Halloween festival rewards Las Vegas kids for grades, behavior

Matt Kelly Elementary’s playground was all carnival games, candy and kids Thursday night at a Halloween-themed party to reward good grades and behavior.

About 100 children were invited to the Harvest Festival, organized by the Nevada Youth Network, After-School All Stars and Clark County District D Commissioner Lawrence Weekly. Kids and their families could feast on nachos and hot dogs and later get down to a deejay’s beats that ranged from spooky classics such as Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” to newer songs including DJ Snake and Little John’s 2013 hit “Turn Down For What.”

The longest lines on the playground were for facepainting and balloon toys shaped into flowers, swords and crowns.

Ebonnee Britton brought her 6-year-old daughter Patience to the celebration at the school near the intersection of Owens Avenue and Martin Luther King Boulevard. Patience, her mother said, has been in the Nevada Youth Network’s after-school program for about two years.

Britton said she hopes organizations like that will spread citywide to help all Las Vegas Valley children.

“It’s a blessing for them because they need to be uplifted and encouraged,” Britton said.

The third annual version of the festival, which was invite-only, was full of treats: food, bounce houses and a petting zoo with chickens, goats, ducks, bunnies and two ponies.

Mother-son duo Gloria Flores and Michael Flores co-direct the Nevada Youth Network, based in the Sherman Gardens housing development.

“We’ve been so fortunate that the community has always come together and helped us through,” Gloria Flores said.

Tamara Holt, 37, took her two children to the festival. The event was a good incentive for kids, she said.

“It gives them something positive to do, something positive for them to look forward to,” Holt said.

Two uniformed Metro officers also were on hand at the party.

Officer Ken Lerud, with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department for 12 years, said the organizations that put on the festival are similar to Metro’s Safe Village program aimed at communicating better with the communities they serve. They don’t want kids to be “afraid to talk to a police officer,” he said.

“(We’re) trying to get them to interact with us in a positive way,” Lerud said. He’s seen kids who at one time wouldn’t speak to police now say hi on their own.

Besides learning more about law enforcement, kids involved with the organizations that put on the event often help with homework, arts and crafts and physical education.

For Michael Flores, the message to the children he mentors is simple: “We love you, we’re proud of you and want to make sure you stay on the right track.”

Contact Ricardo Torres at rtorres@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Find him on Twitter: @rickytwrites.