Tot Rockers – Cleveland Kids Dance & the Coolest Parties in Cle

By John Benson

When most folks attend a show at the Beachland Ballroom, they don’t stop, look around the room and think, “Wouldn’t it be cool if we had toddler and preschool-age kids here for some fun?”

However, that’s exactly the idea Collinwood mom Kimberly Homan, an area chef who was working at the Beachland, not only conceived last year but has been spearheading with the Cleveland Kids Dance events taking place at the popular indie rock club. The youthful parties each feature a theme, related craft, DJs spinning music, healthy snacks, a raffle and more. Cool Cleveland talked to Homan about the unique, Elmo-friendly affair.

Cool Cleveland: First of all, how did you dream up Cleveland Kids Dance?

Kimberly Homan: I used to work at the Beachland, and I talked to people all of the time who said they didn’t get to go there enough and that they wished there were more things they could bring their kids to. So it got cold outside and I talked to [Beachland Ballroom co-owner] Cindy [Barber] and asked if there was a way to open up the Ballroom and invite a bunch of kids over and let them run around and get out some winter energy. This was in January. She was totally into it. We sent out some invitations, did a press release and we had over 220 kids show up.

What did we learn from that experience?

We learned there’s definitely a demand, especially in the winter, for fun cheap kids stuff to do. We threw crafts in so it kind of gave kids a goal while they’re there. That way they’re not just running around like crazy maniacs. We tried to do something like a puppet show or a book reading during every event.

Prior to staging the two Cleveland Kids Dance events that already took place, did you have any experience working with kids?

Not really, other than raising my 2-and-a-half-year-old. I’m a chef, so I’ve worked in the restaurant industry and the hospitality industry for almost my whole life. I know what it takes to throw an event together. You have to be coordinated and you have to plan it and you have to execute it. That’s it.

What are the adults saying about Cleveland Kids Dance?

The parents like [that] there is something organized to it and that we do crafts usually out of recycled materials. We have things that draw the kids’ attention to the environment or being healthy and active. The parents also like we don’t charge them. They’re kind of along for the ride. And it’s really cheap. You kind of get a lot of bang for your buck. We put out free snacks, a whole spread of crackers and vegetables and fruits and then they have the option of doing the crafts. We don’t charge anything extra for that.

Tell us about this DJ.

We have music at every event. Actually my husband takes care of the music. He had a nice mix of They Might Be Giants and also music parents can relate to like ELO, something that really anybody can boogie to.

Please tell us the kids aren’t hopped up on Red Bull.

We don’t offer that. We have juice boxes.

The notion of holding a kids event at the Beachland Ballroom means there are going to be hipster preschoolers (think Stewie from Family Guy) going to daycare the day after a party saying, “Dude, went to the Beachland for a crazy show. It was crazy, bro.”

Oh sure, well, we want all kinds of kids there. There were a lot of hipster parents there but there were also grandmothers and others. We get a whole range of different kind of people. We’re not too snobby, we want all kinds of kids to come and hang out and have a good time.

Finally, it appears as though the Cleveland Kids Dance events are here to stay.

Yeah, I hope so. That’s kind of the plan to do it once a month. We have these five events planned so we’ll see how it goes from there.

Upcoming Cleveland Kids Dance events, which mostly run from noon to 3pm, include:

Sat 7/14 – Super Hero Party
Sun 8/12 – Fairy Tale Ball
Sat 9/8 – Yoga PJ Party
Sat 10/6 – Kiddie Karaoke
Sun 10/28 – Halloween Spooktacular!

For more information, visit http://Facebook.com/ClevelandKidsDance.


Freelance writer John Benson spends most of his time writing for various papers throughout Northeast Ohio.

When he’s not writing about music or entertainment, he can be found coaching his two boys in basketball, football and baseball or watching movies with his lovely wife, Maria. John also occasionally writes for CoolCleveland.com.

 

 

 

 

Cleveland, OH 44110

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