The first annual Children’s Day was a huge success! About 50,000 kids of all ages showed up at Woodley Park in Van Nuys to celebrate this momentous holiday that has finally come to the United States, one of only two countries in the world that does not acknowledge the holiday (the other is Somalia).
There were more stars there than in the sky! Fritz Coleman, from KNBC-TV, was an amazing host and kept the ball rolling from early morning until the last act left the stage. There were lots of kids from Disney Channel shows as well as young performers singing and dancing their way into people’s hearts. With such a tight-knit community of voice-actors at my disposal, I got the help from some of the best: Candi Milo (The Replacements, Jimmy Neutron), Tara Strong (The Rugrats, The Powerpuff Girls), Jeff Snow (animator, Tarzan, Mulan, Shrek 2), Richard Horvitz (Kim Possible, The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers), Rob Paulsen (Animaniacs, Pinky & the Brain), Grey Delisle (The Fairly Odd Parents, What’s New, Scooby-Doo?), Maurice LaMarche (Futurama, Animaniacs) and E.G. Daily (The Powerpuff Girls, Happy Feet). We did all our voices on stage and then signed autographs for 2 hours! A dedicated and very animated group!
Aaron Carter got shrieks from the girls in the audience. Mr. T was…..well, Mr. T. Jennifer Love Hewitt and her fiancé Ross McCall (Crash, Band of Brothers, The Polar Express), spoke to the crowd, Michael Peña (Lions for Lambs, Million Dollar Baby, Crash, Shooter) brought his family to enjoy the festivities, and Los Lobos rocked the house! And if sports is your game, there were certainly plenty of celebrities representing their arena: the Dodgers’ Kenny Landreaux and Laker AC Green couldn’t have been nicer, signing autographs all day long.
There were fire trucks, a Marine hummer, flyovers by LAFD water planes, an LAPD helicopter, a Dodgers race car from LA Experience, food for every taste, and booths, booths, booths. Happy House to the Anti-Gang Coalition, Optimists Club, LA Valley College Community Education and extension Program, “Kid Times,’ Boy Scouts of America, the LAPD, LAFD, and many more found this an effective way to reach families and kids in particular.
The Mayor and Governor sent representatives to deliver proclamations for the first Children’s Day and Deputy Chief of Police Michel Moore welcomed everyone and thanked those involved for their tremendous efforts, particularly Sergeant John Artes, Chaplain Ken Crawford and Officer Gonzo Lara who initiated what seemed to be an overwhelming task.
A terrific and huge team of people were behind the success of this amazing event including our own Carol and Mark Loweree, Andrea Vega, and a host of others.
