The second annual Lake Huron Children’s Festival a hit

Splash'N Boots performed to an enthusiastic crowd at the second annual Lake Huron Children's Festival, June 9 at The Plex in Port Elgin.

Hub Staff

A wet start to the day did nothing to dampen the spirits of children and adults alike as they arrived by the hundreds to The Plex in Port Elgin for the second annual Lake Huron Children's Festival, July 9, with proceeds going towards the Port Elgin Splash Pad.

The main event at this year's festival was Treehouse Television's Splash'N Boots. The Children's music duo is broadcast daily into millions of homes across the country and has performed over 2,000 shows across North America as well as internationally. They have been nominated for Children's Album of the Year at the Juno Awards for the past three years and are three time Canadian Children's Music Group of the Year winners.

Taes Leavitt (Boots), who lives in Toronto and is originally from near Ottawa, said it was her first visit to Port Elgin. “It's so cute. It's really nice,” she said adding that they had travelled up the day before the festival. “We came up and went to MacGregor Point and went for a swim. We had a really good dinner at The Woodpecker.”

Leavitt said they started Splash'N Boots on a street corner in Kingston, Ontario. “We had exactly two people at our first show and one of them was my dad.” She added that they were really excited to now be on Treehouse.

Nick Adams (Splash) had just been informed by his mom, who had travelled from the London area for the festival, that he had actually been to Port Elgin before. “I just found out that as a kid we came here on vacation as a little 4 year old,” he said.

After their performance Adams said the Saugeen Shores crowd had been great. “They were totally enthusiastic and the parents were great too which shows the sign of a nice community, when the parents are singing and dancing along with their kids,” he said. “They were great. Energetic and right on the edge of crazy, which we love.”

After the show VIP ticket holders got to go backstage to meet Splash'N Boots in person and have their pictures taken with them. Also on hand backstage for photographs was Paw Patrol's Marshall and Skye.

With a whole host of other activities and vendors taking place both inside and outside, there was something for everyone. A bouncy wonderland, a magic show, face painting and life size games as well as emergency response vehicles to explore were just some of the attractions on offer.

The Port Elgin & District Lion's Club also held a barbecue, the proceeds from which were going to the Splash Pad, was a popular stop with several other vendors on hand offering refreshments and a variety of treats.

A total of 650 tickets had been sold prior to the event, with further tickets being sold at the door. The VIP tickets on offer were a popular item as they sold out within 48 hours of going on sale.

The total funds raised were not available at the time of publishing but the committee hopes to have the Port Elgin Splash Pad open in time for Canada Day, 2017 as part of Canada's 150th birthday celebrations.

Children were thrilled as Boots (Taes Leavitt) of the Canadian Juno nominated duo, Splash'N Boots came off stage to dance and sing with them at the second annual Lake Huron Children's Festival, July 9.

Paw Patrol characters, Skye (Left) and Marshall were a popular attraction at the Lake Huron Children's Festival.

Five year old Maeve had her face painted by Teena Lemieux of Face the Art, while her twin brother, Brechyn patiently waited his turn.

Two year old Brett (front) and his twin brother, Blake from Port Elgin were having fun in the driver's seat of a Saugeen Shores fire truck at the Lake Huron Children's Festival at The Plex, July 9.