One of the high points of Farmville’s May 2, 2009 Heart of Virginia Festival, in terms of both entertainment and geography, will be the Children's Festival sponsored by Centra.
 
Located on upper High Street between Brock Commons and the Chichester Science Building, the Children’s Festival will delight festival goers of all ages. Whether you dance to a variety of musical styles, watch the antics of a ventriloquist or clown or ride and play games, the Children's Festival has something for everyone no matter the age. Cody and BJ, favorites of earlier Children's Festival audiences, will be bringing their one-of-a-kind high energy show once again. This husband and wife team, accompanied by Cheyenne the macaw, continues to delight the young and the young at heart who become a part of the action as back-up musicians and dancers. They will be performing on the steps of Jarman Auditorium at 10:45 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Check out their web site www.codybj.com .
 
One Ambition (formerly 5 Second Rule), a local band, will grace the Lancaster stage for the second year in a row along with Tone Definition Entertainment. Their original sound mixed with cover songs appeals to young and old alike. Bruce Willke, Karl Willke, Jon Mills and Jake Allen always manage to bring a crowd of fans eager to clap, dance and just plain have a good time. Check it out for yourself on the steps of Lancaster at 11:30 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. Go to their web site to download their songs or find performance dates at www.1ambition.com .
 
Opening at 11:30 a. m. in front of the Chichester Science Building will be Steve Brogan, "Comic Ventriloquist." A versatile entertainer, Steve has the rare ability to script his shows to include audience participation. Steve and his "friends" perform nationwide for events like the HOVF. He has received national awards for his work in ventriloquism and has appeared on Good Morning America and The Fox Network. Steve comes from a family of ventriloquists and has turned that childhood hobby into his occupation. "I feel very fortunate to be able to make people laugh for my living," says Steve. This laughter is brought about through several different ventriloquial characters in Steve's shows as well as lots of audience participation. He is one of the most respected names in ventriloquism, one of the best in the business.
 
Also new to the Children’s Festival but not to the Heart of Virginia Festival is the popular band Deja Moo. They are a hip Nu-Grass band that will have you smiling and tapping your toes to their energetic brand of music. The band members, Ken Swanson, Chip Robinson, John Hagedorn, Bonnie Swanson and Mary Scanlon, will delight you as you remember songs from the past with a new age kick. They will be performing in front of Chichester Science Building at 10:00 and 1:45. You can visit their web site www.dejamoo.us to check out their music.
 
The Children’s Festival welcomes a whole new stage area this year: the Lawn at Brock Commons, where two new young local bands and the Prince Edward High School Band, led by Karl Willke, will play. New to the Heart of Virginia Festival are Thine Heart and Explicit Truth. Both are local bands that bring a fresh sound that will have the crowd jumping. Come check the new guys out: Thine Heart at 10:45, Xplicit Truth at 12:15 and 2:30 and Prince Edward High School Band at 10:00.
 
Children will once again enjoy the games and rides of Fun Time Amusements from Danville, Virginia. They will be located between Lancaster and Jarman Auditorium and will have something for everyone. Their prices will be posted, and they will run from 10:00 a.m. until closing at 3:30 p.m. Look and see all they have to offer at www.4funtime.com .
 
The Heart of Virginia Festival is an annual celebration of the arts, crafts, culture, and music in central Virginia and is held every first Saturday in May in Farmville, Virginia. For more information visit our website at
www.heartofvirginia.org .