The city of Aurora's KidSpree, the largest outdoor children's festival in Colorado, will be held for the 12 th year from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 21 and 22 at Aurora's Bicentennial Park, 13655 E. Alameda Ave.

According to a story posted on YourHub.com by Julie Patterson, a communications specialist with the city of Aurora, more than 35,000 people will attend to take part in a petting zoo, sports activities, watching entertainers and listening to live music.

Click here for a listing of the activities at the event.

There will be free parking in the southwest lot of the Town Center at Aurora and a shuttle will take people back and forth from the event. For more information on the event, call 303-326-8FUN.

The event will feature activities for kids to get their creative and playful energies out. Highlights include a Dance Dance Revolution machine at the America on the Move booth, face painting by Bellco Credit Union, an inflatable soccer field from the Colorado Rapids and a construction zone for kids.

According to Marie Addleman, special event coordinator for the city of Aurora, the first KidSpree started out as a neighborhood service, but Aurora liked it so much that it eventually became a city event. The first KidSpree was not held at Bicentennial Park, but subsequent events have been at the 29-acre park.

The event is sponsored partially by the city general fund, by sponsorship money and by the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District, which has had a big impact on the types of activities that the organizers of KidSpree have been able to do.

"With the funding of the SCFD, we really expanded to include the arts," Addleman said.

Addleman also said that the SCFD funding has allowed the city to actually bring in more fine arts activities, in addition to the craft projects. The fine arts activities include real-world artists who bring their expertise to the kids.

The parents also benefit from bringing their kids to KidSpree. Addleman said that a lot of parents thank her for bringing the free event to Aurora because it's something fun for the family to do together.

"They bank on it for something to offer to their children," Addleman said.

Creating a creative outlet for children seems to be the best part of what KidSpree offers.

"I've been doing this for seven years," Addleman said. "I still marvel at the creativity of the kids."

Events
Besides KidSpree, there are lots of fun things that you can do this weekend with the family. Here's a short list of them:

-Don't forget about the Arapahoe County Fair. It started July 18 and runs through July 22 at the Arapahoe County Fairgrounds, 25690 E. Quincy Ave. The fair features a carnival, various musical acts such as Opie Gone Bad, Wendy Woo and the Yampa Valley Boys and, of course, food. The gates will be open from 11 a.m. to midnight July 20 and 21 and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. July 22. Tickets are $12 for children and adults July 20, 21 and 22 and include unlimited carnival rides. Children shorter than 36 inches tall are free with a paying adult and seniors 65 and older are $5. For more information and to see a schedule of events, visit www.arapahoecountyfair.com.

-The Aurora Center for Active Adults will be holding their grand reopening dedication ceremony at 9:30 a.m. July 20 at the center, 30 Del Mar Circle. Join Mayor Ed Tauer and other people who had a hand in the renovation with a dedication and a finale luncheon from noon to 1 p.m., featuring a talk by Mike Faber, a motivational speaker. This event is free but registration is required; call 303-739-7950 to sign up.

-Tagawa Gardens, 7711 S. Parker Road, wants to teach you how to grow groundcover roses. This free class will be taught by a member of the staff and will include a discussion on how you can incorporate these plants into your yard. For more information, call 303-690-4722.

-The Morrison Nature Center, 16002 E. Smith Road, will present a free class that discusses how wildlife stays cool in the summer heat. Bring the kids out to hear more about these kooky animals that inhabit the area around Star K Ranch. For more information or to register for the class, call 303-739-2428.

-If you want to partake in some 'adult' fun, why not try out Hops for Habitat from 5 to 8 p.m. July 21 at the Plains Conservation Center, 21901 E. Hampden Ave. This event, which will feature a charity beer tasting along with root beer and calzones from Old Chicago, includes fun conversation and live music for a good cause. Tickets are $25 per person or $45 for a couple and reservations are required. Call 303-693-3621 to register.

News

-CBS4Denver.com has a story about two people who were found dead in an Aurora apartment Monday night.

-The Denver Post has a story about the ICE facility in Aurora that was cited by the government for detainees who had problems with using the phones at the facility.

-Finally, the Aurora Sentinel has a story about the new centralized admissions office for APS.YourHub.com's own Julius Vaughns took these photos from the event.