ROCK ON!: Kids Like Us hosts inaugural summer festival
Published 2:52 pm Monday, July 30, 2018
Star Photo/Curtis Carden Kids Like Us Community Learning Center hosted the inagurual Summer Fest on Friday at Covered Bridge Park. Attendees were treated to a performance by students of the center. Pictured (from left) are Kids Like Us instructor Jordan Buchanan, Dalton Vector, Leandra Price and Katherine Napier.
Star Photo/Curtis Carden Price prepares to take a bow after singing to the crowd.
Star Photo/Curtis Carden One young attendee gets his arm painted at a vendor's booth.
Star Photo/Curtis Carden Volunteers from Kids Like Us offered various refreshments and other items Friday evening.
Star Photo/Curtis Carden Jackdaw's 7 opens up the fun at Summer Fest.
Star Photo/Curtis Carden Lisa Lyons, founder of Kids Like Us, speaks to the crowd.
Roughly eight months since opening to the public, the Kids Like Us Community Learning Center has continued to make an impact across the Tri-Cities.
Staff was able to showcase the hard work on Friday, July 27, for the inaugural Kids Like Us Summer Fest at Covered Bridge Park.
It was a long time coming for the facility, according to Kids Like Us founder Lisa Lyons. Summer Fest was scheduled a couple of months ago but inclement weather pushed the date to Friday.
Since its first day of operation, Kids Like Us — located at 106 Rogosin Drive in Elizabethton — has served as a site for children and young adults with special needs to come together and receive a fun, learning experience while parents and guardians take time to share stories and moments together in a positive atmosphere.
That attitude covered over to Friday as volunteers, students and the public all joined together for various activities scattered throughout the park.
Individuals looking for an example of the work done at the facility didn’t have to go far on Friday. Jackdaw’s 7 and Fortress rocked the stage with musical performances but in between performances, a trio of students made their way to the stage to strut their stuff for the crowd.
Lyons indicated that Dalton Vector, Leandra Price and Katherine Napier were a bit nervous when they learned about performing at the event. But as the days went on leading up to the event, Lyons added the students were able to flourish under the guidance of Jordan Buchanan.
Buchanan joined the students on stage for each of their performances, which were greeted by applause and cheers from the crowd.
“It’s such a great thing. I’m so proud of them,” Lyons said watching on from the crowd.
Encouraging involvement is one of the top priorities for Kids Like Us. Over the course of the summer, the center has offered a variety of summer camps that allow students to participate in different programs. Emergency personnel from across Carter County and Elizabethton visited the center during one set of camps to give students a first-hand look of what they do for the area. Another pair of projects that the students were involved with included making homeless bags and creating blankets for Kids Like Us supporter Cathy Sanders.
But action isn’t expected to drop off any time soon at the center, according to Lyons. Individuals wanting to learn more about the organization can visit the Kids Like Us Community Learning Center Facebook page.
