Don’t miss out on Snowest, December 17, 18, and 19
#BeavertonCivicTheatre
Remember being a kid and the feeling of excitement you had when playing in the snow? The carefree creativity of forming a snowperson, the reckless abandon of sledding down a hill, the way the hot chocolate would warm you afterwards, from the inside out, as you thawed out your fingers and toes…. oh, to be a kid again!
Beaverton Civic Theatre’s SnowFest, returning for its third year on December 17, 18, and 19, aims to tap into that playfulness and bring the community together through three days of free interactive programming that celebrates what makes the winter season special with storytelling, performances, and crafts for all ages.
“After over 1,500 people attended SnowFest in 2020, we saw that it was serving a need in the community,” said BCT’s Producing Artistic Director Melissa Riley. “Seeing multiple generations of family members together on the screen making crafts, playing games, and bringing characters to life was one of the most rewarding parts of putting this experience together – and indicated that we should continue to expand our programming in 2021.”
One of SnowFest’s partners, the Beaverton City Library, echoes this sentiment. “One thing I love about SnowFest is how it brings so many folks together!” said Children’s Librarian Jennifer Wolf. “I see families who come to Library Zoom Storytimes, kiddos from Music Together, students from our local schools and more, all enjoying celebrating winter wherever they are, with whatever they have around. It brings me so much joy.”
As SnowFest looks to engage even more members of the community in 2021, the line-up is expanding beyond early literacy to provide programming tailored for our senior population. A key partner in this effort is Sweet Lemonade Productions, which has produced a number of virtual performances featuring local volunteers for retirement communities around the area, run by Beaverton resident Kimberley Battad, “Our mission from the start was to reach out to the people who didn’t have the accessibility with the arts community that other did, including retirement and assisted living homes, so it’s wonderful to team up with more creative forces and reach out to these residents.”
In addition to storytimes and crafts, which have been a core component of SnowFest’s schedule, this year will feature performances and gameshow-style trivia games to engage a wide range of ages and provide more opportunities for volunteers to perform and contribute behind the scenes.
Returning partner Kayla Hughes of Music Together Resonate is looking forward to singing and dancing with even more people at this year’s SnowFest. “Music has a way of bringing people together, amazingly enough, even from different living rooms!”
SnowFest is free to attend, but pre-registration is required to receive the links for the Zoom programs. Visit www.beavertoncivictheatre.org for registration, the full event schedule, and more information. SnowFest is made possible by the generous support of the City of Beaverton Arts Program.
