids and families of Fargo North Dakota. It is a free festival celebrating kids and gathers kids in the thousands each year. In 2004 there was an estimated 12,000 attending during the one day event.

This year the Kidfest was held on June 17, 2005 at the Island Park in Downtown Fargo. And there were hundreds of kids at any one time going from booth to booth checking out the games and displays from local businesses, Law Enforcement and caring community organizations.

The raptors that the kids got to see were a variety of birds of prey such as the Great Horned Owl, the Red Tailed Hawk and the beautiful American Bald Eagle. The people from the Raptor Center answered questions and informed the awed audience about the birds and conservation of their environment.

The Raptor Center uses birds that have been too injured to be returned to the wild to educate the public at events just like the Midwest Kidfest about raptors and their importance to the environment.

The Raptor Center not only performs these community outreach programs but is a part of the universities College of Veterinarian Medicine that specializes in the medical care, rehabilitation, conservation, and study of eagles, hawks, owls, and falcons.

The kids loved being able to see a Bald Eagle up close and ask questions about them and their cousins, the Kestrel and Red Tailed Hawk. The program is repeated throughout the day for the different audiences that are there at different times of the day.

The life sized game is played on the grass that is marked off for that purpose. Kids got to play checkers and use pieces about three feet across. There are other games that volunteers help the kids play and have a great time.