Kid Picks for Bedford

by Shawn Parikh

So it's the middle of summer and the kids need things to do before going back to school. Here are a few things that'll keep them busy along with a 4th of July celebration that the whole family will enjoy:

• ONSTAGE in Bedford is opening their G-rated show, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court this weekend and will run until July 14. The show is about Hank Morgan, a teenager who works on his school’s stage crew, and is knocked out and finds himself transported back to the thrilling days of King Arthur where he predicts a lunar eclipse and is hailed as a great wizard. He is knighted "Sir Boss" and sets about modernizing Camelot but the King’s half-sister plots against the kingdom. The show plays Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. with a Saturday matinee at 2:00 p.m. Tickets ($10-12) can be purchased online or by calling 817-354-6444.
• The Bedford Public Library is offering Summer Movie Madness every Tuesday until July 31 at 2:00 p.m. The free movies include: Herbie Fully Loaded (July 3), Chicken Little (July 10), Tuck Everlasting (July 17), Hoodwinked (July 24), and Happy Feet (July 31).
• The Boys Ranch Activity Center offers some great summer Mad Sciene Camps for ages 6-12, costing $160 per kid. The next camp on the schedule is Red Hot Robots from July 16 - 20 from 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. The kids use their skills to build their very own working robot to take home to "live" with. They get to experiment with different robot designs and learn what makes a robot work. Also, they will play games and experiment with super cool robots such as a soccer robot, a line tracker, a hyper peppy, and a robotic arm. For more information, call the Boys Ranch Activity Center at 817-952-2323.
• For Independence Day, the city is holding Bedford 4thFest 2007 from 12:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. at Bedford Boys Ranch Park. The celebration includes a free concert, InflataFUN Zone, free children’s activities, festival-style culinary delights and the spectacular fireworks extravaganza when the sun goes down. 4thFEST visitors can also take a dip in Bedford's Splash Aquatic Center, featuring three unique pools with several water slides and a kids' play area. Admission is $5.50 for adults, $4.50 for kids under 18 and free for children two years old and younger.
• The Bedford Public Library will also have some cool summer programs throughout the month of July. Mad Science: Fire and Ice will stop by on Thursday, July 12 at 1:30 p.m. Children can conjure foggy dry ice storms, float on a Mad Science hovercraft, watch a foam factory at work, create super bouncy balls, make magic mud, alter sound waves, and so much more! Zooniversity will stop by on Thursday, July 19 at 1:30 p.m. and will introduce the kids to an amazing collection of animal ambassadors—the creepy, the cute and the cuddly. The Rhythmweb Drum Guy will perform on Thursday, July 26 at 1:30 p.m.