KFOG Concert For Kids (Pre-Sale Info)

Hi Everyone,

For those of you that love to contribute to a worthy cause (Children!) or for those of you that simply like to listen to music from a beloved 90's band, there is an upcoming concert for you!

Starting tomorrow morning at 10:00 am all the way through Saturday at 10:00 pm, the local radio station KFOG will be pre-selling tickets to their KFOG Concert For Kids.  Santa Barbara's very own Toad the Wet Sprocket, Dawes, Serena Ryder and Brett Denne will be performing.  You can access the link for a ticket purchase on their KFOG Website.

The KFOG Concert For Kids proceeds benefit The Children's Hospital of Oakland and KFOG is asking attendees if they could bring a new, unwrapped book or toy to the show to donate to the Toys For Tots Program.

The concert will be held on Saturday, December 7th at San Francisco's Nob Hill Masonic Theater.  The doors will be opening at 6:00 pm and the music starts at 7:00 pm. The tickets are $25 and $45 each.  Gold Circle Tickets are $100 and include seats in the first 5 rows and a copy of the new KFOG Live From The Archives 20 CD. 

- Andrew

 

Last-Minute Bay Area Halloween Activities!

Hello Readers,

It has been a while since I posted my last blog for Nor Cal Kids, but I'm back!  

Now seems to be as good of a time as ever to return, as the Bay Area is jam-packed with fun Halloween Activities for families.

Haunt The Hollow - Happy Hollow Park and Zoo

The first event that i wanted to report on is the 17th annual "Haunt the Hollow" that is being held tomorrow (October 27th) from 1:00 - 4:00 pm at Happy Hollow Park And Zoo in San Jose.  The event will include Trick-or-Treating throughout the Park & Zoo for children, so make sure that your children bring a bag to collect their treats!  Below is a list of mentioned activities:

• Corn Maze
• Two inflatable Fun Houses
• Kiddie Carnival area 
• Fall fun crafts
• Story Time at 11:30am
• Special animal meet & greets
• Special entertainment at 1pm & 3pm
• "The Halloween Spooktacular" show by Liberty Dance Company at 12:30
• Dan Chan the Magic Man Performance @ 2:30pm
• Ruby Studio StoryTime and Craft from 2pm - 4pm

All activities are included with with paid admission and are free for Happy Hollow Members!  There is a $6.00 fee for all reciprocal Members with a $12.95 fee for Non-members / General Admission.

As I run across more of these last minute kid-focused activities, I will make sure to report on them accordingly!

- Andrew

Ideas for Bay Area Birthday Parties (San Jose, Oakland, Morgan Hill,Felton, Gilroy)

Hi Everyone,

Nothing can be as stressful to a parent as planning for your child's birthday party.  What I've done is to compile some ideas of local sites that host birthday parties with a wide range of options and associated costs. It goes without saying that some of the listed locations are better suited for toddlers and others for adolescents.  If you have had an experience with any of the listed choices, whether good or bad, then please feel free to leave your comments.

Thanks and good luck!

- Andrew

• The Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose (San Jose/ Interactive Museum)
• Gilroy Gardens (Gilroy/ Amusement Park) 
• Happy Hollow Zoo & Park (San Jose/ Amusement Park)
• Pump It Up (Morgan Hill/ Play Facility)
• Roaring Camp Railroads (Felton/ Railroad)
• Oakland Zoo (Oakland/ Zoo)
• San Jose Giants (San Jose/ Baseball Park)
• Sharks Ice at San Jose (San Jose/ Ice Skating Facility)
• Oakland A's (Oakland/ Baseball Park)
• LOL Parties @ Silver Creek SportsPlex (San Jose/ Play Facility)
• Raging Waters (San Jose/ Water Park)
• The Tech Museum of Innovation (San Jose/ Interactive Museum)
• Cuchina Bambini (San Jose/ Children's Culinary Facility)

Food (Free!) - Today Is Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry's!

Hi Everyone,

Today is Free Cone Day at all participating Ben & Jerry’s Stores! Free Cone Day is something they’ve been doing since 1979 when Ben and Jerry celebrated their first year of business!  Ben and Jerry wanted to thank everyone for their support in the best way they knew how; with free ice cream!

