Brockton's Busker Festival in Walkerton
August and September provide families with a vast array of inexpensive,
family oriented, community activities.
Activities that support the development of assets in our children, the
building blocks that our children need to be successful community minded adults. Specifically going to community fairs and
festivals teaches our children about the:
“Constructive
use of time through out-of-home and community programs”
and
“Social
competencies as they develop cultural awareness”
On August 17, 2013 Walkerton Ontario held just such a full filled
day – the Annual Busker Festival. This
event happens the third Saturday of August and will occur again on August 16th,
2014.
Walkerton closes down the main street and turns it into three
blocks of nonstop fun for children and adults alike. The admission is $3.00 per child and for this
fee the children are given a plastic arm band that then gets them into and on
all of the venues.
This makes Busker
Fest one of the most economical festivals that I have been to this year.
Too often fall fairs and festivals will advertise that
admission is free and then host a pay per ride midway.
This means that while portions of the events
are open to all socioeconomic levels the “fun” part, the part that children are
drawn too is beyond what poverty and working class families can afford. With the result that too often parents and/or grandparents spend money that has been allocated for housing,
bills and food.
At Brockton’s Busker Festival for $3.00 every child had
equal opportunity to have:
Cotton candy
Their face painted
Large balloon sculpture
Play on all the rides
Take part in all the games
As Grandparents and Parents it is important that we support
local fairs and festivals that provide equal opportunity for children
regardless of their parent’s ability to pay for expensive rides and games.
As a society we need to ensure that poverty and
low income does not keep community children from participating in the life of
the community.
In Ontario CA low income is defined as an individual income
of $30,000 or less, or a family income of $78,000 or less.
Poverty is
defined as an individual income of $ $18,669.00 or less and a family income of
$27,562 or less.
All individuals living
on Ontario Disabilities, Ontario Works, and Old Age Pension have an annual
individual income of less than $18,669.00 and a family income of less than $27,562, by government design.
All of these stats mean that events like the
Brockton’s Busker Festival are important to the children and families
who struggle daily with the reality of low income and poverty. If you want to read more on how Ontario Canada is doing on the issue of poverty visit this site We are Ontario / Falling Behind a PDF document.
As Grandparents Paul and I had a great time at the Brockton’s Busker Festival and we hope to see you at the 2014 event with your Grandchildren.
Grandma Snyder
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