Kids and family events in Dallas-Fort Worth, September 17-23

by Alex Bentley

Now that the rain seems to have made its way out of town, why not get out of the house and have some fun?

The 23rd Annual GrapeFest, the largest wine festival in the Southwest, will take place in Downtown Grapevine starting on Thursday, September 17 and lasting all weekend. Now, a wine festival doesn't automatically sound like a kid-friendly event, but it'll have fun stuff like grape stomping contests, arts and crafts booth, food tastings, and a special KidZone, so this may be that rare event where both kids and adults can get what they want.

Also on Thursday is Nature Tales: Weather Wonders at the Elm Fork Nature Preserve in Carrollton. Kids will learn about all the weird weather -- including hurricanes! -- that Texas gets every year, and they will make a tornado craft to take home. Yay! Scary weather is fun!

Friday, September 17 marks the start of the production of Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business at the Rosewood Center for Family Arts in Dallas. This musical about the hijinks that Junie gets into following the birth of her brother is in it for the long haul -- it will show until November 1.

Willow Grove Park in Lake Dallas will host Waterfest on Saturday, September 19 and Sunday, September 20. The annual event has wakeboarding demonstrations and lessons, a kidzone with lots of activities, and entertainment from such bands as A Hard Night's Day.

To celebrate National Talk Like a Pirate Day, the West End in Dallas will hold the Party Like a Pirate Festival on Saturday, September 19. To keep with the theme, the family fun area will feature water slides, pirate boat bounce houses, games, balloon artists, face painters and pirate puppeteers. Argh!

Finally, because learning can be fun, too, there's Ecofest Arlington 2009 at the Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts (also on Saturday). There will be a series of activities to help kids (and adults) learn about the various environmental issues in North Texas.