Provo, UT

Fairies and dragons, princesses and knights held court Saturday, May 3, 2008 at the Fairy Tale Ball at the Children’s Treehouse Museum in Ogden, UT. Hosted this year by King Arthur and Queen Guinevere, guests were invited to dress up in ball attire or as their favorite storybook characters, and were treated to dessert, live music, and a performance by puppeteer Randel McGee and his tame dragon, Groark.

The Fairy Tale Ball is the annual fundraiser for the museum. Tickets to the royal event are $10 for members, $15 for non-members, and $40 for member families. At first I thought this was pricey, until I learned that Treehouse is a private, non-profit organization funded by admissions, membership and program fees, donations, and grants. And once I was there, I realized it was money well-spent. The kids had a blast!

We arrived promptly at 7 p.m., and fifteen minutes later King Arthur and his queen made their grand entrance, greeting the kids and posing for photos. We went upstairs to grab a quick treat from the dessert buffet (cookies, brownies, lemon bars, strawberries, and grapes), before heading back downstairs to the Castle Theater for Randel McGee’s puppet show.

I had no idea the performance would be so funny. McGee is an extraordinarily talented ventriloquist, singer, musician, storyteller, and comedian. His hilarious banter with his adorable, guitar-playing dragon Groark had the audience in stitches, and the kids were on their feet dancing and singing along to songs like “Puff the Magic Dragon.” The puppet show alone makes attending the Fairy Tale Ball worth every penny. (I wish we’d known enough to attend one of McGee’s other performances or workshops held at Treehouse the week before the Ball).

After the show, the girls decided to forego balloon-sword fencing and making medieval hats in favor of hitting some of their favorite Treehouse spots, like the Garden Market, and the Great American Interactive Map, before heading back to the Art Garden to create their own projects. Queen Guinevere even stopped by to take a peek at their artwork.

We had a few more treats, served by Treehouse volunteers dressed in courtly attire, before heading over to listen to the band. They were great entertainment, playing everything from pop hits to the Hokey Pokey.

I have to admit that one of the things I liked best about this event was that it wasn’t crowded (even though it would have been better for Treehouse if more people were there). I would have liked easier access to the food. But overall, from “once upon a time” to “happily ever after”, we definitely had a ball.

The Children’s Treehouse Museum is located at 347 22nd Street in Ogden
801-394-9663
http://www.treehousemuseum.org/home.html

For more on Randel McGee, visit his website http://mcgeeproductions.com/groark.html or catch a glimpse of Randel and Groark on YouTube.