At first, it seemed as though the main beneficiaries of these activities would be the folk festival participants who wanted something for their kids to do while they attended the dance or music workshops.  However, since then, many residents, vacationers and passers by have brought their youngsters to Sister Bay Waterfront Park to participate in these wholesome fun events. 

The outdoor Youth Activities have attracted the attention of people not connected to the festival itself. 

Many passers by have stopped and watched participants having fun and have asked whether their children could join in. 

The answer, of course, is yes.
 
Click here for Dick Miller's review of the 2002 Youth Activities.

Miriam & Dick Miller (Middleton, WI) (back to top)
Miriam & Dick are both retired school teachers and coaches who have been involved with youth and children for many years. Miriam was a special Education Lead Teacher in an alternative school for Emotionally Disturbed adolescents located in Baraboo, WI.  She also conducted nature classes in the summer for the Middleton recreation department.  Dick was a Positive Behavior Support specialist for the Madison School District. Miriam and Dick have also worked numerous summers for the Middleton Recreation Department. Miriam currently teaches a class called Art in the Park and Richard assists with adult tennis. Together they enjoy hanging out with the "kids" of all ages who attend the festival and can be found painting rocks, singing and playing games.

At the Saturday morning Youth Activity Program in Sister Bay Waterfront Park (10:00am - 11:45am), Miriam and Dick will be joined by Patti Cohen (dance instruction) and Marsha Swensen (AKA Teika) (the art of clowning).

If you are considering having your kids participate, we would appreciate if you would notify Dick or Miriam Miller either by telephone: (608)-836-5114 or by email: . 

Patti Cohen (Winnipeg, MB, Canada) (back to top)
Patti is a teacher at MIFDA in Winnipeg.  Patti danced for many years in Chicago and is a former member of International Dancers.  She was also very active in the folk dance group at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  She used to run a folk dance group for children at her school who performed for the annual Multicultural event and for other schools.  Patti used to teach dances to the Romanian dance group in Winnipeg for the annual Folklorama Festival each August. She has also taught at SNOPA. Patti has recently become immersed in Greek dance, attending seminars in Prespes, Greece, Klironomia in Toronto and Greek dancing in Jerusalem.  She is thrilled to have learned with some of the finest Greek dance teachers brought in from Greece to Toronto as well as Winnipeg, where she dances with the Kefi Dancers Adult group. A Kindergarten teacher for many years, she presently teaches Reading Recovery in the Winnipeg Public School System.  Patti is thrilled to be returning to the Door County Folk Festival.

On Wednesday morning and afternoon, Patti Cohen and Paul Collins will teach dances to the Northern Door YMCA Day Campers who will perform these dances at DCFF Mini-Concerts at Sister Bay (Scandia) and Baileys Harbor.

At the Saturday morning Youth Activity Program in Sister Bay Waterfront Park (10:00am - 11:45am), Patti will join Miriam and Dick Miller and will teach some ethnic dances to participants.

Marsha Swenson (Madison, WI) (back to top)
Marsha's dance debut was shortly before her 2nd birthday. She would watch her sister’s ballet class and could not hold still. At the end of one such session, the pianist accompanied her as she danced; she was allowed to begin lessons a year earlier than the usual age 3. She started folk dancing around age 10 in Madison, WI. Moved to Chicago and continued dancing at U of C, then the Argonne group. Her varied careers include work with disturbed youth, portrait photography, recreation specialist (including clowning), desktop publishing, and then ordained ministry. In late 2010 she returned to her home town (Madison) and resumed folk dancing, challenged by the many new dances, as well as bringing back some of the great oldies. Dancing seems to run in her veins.

At the Saturday morning Youth Activity Program in Sister Bay Waterfront Park (10:00am - 11:45am), Marsha (AKA Teika) will join Miriam and Dick and will share the art of clowning with participants.

