25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Fourth annual teddy bear picnic returns to Burford
The fourth annual Kiwanis Teddy Bear Picnic will be returning to the Burford Fairgrounds on Sunday, June 8, 2025.
The event, which will run from 1:00 to 3:30 p.m, is the Kiwanis Club of Paris-Brant's signature project.
'The Teddy Bear Picnic has really been geared towards children, and only children,' said Sheila Moore, Kiwanis club Treasurer. 'Because our motto is 'serving the children of the world,' helping to create an environment in communities that allows kids to learn, to develop, to thrive and to grow, is exactly what we're all about.'
Moore said that throughout the afternoon, the youngsters will have a chance to participate in several activities and games.
'We'll have things like the 'guess how many jellybeans are in the jar' and 'pin the heart on the teddy,' contests, we'll have some face painting, the library will be there with some fun books and crafts, and we'll have someone on site teaching them how to plant seeds as well,' she said. 'We're also going to have the fire department there to give the kids a bit of a tour of the truck and to teach them some fire safety tips, and of course, St. John's Ambulance will also be there to do medical checkups on their stuffed animals.'
Children are encouraged to bring along their favourite stuffed animals, not just for the clinic portion of the event, but for the chance to win a prize for the most creatively dressed teddy bear or treasured companion contest. Simply head over to the Peak Reality tent before 2:00 p.m. and fill out a ballot to enter a draw for a prize.
'We also have an art contest which they can actually start at home,' said Moore. 'All they have to do is draw, colour or paint a picture of a teddy bear on a 11' x 8' piece of paper, and then when they arrive, they can drop it off at the Kiwanis tent by 1:30 or 1:45 p.m. at the latest; that way they can be hands free during the event and so we have plenty of time to judge the art work. The children will be split into two different age groups: up to and including the age of five, and then six to eight, and the winners from each category will get a little prize.'
Moore said that all of the activities that have been planned for the afternoon have been designed to help the youngsters learn something new.
'For example, submitting a piece of art into our art contest or doing a craft, helps to tap into their creativity,' she said. 'The games and such are to keep them active and to help teach them some healthy competition; even having St. John's Ambulance there for the little teddy bear clinic helps to alleviate any fears they might have if they were ever in an emergency medical situation. The only thing we really have there that's for nothing than just pure fun is the face painting and the Barry O' show.'
While there will be a small canteen selling hot dogs and a few other treats, Moore said that one the best parts of the event is that it's otherwise completely free to attend.
'The whole event is designed for the kids and so we don't have outside vendors or anything specifically catered to the adults because we don't want them to have to worry about spending money or anything like that,' she said. 'We just want them to come and watch kids have a fabulous day full of fun. I don't know how many parents have come up to us and tell us how wonderful it is that this event is totally free because a lot of people just don't have the money to take their kids out to a big fair or a festival and buy them all these extra things. It's really important to us to keep this event accessible like that.'
She added that putting on an event like this for free wouldn't be possible without their generous sponsors.
'They're the ones who really allow us to put this on and make it admission free,' said Moore. 'Without them, we'd have to find the money for the entertainer, the venue, the prizes… all of that costs money and so they help us truly keep this event revenue neutral.'
Kimberly De Jong's reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at
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