There were more than a few moments of cuteness overload as the Heritage Center began to fill with children and families last Saturday afternoon at a free Be Our Guest party that featured a screening of the 2017 live-action version of “Beauty and the Beast.” Many of the little girls came dressed in bright yellow gowns and twirled about in imitation of the beloved character Belle.
“No one cares about an historic building unless they’ve had a chance to make their own memories there,” said Heather Stapleton, special events coordinator for the nonprofit Vero Heritage Inc., which operates and maintains the Heritage Center and adjacent Indian River Citrus Museum. “And that is the whole point of trying to have activities for various age groups. We hope that these kids will remember this experience and will grow up to be adults who care about preserving the Heritage Center.”
“I am blown away with this turnout,” said presenting sponsor Kim Piston, owner of Inside Track Almanac. “I really love the Heritage Center and want to try to do whatever I can to help out. Vero can always use more events that are family- and children-oriented, especially during the summer when kids are out of school.”
Inclement weather brought the chalk-art indoors, where long strips of white paper taped to the floor became works of art, as did the large “Beauty and the Beast”-themed coloring pages.
As some children waited to have their faces painted, others shyly posed for cellphone shots with members of the Vero Beach High School Drama Department – Emily Olsson, Samantha Kmetz, Ricky Rivera and John Stallings – who were costumed as Mrs. Potts, Belle, Lumière and Cogsworth, respectively.
“It’s sort of a take on our monthly Starry Night on the Green nights, but it’s summer and it’s hot and you never know what the weather might do, so we decided to do one indoors instead. And this is a fantastic turnout,” said Stapleton. “What was meaningful to me was that books were so important to Belle, so that’s why we have the book swap today.”
As youngsters poured over a tableful of books, 7-year-old Tauni had difficulty selecting one, excitedly exclaiming, “There’s some new books here I love!”
It was a little difficult to hear her over the squeals of laughter and screeches of glee as children ran about clutching bags of aromatic popcorn, but local storyteller Ginger Heller gave it her all.
One of the books they chose was “The Storybook Knight,” about a little mouse who is a knight, but instead of slaying with a sword, uses stories and books. The other was “Rosie Revere, Engineer,” an engaging story about a little girl who is “a brilliant inventor of gizmos and gadgets.”
Adults are targeted at the next two Heritage Center events: Aug. 9 Night at the Citrus Museum and Aug. 17 Seller to Cellar. For more information visit veroheritage.org.
Photos by: Denise Ritchie
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