Paul Collins (Chicago, IL) (back to top)
Paul C has danced since the age of eight and has been an ethnic folk dance leader & square/contra dance caller since high school in the mid 1960's. Paul has been a guest caller at dances from the North Country to the Deep South and has even called squares and taught folk dancing for the hearing impaired at Gallaudet University in Washington. DC. Between 1966 and 1979, Paul led the University of Chicago Folk Dance Club and introduced squares and contras into the group's repertoire. After directing the U of C Folk Dancers' Annual Fall "International Folk Festival" for twelve years, in 1980 Paul joined Gerhard Bernhard in producing the DCFF and two years later became co-director. In 1989, Paul and Bill Sasso started the Mid-North Folk Dance Club that has today evolved into Ethnic Dance Chicago. Paul has also presented dance programs for kids in Chicago area schools, tutoring programs and scouting organizations.  Since 1999 Paul has done an annual week in residency at the Spring Hill Middle School in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, helping the 8th grade classes prepare ethnic dance presentations for the School's International Festival. In the world outside of dance, Paul is an independent consultant in interpersonal and group communications strategies IT outsourcing strategies and is a co-founder and director of the Midwest Facilitators' Network. 

On Wednesday morning and afternoon, Patti Cohen and Paul Collins will teach dances to the Northern Door YMCA Day Campers who will perform these dances at DCFF Mini-Concerts at Sister Bay (Scandia) and Baileys Harbor.

Through the years, the Festival has offered wide variety of activities, including story telling, face painting, puppet shows, crafts, singing and dancing, and a variety of group games, such as volleyball, tag, "spud", tree tag, and various relay races, "nature bingo", 500, touch football and of course, animal Olympics.  Over the years, the coordinators have learned that the participant's most favorite activities are rock painting, sand candle making, parachute games, volleyball and some basic folk songs and dances. 

The DCFF Youth Activities are conducted on Friday & Saturday at 10:00am and again at 1:15pm. The beautiful setting of Sister Bay Waterfront Park is certainly a draw for "youth" of all ages to participate.  On days when the weather is bad, indoor activities such as crafts, music and puppet shows are conducted in the basement of Sister Bay Village Hall.

The activities are geared to participants between the ages of 5 and 15, although there have been exceptions at both ends of the scale.   Please also note that the activities may be modified or truncated due to adverse weather conditions.  Please further note that there is no charge for these activities. 

If you are considering having your children participate, we would appreciate if you would notify Dick or Miriam Miller - Telephone: (608)-836-5114 or by email: .

Coordinators: Paul Collins, Miriam & Dick Miller, Patti Cohen, Vladimir Gadelev

NORTHERN DOOR YMCA DAY CAMP PROGRAM (Wed-Sat) (back to top)

The Northern Door YMCA has asked DCFF to include ethnic dance programs for youth participating in its Day Camp. DCFF wiill offer dance workshops on Wednesday as well as opportunities for partipants to demonstrate the dances they have learned to the Scandia Retirerment Community in Sister Bay(Thursday) and to the Baileys Harbor Seniors Group (Friday).

YMCA Day Camp Program Schedule - 2012 Door County Folk Festival

SITTERS (back to top)
The Youth Activities are provided by the DCFF, as a public service, free of charge.  Your children will enjoy interacting with new acquaintances and our good-natured, dynamic activity leaders. 

Please take note that the Youth Activities in Sister Bay Waterfront Park are not a baby sitting service.   Your children can be involved in these activities with your permission and consent and their willingness and ability to participate and interact with others. 

If you are in need of a sitter, with advance notice, we will try to match you with a sitter.  There is limited availability so act sooner than later - Telephone: (847)-846-8139 or by email: .

DOOR COUNTY VACATION DESTINATION (back to top)
The Door Peninsula, mid-America's favorite vacation area, is located in north east Wisconsin between Green Bay and Lake Michigan.  Door County, often alluded to as "the Cape Cod" of the Midwest, has something for everyone: sandy beaches, rocky shores, scenic trails & vistas, state parks, art galleries, music & theater, water sports, golf, unique shopping opportunities and a large selection of restaurants, including one with "goats on the roof". 

Click here for links to other Door County resources and activities.

Click here for Dick Miller's review of the 2002 Youth Activities.