Needing to locate a participating Scoop Shop near you?  No problem - just head to their Scoop Shop Locator and we'll hook you up!

Enjoy your free cone!

Movies (Shorts) - Disney's "A Car's Toon - Hiccups"

Hello,

For those of you that enjoy The Cars Movies from Disney/ Pixar, as well as the occasional short films that they produce (i.e., Mater's Tall Tales) then you will be happy to hear about the most recent release called "Hiccups".  It is part of a new line of Car's-based Shorts under the "Tales From Radiator Springs" Line.  As soon as new shorts become available, then I will make sure to post them here.

Enjoy!

Movies - Sneak Peek of new Disney Movie

Hi Everyone,

Here is a sneak peek of the upcoming Disney Movie "Planes"!

From above the world of “Cars” comes “Disney’s Planes,” an action-packed 3D animated comedy adventure featuring Dusty (voice of Dane Cook), a plane with dreams of competing as a high-flying air racer. But Dusty’s not exactly built for racing—and he happens to be afraid of heights. So he turns to a seasoned naval aviator who helps Dusty qualify to take the defending champ of the race circuit. Dusty’s courage is put to the ultimate test as he aims to reach heights he never dreamed possible, giving a spellbound world the inspiration to soar. “Disney’s Planes” takes off in theaters in 3D on Aug. 9, 2013, and will be presented in Disney Digital 3D™ in select theaters.

Activities - Interactive Iron Man 3 Exhibit (Hall of Armors) Coming to Disneyland!

Have you (or your kids) ever wanted to tour Tony Stark's (a.k.a., Iron Man!) workshop yourself? Now you'll have your chance!

To celebrate the upcoming release of "Iron Man 3," which opens in theaters and IMAX 3D May 3, an exciting new exhibit is coming to Innoventions at Disneyland park in California, featuring actual set pieces from the film!

Beginning April 13, "Iron Man Tech Presented by Stark Industries" will give Disneyland park guests the chance to see Tony Stark’s Hall of Armor, featuring Iron Man suits Mark I-VII, the same suits featured in "Iron Man 3." And you will even be able to virtually "suit up" yourself! Through simulation technology, guests will be able to see what it’s like to operate the latest pieces of the Mark 42 Iron Man armor, even getting the chance to test out its infamous repulsor blasts.

Come experience "Iron Man Tech Presented by Stark Industries" when it opens at Innoventions in Disneyland park April 13, and stay tuned to Marvel.com for more on this awesome exhibit and all things "Iron Man 3" before it soars into theaters and IMAX 3D May 3! The exhibit will be available for a limited engagement and it will end in September off this year.

Activities - The Tech Museum: Star Wars Exhibit!

Well, after a much needed hiatus, I'm back!  One of the cooler Tech Museum Events recently popped up on my calendar and I think that it will be a big draw for kids, but especially for us parents that were a) born in the Star Wars Era or b) sci-fi fans. 

The Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination Tour is wrapping up with a limited-stop at The Tech Museum.  The exhibit will kick-off on October 19th, 2013 and it will last until February 23rd, 2014. 

Here is a description of the event itself:
"This 10,000-square-foot exhibition explores the futuristic technologies depicted in the Star Wars® films: -- the real science behind them, and the research that might someday lead to real-life versions of the technologies seen in the series. Topics range from space travel, mechanical prosthetics, robotics, and levitation technology."

"See more than 80 authentic costumes, models, and props from all 6 Star Wars® films plus interactive exhibits and design labs related to real-world technologies. Defy gravity, manipulate robots, engineer droids, and lots more in the exhibition that makes its final stop on its international tour at The Tech Museum of Innovation."

Here is the link to purchase tickets and the prices are $22 for adults, and $12 for children ages 3 - 17.  In order to purchase the tickets, remember to scroll to the month that you would like to purchase the tickets for and then select the actual date (again, it starts on Oct. 19th.).  The pricing should populate at the bottom.

Below, I've posted a few fan photos from some previous stops of the event.