AUBURN — There will be songs of mud and an alligator in the elevator sung by Rick Charette, crafts and games, and performances by yo-yo champion Brandon Baines.

There will also be music by the Youth Fiddlers with veteran fiddler Greg Boardman; opportunities for children to meet Santa, the Sea Dogs’ Slugger and the Portland Red Claws’ Crusher; and rescued animals from Spark’s Ark at the Advocates for Children’s Holiday Festival for Children Saturday, Dec. 5, at St. Dominic Regional High School.

The Advocates for Children’s major fundraiser will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Charette will sing tunes from his recently released DVD, “Live at Deertrees” and some of his most popular children’s songs. Taped at Deertrees Theatre in Harrison, the DVD features the Bubblegum Band and a live audience.

Charette has donated his huge, stuffed gorilla as a raffle item. Raffle tickets will be sold at the festival for $10 each, three for $25. They may also be purchased in advance at Advocates for Children. Proceeds will help support programs for parents and children.
Baines has been a hit with slightly older children at each of his previous four appearances at the annual festival. He said he doesn’t spend much time at “intense practice,” but he always has a yo-yo with him to bust out whenever there is a dull moment.

He yo-yos for about an hour every day and doesn’t spend too much time trying to learn other people’s tricks. “I’m very big into creativity in yo-yoing, and I really respect people who take the effort to create their own tricks,” Baines said. “A standard trick for me, which can be anywhere between 15 and 30 seconds long, can take over two months for me to create; but in the end, it’s very much worth it. I’ve been making up my own tricks for more than four years now, and it’s a big part of what gives me my own distinctive style of yo-yoing.”

Baines earned second place at the Canadian National Yo-Yo Contest in June and said he had a lot of fun getting national exposure with an appearance on “The Today Show” in August.

Boardman has been on the local music scene for close to 40 years. He teaches string instruments at Lewiston public schools and at Bates College, where he also leads a fiddle group, and teaches privately. He said the group he has organized for the festival will include “a slice of the Lewiston Middle School Orchestra, students who wanted to get together before school to specifically work on fiddle music.”
LHS senior Hannah Rodrigue, his apprentice under the

aine Arts Commission Traditional Arts Program, will join them on stage. They will be accompanied by Mike Giasson of Auburn.
“I love sharing my excitement for traditional fiddle music with kids, and I truly enjoy making music with them,” Boardman said.
Spark’s Ark includes wildlife critters rescued by David Sparks of Windham. “What I like about my job is that I’m on an adventure every day,” said Sparks. “I never know what I might be dealing with.” He started rehabilitating animals as a hobby in 1980 and later worked part time as Westbrook’s animal control officer.

The Child ID Program, conducted free by the Masons, will be offered all day. The program includes a video interview with each child, to record his or her distinctive mannerisms and specific information for identification. Each child is also fingerprinted. The information is given to parents for safekeeping.

Holiday Festival tickets are $4 for children, $6 for adults. They are available at Advocates for Children, 57 Birch St.; Hannaford stores in Lewiston-Auburn; and the Sun Journal office, 104 Park St. Tickets will be $5/$8 at the door.