Discovery Playhouse to host back-to-school themed carnival

Discovery Playhouse in downtown Cape Girardeau will be hosting its first back-to-school carnival Sept. 7.

Carnival entertainment will include face painting, clowns, balloon animals, a photo booth, a fortuneteller and new this year, a dunking booth, Discovery Playhouse program and operations manager Sydnee Woodruff said.

According to Woodruff, the idea for the carnival came about because Discovery Playhouse wanted to do something "to celebrate the end of summer." Woodruff said the facility has reached out to potential sponsors for some of the activities for the carnival. And one organization already has confirmed volunteers for the day's carnival -- students from Southeast Missouri State University.

But, she said, Discovery Playhouse is always looking for event volunteers.

"We're hoping for a good turn out," Woodruff said. "We're definitely going to need all the volunteers we can get. We are hoping that we can make this an annual event."

There will be a raffle for a free family membership, she said. "We'll also have people in costume to make it feel more real, and we will have a lion tamer and a lion."

All proceeds from the event will help cover the carnival expenses, she said, and will help sustain the funds for "cooler stuff" within the playhouse and for future events.

Because of the increase in participation and attendance within the community, Woodruff said they have been planning events every month.

And within the last few months, she said an exhibit specially tailored to children with special needs has been added to the facility.

"It's a small exhibit within our Pollywog Pond exhibit called the sensory station," Woodruff said. "We're still adding to it, but so far we have a sensory tent and a sensory wall. We're planning on getting some other small toys for our friends who play a little differently from the norm."

Other than that, she said, the facility is trying to improve upon what it already has while trying to acquire new toys for exhibits, and "making it look pretty in there."

"We actually do have an open exhibit space," she said. "We're trying to find a contractor for that and get it filled up."

She said the playhouse has been trying to host monthly Night at the Museum events for children, with different themes "so they can learn something new as well as play throughout the playhouse."

Tickets for the dunk booth are 50 cents and sold separately from the carnival admission tickets that start at $5 per person. All details can be found at the event's Facebook page.

jhartwig@semissourian.com

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