Weekend Festival for the Young at Art

Barnsdall Art Park will be the setting for this weekend’s free Festival of the Arts. On the lawn, tucked under shade trees and throughout the park from noon to 4 p.m. today and Sunday, there will be workshops, entertainment and a parade. It’s all part of a multimedia event sponsored by the Hollywood Arts Council and Stephen J. Cannell Productions.

Art workshops are scheduled on a drop-in basis both days. Youngsters may participate as long as the spirit moves them--be it for 10 minutes or four hours. The workshops are in mask making, glove puppets, chalk drawing (with all the concrete surfaces in the park for canvases) and costume making. Face painting will be done by Joe Blasco Makeup Artists.

The entertainment both days begins at noon with juggler Dick Monday, followed by singer Stephen Schwartz at 12:30. At 1:15, it’s the premiere of “Animal Folktales of the Americas” by the Magical Moonshine Theatre (repeat show at 3 p.m.) and puppeteer Lois Young at 2:15. Today, Universal Studios’ Frankenstein and Woody Woodpecker and Sunday, Hanna Barbera’s Scrappy Doo and Top Cat are strolling entertainers for the afternoon.

The parade begins at 3:45 both days and all face-painted, masked, freshly costumed children are encouraged to join in. There will be food for sale or families may bring their own picnic lunches. Barnsdall Art Park is at 4800 Hollywood Blvd. Information: (213) 485-4474.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Heritage Park in Santa Fe Springs, a six-acre site that has been rebuilt with Victorian Era structures and gardens, is the setting for Sunday’s free Children’s Day. The theme is old-fashioned fun, and it offers youngsters a chance to experience work and play as it was 100 years ago. There’ll be a pie-eating contest, a scavenger hunt, apple bobbing and a chance to milk a cow and pump water from a well and use it to wash clothes on a scrub board. Food for sale includes hot dogs and cotton candy (picnickers welcome). The park is at 12100 Mora Drive, Santa Fe Springs, off Telegraph Road between Pioneer and Norwalk boulevards. Park hours are 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., fair hours are noon to 4 p.m. Information: (213) 946-6476.

Youngsters can learn what CPR is all about today at a special workshop/clinic sponsored by the Children’s Museum at La Habra, 301 S. Euclid St., La Habra. Under the direction of nurse Betty Maggio, children will learn about life-saving techniques. (They won’t be practicing on each other though: Maggio will bring along special “Annie” dolls for the demonstration.) The workshop is being held in conjunction with the museum’s ongoing “Kid’s Clinic,” an exhibit designed to lessen children’s anxieties over doctor and hospital visits. The workshop begins at noon and is free with museum admission: adults, $1.50; children 3-16, $1. Information: (213) 905-9793.

More than 450 cats will be out to capture blue ribbons at the Los Colores Cat Show today and Sunday at the California Mart Exposition Hall, 110 E. 9th St., downtown Los Angeles. They represent 31 different breeds and will be judged on beauty and personality in eight show rings. There will be a “benching” area where visitors can meet the cats and their owners. Pedigreed cats and kittens will be for sale as well as cat accessories. Admission: adults $6; seniors 55 and older $4; children under 12, $3. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Information: (818) 706-2004.

Today at 1 p.m. at the Afro-American Museum in Exposition Park, Frances Awe and the Dudu Ensemble (talking drums) will perform in an hourlong concert in the auditorium. The ensemble will demonstrate Afro-Brazilian rhythms and invite the audience to join in the dancing. The museum admission and the performance are free. Information: (213) 744-7432.

Send items at least two weeks before events (Saturday and Sunday events only) to Family Spots, View Section, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053. Phone calls will not be accepted. All items must include dates, times, exact address, phone number and admission prices.