Wild Kingdom on the Snake

By Amy Carr

Photos by Brad Barlow

Last year at Snake River Roaring Youth Jam we dove into the world of books, exploring gardens, schools, lands, and planets beyond our own. This year, we are diving into our world and going wild with it! With our three days of live performances, art tents, vendor booths, and activities we are exploring animals, where they live, how they move, and more.

Visitors to Youth Jam can explore the animal kingdom at our Art Tents, where you will build habitats, stamp animal tracks, make miniature critters, and more. The Idaho Falls Arts Council’s 10-12 Art Tents are the cornerstone of Youth Jam—each has at least one project and all are 100-percent free. Projects will range from painting, printing, collage, and more. As always, dress for mess, so that kids can experiment and design to their hearts’ content!

“One of our main goals as an Arts Council is to make art experiences accessible. Youth Jam is one of the purest examples of that. It is completely free—even the vendor booths are required to offer some project or giveaway without cost—so that anyone can feel like it is for them, because it is!” said Brandi Newton, Executive Director of the Idaho Falls Arts Council.

Kids will also be able to help create larger than life collaborative projects that combine art and conservation. Inspired by Washed Ashore, an organization that creates animal artwork from plastic pollution pulled from the oceans, our projects will also recycle materials that may otherwise end up as litter. Keep an eye on the Greenbelt for jellyfish and other giant creatures in the trees. We will also have photo-ops, texture boards, and animal yoga to let little ones immerse in a different way.

Once you are outfitted for a safari or jungle expedition, use your new pair of homemade binoculars to scope out the real animal life along the river! We don’t just mean the geese or that dog on a walk; this year’s Youth Jam will have guests from the Idaho Falls Zoo and Snake River Doodles Therapy Animals and Petting Zoo. At these stations you will be able to meet animals like miniature horses, ducks, bearded dragons, goats, rabbits, and more.

“One of the great things about Youth Jam is that no matter what you come for, you can experience it all. Even if you only come to get a snow cone or see someone perform or just happen to be passing by, all of the projects are still available to you, which makes it not only an easy way to interact with art, but a pressure-free one as well,” said Georgina Goodlander, Visual Arts Director of the Idaho Falls Arts Council.

Want to help us make sure this is the best Youth Jam yet? Come join the fun by registering to be a vendor or performer at the event! Performance slots fill up fast, so don’t hesitate if you want to strut your stuff on the mainstage. And vendors should register before July 20th to appear on the map, but can still add on later.

“Youth Jam is truly a community event,” said Goodlander, “We couldn’t do it without the booth leaders and vendors, and especially the hundreds of community volunteers that come out to help us each year.”

The Roaring Youth Jam is now older than most of its target audience, but we think it just gets better with age. “We are always trying to add new attractions without detracting from the core of the event,” said Goodlander, “Last year we had a lot of fun with some of our new stations and are excited to try out this year’s versions.” So join us down by the river on August 9, 10, and 11 to find your favorite part of Roaring Youth Jam.