The “Kid’s Zone” at the Jenks Academy for the Arts and Sciences, a perennially favorite part of Chestnut Hill’s Home & Garden Festival, is back again this year to offer children a chance to rip off their shoes and run to the bounce house while most of the adults are strolling the festive tents set up along Germantown Avenue.
The school is once again taking over this portion of the festival, at the invitation of the Chestnut Hill Business Association.
“Jenks Academy has been a terrific partner with our signature festival events over the last year,” said Courtney O’Neill, CHBA’s executive director. “We are grateful for the hard work of all the volunteers who create a special family friendly area that brings even more fun to our annual Home & Garden Festival. We love the collaboration with Jenks Academy.”
The Fun Fest is geared towards children 10 and under, and will take place in the school yard alongside the playground at Jenks, located at 8301 Germantown Ave. The extravaganza will feature an inflatable obstacle course and giant slide, carnival games, face-painting, raffle baskets, music, and dancing, and parents will be able to enjoy food trucks and sit while their children play. There will be plenty of family-friendly snacks for sale, and food trucks will offer plenty of variety for adults as well children. Topping it all off will be performances by the Jenks Step Team, the DIAMONDS, and local dance studio SNAPCo, which offers dance and theater classes.
"We are thrilled to host our annual Jenks Fun Fest during this year's Home and Garden Festival! Our schoolyard provides a wonderful space for families to gather and socialize while their children play games and enjoy the bouncies - as well as our beloved playground. We encourage families to consider purchasing an all-you-can-bounce wristband (proceeds benefit the school!) so they can pop in and out of our Fun Fest while visiting the vendors along Germantown Avenue," said Emily Plowman, president of the Friends of Jenks, a Jenks parent, and a Chestnut Hill resident.
The Fun Fest is organized by the combined efforts of the Friends of Jenks and the Jenks Home and School Association, and will be run by a team of volunteers that includes staff, faculty, and students.
This will be a second Fun Fest for Jenks Academy principal Corinne Scioli, who said she thoroughly enjoyed last year’s event.
“We are so appreciative of the Chestnut Hill Business Association and their willingness to help put the FUN in fundraising! We look forward to a successful and enjoyable event,” Scioli said.
The Jenks Fun Fest will have a ticket tent so that families can purchase tickets for the many festivities being offered. All proceeds will benefit the Jenks Academy, a K-8 elementary school that is part of the School District of Philadelphia. For more information, or to ask about sponsorship opportunities during the Fun Fest and ways you can donate or volunteer, or to ask about sponsorship opportunities for the bouncies and seating area, please visit friendsofjsjenks.org/funfest.
