Kids Fest delights families in first year at Trolley Museum

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Carmen Vavra, 7, of Finleyville, beams at a butterfly balloon crafted by Giggles the Clown during Saturday's Kids Fest. [Garrett Neese]

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Washington residents Willa Theis, 1, and Grace Theis, 5, and West Newton residents Nickolas Powell, 5, and Kameron Powell, 3, enjoy their time aboard one of the six trolleys offering rides at Saturday’s Kids Fest. [Garrett Neese]

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Sebastian Karda, 7, of McCandless, operates a trolley simulator, which drew a line of children throughout Saturday’s Kids Fest. [Garrett Neese]

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Heather Simpkins of Washington helps out Henry Simpkins, 3, switch trains at a Pennsylvania Trolley Museum exhibit. [Garrett Neese]

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Jamie Kemmerer of Bentleyville explains the difference between a turtle and a tortoise in front of a packed crowd for her Wild World of Animals show at Kids Fest. [Garrett Neese]

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Entertainers at Saturday’s Kids Fest included Jamie Kemmerer of Bentleyville, whose Wild World of Animals introduced children to fearsome creatures like her scorpion, “Mr. Pinchy.” [Garrett Neese]

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Jaxon Dzinglski, 9, of Wheeling, W.Va., tries out the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum’s circuit station exhibit. [Garrett Neese]

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Bennett Douglas, 5, of Irwin, peers out of a model trolley during Kids Fest. [Garrett Neese]

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Harper Saxon, 5, and Brittany Saxon of Houston play with a train set at Saturday’s Kids Fest. [Garrett Neese]

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Free 20-minute trolley rides were a highlight of this year’s Kids Fest. Enjoying a trip Saturday were Washington residents Willa Theis, 1, and Grace Theis, 5, and West Newton residents Nickolas Powell, 5, and Kameron Powell, 3. [Garrett Neese]

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A new location brought the same spark of joy for this year’s Kids Fest.

Now in its 10th year, the annual festival moved from the former Washington Crown Center to the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum.

Families climbed aboard for free 20-minute rides around the museum grounds.

So many, in fact, that another two trolleys were added to the original four-trolley lineup to meet the demand, said Trusta Thurston, digital operations director for the Observer-Reporter, which sponsors the event.

Elsewhere, kids got to wander through vintage trolleys, or helm a simulated one.

There was even more bells and whistles to keep kids entertained: animals (both wild and balloon), live music, dancers, mascot races, vendors and a selection of local food trucks.

Saturday’s crowd rivaled, and possibly surpassed, the 2,000 who would come to the mall, said O-R BeLocal Events Manager Kendra Scalzi.