BLOOMINGTON - On a blustery day typical of February, thousands of kids got their chance to come out of hibernation during the third annual Kids Expo on Saturday at the Interstate Center. | Photo gallery

The Pantagraph-sponsored event featured 120 booths that filled the entire center, 2301W. Market St. People were shooting baskets, running obstacle courses, zipping down inflatable slides and rock climbing, making for an event like a day at the park on steroids.

Alonzo Henry III of Bloomington was most entertained by playing guitar at a booth that featured the video game Rock Band.

Henry, 11, talked about the game after he had a tiger design painted on his face. His cousins Maurice Drake and Alex Jones Jr., both 2, were also sporting faces freshly painted by "The Zoo Lady," Mickey Lower.

"I like story time," added Jones, referring to the area sponsored by Bloomington-based State Farm Insurance Cos. that featured local celebrities reading stories to the younger children.

After having their faces painted, many children and their parents had a photo taken by JMC Photo and Digital Services, 10 Westport Court.

"I think one of the best photos of the day was a little boy who had his face painted like a tiger and he and his mom were growling at the camera," said Ann Charback, owner of JMC.

Kids Expo was expected to draw between 5,000 and 7,000 children and adults to the all-day event.

"We wanted to give families an environment where they can get out of the house and do something fun on a winter's day," said Terri Haerr, community services coordinator for The Pantagraph. "This is an event where the kids can run around and burn off some energy, and the grown-ups can have fun and get something out of it, too."

Logan Haworth, 6, of Bloomington was excited about trying to climb the rock wall and playing in one of the giant inflatables.

Miller Park Zoo, 1020 S. Morris Ave., provided zoo animals for the children to get an up-close look and Doug Smith from the Peoria-based Unique Twist created balloon animals for kids to take home.

Health a common theme

Health and wellness was a common theme at Kids Expo.

The booth provided by Meijer, 1900 E. College Ave., Normal, featured a produce stand so people could get a sample of the store's fruits, said store manager John Bearden.

"Everyone is eating healthier and this gives us a chance to let people know we have the best produce section," Bearden said.

At Eastland Chiropractic and Wellness Center's health and wellness zone, kids were running through obstacle courses and testing their mettle on

balance beams.

"We want to give the kids as many things to do as possible to keep them moving and keep them active," said Deb Hoelsher of Eastland Chiropractic, 2406 E. Washington St. "With childhood obesity becoming such an epidemic, we want to do our part to help kids and families learn about being active and eating right."