Princess Festival to benefit children in Kenya

LINDON — Calling all princesses: Rapunzel needs help escaping from the tall tower, the Beast must be turned back into a man and Snow White needs saving from the evil witch.

And please hurry. They don't want to be late for the ball.

Girls ages 4 to 12 wearing princess attire will begin such adventures June 8 when the Princess Festival gets under way at Hatfieldadelphia, 110 S. Main.

Each day through June 13, young princesses will be guided on two-hour adventures through the fantasy land owned and created by Ron Hatfield. Volunteer actors and actresses from local high schools and colleges will help the young girls overcome obstacles to save the princesses and help them make it to the ball.

Devin Davis, a recent Orem High School graduate, and Mckenna Henkel, a Utah Valley University sophomore, created the script and found all of the volunteers to put on this year's show. During the adventure, there are tests of courage, love, knowledge, enchantment and grace.

During the journey, the girls will discover that each of them is a princess on the inside, said Holly Sue Hatfield, Princess Festival chairwoman.

At the end of the tour, Prince Charming puts a slipper on each girl's foot, and as they leave, they are given a mermaid pearl necklace.

In addition to the tour, the girls can visit other princesses and princes around the 3-acre fantasy land, rub Aladdin's lamp or listen to fairy tales being read.

The $25 cost per child will go toward In Our Own Quiet Way, a global nonprofit organization aimed at helping people in underdeveloped regions help themselves, said Crystal Miller, the group's programming and funding director.

"To see the light in the little girls' eyes and to know all of (the money) is going toward a good cause is amazing," Holly Sue Hatfield said. "It's a combination of fun with charity. It's a community event that serves the world. It doesn't get any cooler than that."

So far, 700 have signed up for the festival, and there is room for 200 more.

Several vendors at the event also plan to donate their proceeds to the foundation. Roberts Arts & Crafts will be there with materials to make wands and crowns. If the girls arrive early, they can get their hair done for $2 by local hair stylists.

Ron Hatfield, co-founder of In Our Own Quiet Way, hopes to open seven more Princess Festival locations next year in Florida, Virginia, California, New England, the Portland/Seattle area, the Midwest and Dublin, Ireland.