Hollywood Arts Council's 29th Annual Children's Festival Draws Nearly 5,000

The Hollywood Arts Council (HAC) presented their 29th Annual FREE Children's Festival of the Arts at Paramount Pictures in Hollywood on Sunday, August 10, 2014. Shauna McClure, Executive Director of the Hollywood Arts Council said, "This year's Children's Festival of the Arts was attended by a record high of around 5,000 people. The event was a total success! People whose parents attended the festival in the past are now bringing their own kids. The diversity of the crowd in attendance was truly amazing."

Casey McCabe, on-air talent for AMP Radio 97.1 FM served as the Event Emcee. Performers included: Lyte Dance Studio, Cleary Irish Dance, Thai Performance Group, The Amazing Dave (Magician Dave DeVito), Screen Actors Guild Foundation's BookPALS "storytime" readers - actors Jonathan Morgan Heit, Aly Mawji and Satya Vanii, Gevorkian Dance Academy, Plaza de la Raza Folklorico and The Stunt Kids of Hollywood.

Art Workshops included: Australian Aboriginal Dot Painting (Patty Sue Jones), Beaded Bracelets (Imani Afi), Puppet Making (Iris Strauss), Wind Chimes (Quan Yen Trang), Artist Trading Cards (Howard Marshall), Handcrafted Musical Instruments by Big Brazos World Village (Rachel Day), Screen Actors Guild Foundation's BookPALS "storytime" readings, Mask Making (Ana Miro of Zimmer Children's Museum), Wizard and Fairy Wands (Nicola Vruwink) and Calypso Shakers (Gayle Gale).

Among the 63 celebrities and VIPS in attendance were: Nyla and Oscar Arslanian, Sami Autry, Tara-Nicole Azarian, Brielle Barbusca, Thomas Barbusca, Dante Brown, Dusan Brown, Jayda Brown, Bugs Bunny, Saige Ryan Campbell, Majah Carberry, Cotton Top Tamarin (mascot for the Los Angeles Zoo), Paisley Dickey, McKenna Grace, Victoria Grace, Taylor Hay, Jonathan Morgan Heit, Molly Jackson, Jiff The Dog, Matthew Glen Johnson, Jennifer Jolliff, Josh Kurpies from the office of Assemblymember Richard Bloom, Councilmember Tom LaBonge, D'Janine Lasky, Merit Leighton, Abigail Zoe Lewis, Josefina López, Elise Luthman, Joey Luthman, Kayla Maisonet, Xolo Maridueña, Aly Mawji, Casey McCabe, Shauna McClure, Kamil McFadden, Mavrick Moreno, Matthew Nardozzi, Alexis Nolan, Marlowe Peyton, Chad Roberts, Ashley Romeo, Aliyah Royale, Bandon Tyler Russell, Kendall Ryan Sanders, Todd and Brooke Severson, Katie Silverman, Paris Smith, Dylan Riley Snyder, Louis Stancil, Sophia Strauss, Victoria Strauss, Lauren Suthers, Mia Talerico, Justin Tinucci, Haley Tju, Ashley Tramonte, Satya Vanii, Elias Washington, Danika Yarosh, Autumn Wendel and Gracie Whitton.

Josh Kurpies, Senior Field Representative from the office of Richard Bloom, Assemblymember, 50th District, State of California, presented Nyla Arslanian, President, and Shauna McClure, Executive Director of the Hollywood Arts Council respectively with a certificate of recognition for the organization's 36 years of service to the community. The Children's Festival is an annual celebration of the arts and culture in Hollywood.

This year's Festival was partially funded by the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, along with generosity of other sponsors including: Paramount Pictures, Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Screen Actors Guild Foundation's BookPALS, Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, Zimmer Children's Museum, Hollywood Hotel, Hollywood Hills West Neighborhood Council, AMP Radio 97.1 FM, Hollywood Studio District Neighborhood Council, East Hollywood Neighborhood Council, Barnsdall Arts, Councilmember Mitch O'Farrell, representing Los Angeles City Council District 13 and Councilmember Tom LaBonge, representing Los Angeles City Council District 4. Community Participants included Sweet! Hollywood and Page Private School.

The Hollywood Arts Council, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is an action-oriented organization that works for the benefit of the Hollywood community through the arts. Founded in 1978 to insure that the arts play a vital role in the revitalization plans then underway, the Hollywood Arts Council has been providing service to the Hollywood community, and artists and arts organizations working in Hollywood for 36 years.

Strongly linked to the Council's purpose to promote, nurture and support the arts is the belief that the arts revitalize people as well as communities. The annual Children's Festival of the Arts, now in it's 29th year, is held annually on the second Sunday of each August at Paramount Pictures. Project S.O.A.R. (Students Overcoming All Risks), the Council's arts workshops program, brings free performing and visual arts instruction and performances to thousands of children and their families every year.

The Council also created the Annual Awards Luncheon "The Charlies" to honor individuals and organizations for their significant contributions to the arts and Hollywood. Through the years, the Council has spearheaded many community arts projects. It also serves as a catalyst convening artists and arts organizations addressing issues of concern. Most recently it introduced the Stayin' Live initiative to address the loss of live theatre space in Hollywood. The Council promotes Hollywood's performing arts with a daily calendar of arts activities published in Discover Hollywood magazine and on its website www.hollywoodartscouncil.org. The Hollywood Arts Council can also be reached at www.facebook.com/HwArtsCouncil and on Twitter at @Hwartscouncil.

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