Roaring Youth Jam capturing carnival magic at the Greenbelt Riverwalk in 2023
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IDAHO FALLS — The Roaring Youth Jam will celebrate its 22nd year by hosting a three-day event centered around creativity and letting your artistic abilities soar.
Organized by the Idaho Falls Arts Council, the event allows children to participate in creative art projects centered around a carnival theme. They’ll do projects such as watercolor popcorn, a carnival windsock and a carnival monoprint.
“It’s important for us to offer art activities to the community for free so that people can come in and participate in lots of different kinds of art at no cost. The arts council runs 10 art booths as part of the event, and each one has a different project for kids to do,” says Georgina Goodlander, the Visual Arts Director for the Idaho Falls Arts Council. “We usually try to design them around a different theme, so this year is ‘fun at the carnival,’ so all of the art projects will be carnival-inspired.”
The event will include carnivalesque entertainment such as stilt-walkers, jugglers, musicians and acrobats.
“We try to add other fun things too, along with the theme, so this year we have some stilt walkers and a professional juggler coming up, and they’ll be kind of roaming up and down, taking photos with people and doing little performances,” says Goodlander. “We have somebody coming who is going to teach the kids how to juggle. Kids can also make their own juggling balls to take home as part of that. They’ll do a quick 30-minute lesson and try and learn how to juggle, and things like that.”
The Idaho Falls Arts Council is a non-profit that owns and operates the Willard Arts Center, the Colonial Theater, and the ARTitorium on Broadway, creating opportunities for locals and their children to flex their art muscles and create memories.
“It’s a really fun experience, whether you plan to come for just an hour or if you want to spend a day there,” says Goodlander. “We are in the shadier part of the riverwalk, so if you’re worried about the heat, we are in the shadier area.”
With families who have little ones in mind, the event will include a “Toddler Tent” this year, providing a space for parents to take a break and for toddlers to engage in their own art projects.
“This year for the first time, we’re providing what we’re calling a Toddler Tent, which is a large, shaded space for parents of little ones if they need a break,” says Goodlander. “It will be gated so you can let your kids run around a little bit, take a break, sit down, have a drink of water. And there will be some activities for toddlers in that space as well.”
The event will also include food vendors and run alongside the Idaho Falls Farmer’s Market on Saturday morning.
The Roaring Youth Jam will take place on Aug. 10, 11 and 12 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Check out the Artitorium website for more information.