Willow Glen Resident

Community

Not running in Founder's Day race? Children can do art projects instead

By Laura Rheinheimer

As feet hit the pavement to run the Founder's Day race, little hands can create artwork in downtown Willow Glen. ArtHouse Kids owners Mary Lea Adams and Julie Stover will use the revival of Founder's Day after a four-year break to provide a full array of activities for children, teenagers and adults.

The crafty duo is organizing a Kid's Zone from 8 a.m. to noon in the side parking lot of Jamba Juice, which will offer everything from soccer and basketball to hair coloring and clay modeling.

"It's something all kids can do, not just older kids but teeny kids too," Stover said.

Stover and Adams enlisted the efforts of local volunteers and businesses that are donating supplies and time to bring the activities together.

Stover and Adams will host an ArtHouse Kids table, where children can do art projects, and volunteers will help children and teenagers make collages, clay sculptures and water color paintings.

The ArtHouse Kids store is at the north end of Lincoln Avenue, so it's nice to get involved in the downtown events, Adams said, especially one with rich history like Founder's Day.

"I just want to see Founder's Day come back as a real community institution," Stover said.

Work of Heart owner Andrea Chebeleu, who gives lessons on creating journals in her Willow Street studio, will also donate her time. She will help people make jeweled pens.

Soccer Mainia owner Alec Main plans to bring his coaching skills to the court. He will teach children how to juggle balls with their feet and set up an area where people can lightly kick around soccer balls. Main said he will also promote his upcoming fall soccer coaching classes at an information booth.

The sports won't stop there. Recreation Plus, a Campbell-based organization, will let children shoot hoops for prizes. Executive director Greg Lecount said the organization will also collect donations for "Stranger Danger," a safety-awareness program, and Healthy Eating and Living, a health-awareness program.

Volunteers from the Willow Glen Elementary PTA will create "crazy hair," braiding and spraying on color and adding beads.

Students from the ArtHouse Kids teen class will use their artistic abilities to paint faces with colorful designs, and local artist and ArtHouse Kids instructor Christine Benjamin will give lessons on illustration.

Willow Glen Petroglyph store manager Faith Reyes said the store will orchestrate a painting activity geared toward young children.

Past Founder's Day events have included more activities than what will be offered Sept. 24, but some community members are happy just to see it back. The initial push to reintroduce the celebration honoring the 1927 incorporation of Willow Glen was put into motion when Willow Glen Runners' Supply co-owner Lance Maurer wanted to hold a race in Willow Glen.

But not everybody wants to run, so the activity zone allows families to spend the morning downtown and be a part of the celebration.