Kids all smiles at 2nd annual Maricopa Salsa Festival Presented by 85239.com

Children and their families poured in by the hundreds to participate in the 2nd annual Maricopa Salsa Festival Presented by inmaricopa.com. Along with great vendor giveaways and fabulous homemade salsas to taste, the festival featured an impressive children’s section that included a bouncy house, an 18-foot bouncy slide and numerous carnival-style games for the children to enjoy.

Twenty-month-old Isabel McClure liked watching players in the Kids Zone.

The bouncy slide made five-year-old Kylee Kinoshita very happy.

Children were amazed by the 15-foot bounce house and 18-foot slide donated by Pump It Up. The only dilemma kids faced was deciding which one to try out first!

Pump it Up supplied the 15- foot bouncy house and 18- foot bouncy slide.

There was some serious jumping going on in the bouncy house.

The bouncy slide proved to be quite a ride.

Alissa Diehnelt was all giggles after taking her turn on the slide.

Community of Hope Church sponsored Kids Zone, which hosted 12 carnival-style games and over 3,000 prizes for game participants. Games included everything from Pin the Tail on the Donkey to a very popular simulated cow-milking contest that had kids and grown-ups alike cheering the contestants on.

Izayah Youhan, 2, took a swing at the “test your strength” giraffe.

Lillian Payne worked hard to pin the tail on the right part of the donkey.

Thomas Holmes, with dad Kevin, gave this carnival game his best shot.

Another favorite at the Salsa Festival was face painting, or, in this case, arm painting provided by Mr. Jim, better known as Footz the Clown. Smiling kids left with designs ranging from ice cream cones to lizards painted on their arms.

Sabrina Gonzalez was all smiles when Mr. Jim painted her arm with a beautiful design (below).

For kids and adults who were hot and needed something cool, the perfect solution was Calvary Chapel‘s snow cone booth. The very popular booth, which at times sported a line 50 people deep, offered pink bubblegum, grape, and blue raspberry flavors.

Jace (left) and Stephen Eyman along with Damon Shaw took time to enjoy their snow cones and just “hang out.”

The popularity of their snow cones kept the Calvary Chapel workers very busy.

Many vendors offered kid-friendly activities, such as Maricopa ATA Black Belt Academy. At their booth, the academy members challenged children to ‘break a board’ with a kick and a ‘haaaa-yaaaa’, and, surprisingly enough, there were no losers! Wells Fargo Bank brought someone special with them; if children looked closely, they could see Jack, Wells Fargo Bank’s shaggy dog mascot (Brian Hahn) walking around, greeting kids with handshakes and hugs.

Maricopa ATA Black Belt Academy gave kids a rare opportunity — to break things!

Natasha Nechvatal got a hug from Jack, the Wells Fargo dog.

Parents had many wonderful things to say about the salsa festival. Jennifer Payne commented, “This is our first time at the salsa festival, and we’re having a good time.”

Scott Kinoshita had this to say when asked what he thought of the kids’ activities, “They were great for kids,” he said, “because it kept the kids entertained, and everything was free.”

It was a family outing for the Manoguerra clan, (left to right) Gail Kinoshita, Mark and Traci Manoguerra with son Cameron.

The Maricopa Salsa Festival Presented by inmaricopa.com created the perfect opportunity for sponsors, vendors, salsa competitors and families to come together and enjoy the day in Maricopa. With brilliant kids’ activities, the festival brought smiles to children’s faces. After all, happy kids equal happy families — always a recipe for a fantastic event!

Another favorite at the Salsa Festival was face painting, or, in this case, arm painting provided by Mr. Jim, better known as Footz the Clown. Smiling kids left with designs ranging from ice cream cones to lizards painted on their arms.