Kiwanis Club of Paris-Brant held its fifth annual Teddy Bear Picnic at the Burford Fairgrounds on Sunday, June 7, 2026.
This year’s free two-hour event featured several activities for youngsters in attendance including face painting, balloon art, a variety of games and three Barry O’ Kid Shows,
Children went from station to station, participating in a round of Jenga, guessing how many jellybeans were in a jar, pinning a heart on a teddy, playing on the jungle gym, and trying out a manual corn sheller with Kiwanis member David Tisdale.
Many also took the opportunity to sit and read a book under the County of Brant Public Library tent, plant their very own flower seeds, or explore some big trucks like the Burford Fire Station’s main line pumper.
Towards the end of the event, winners were announced for the jellybean-guessing and pin-the-heart-on-the-teddy contests, as well as for the two art contests.
Prizes were given out for each, as well as one for the child with the “most creatively dressed treasured companion” contest, the winner of which was 19-month-old Sidney Blue-Bowers.
Kiwanis Club President Wendy Eveleigh said she and the other members were pleased with the event’s turnout.
“There were a lot of other things and events going on in the surrounding community, so it wasn’t the turnout that we thought we would have, but I would say we had a couple hundred people come by, which is still great,” she said. “We still had a lot of people and there were a lot of happy faces here, so that’s what matters. It’s been a fabulous day.”
Eveleigh went on to say that the signature event is all about providing children and their families with a good time.
“Everything we do is to give back to the kids in the community and this event is just amazing,” she said. “It makes every one of our volunteers so happy to put this on and it’s one where we get quite a few outside volunteers as well, so I think everyone is really thrilled.”
Eveleigh continued, “It’s great, too, because we’re able to provide this at no cost to the families, which I think a lot of parents are happy about. They get to come out for a couple of hours, and the kids can run around doing whatever they want and whichever station they choose, and they don’t have to pay for it so we’re happy to give them that opportunity. That’s what we’re all about.”
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 kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
