Family Friendly!

The Old Jail Art Center is ending a busy April schedule this Saturday with a Family Festival that will explore the culture of Thailand.

The event will take place from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the Marshall R. Young Courtyard on Saturday, April 27, weather permitting, and in the Stasney Center, with tables manned by OJAC docents and junior docents.

Various activities will include traditionally-inspired crafts, games, food, and music from Thailand, specifically focusing on the festival of Songkran.

Crafts include creating a Lily Pad Fan, trying out the Elephant Ring-toss or Lotus Spray-Race, embarking on a Splash Scavenger, decorating the Sand stupa, and adding a wish to the community spring mural.

Songkran, a festival marking the Thai New Year, is all about making a fresh start with a splash.

The holiday’s main focus is about moving forward – in fact,  the word Songkran comes from a phrase in the Sanskrit language that means “passage of the sun.”

Waterplaysamajorrole in the festival. Symbolically it washes away the previous year so people can get ready for the next one. Songkran is celebrated with street parties featuring loud music and a giant friendly water fight.

People collect water in buckets, squirt guns, and anything else they can find, then hit the streets to playfully splash each other.

Thailand’s elephants have played a central role in the “world’s biggest water fight.” They are painted with different colors, decorated with various items, and paraded down major streets.

All ages are invited to Saturday’s free event at the Old Jail, and participants can take their crafts home.

And as always, the “Art@Home”activitytrunk outside the museum gates is filled with activity kits for ages 5-12.

Participants can tag the OJAC education department (#athomewithOJAC) with their creations, and a winnerischoseneachweek to receive a goody bag of arts and crafts supplies.

For more information about any of the events, call the education department at 325-762-2936.