"Family Days" celebrates 10 years of inclusivity at Arts, Beats & Eats
ROYAL OAK, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - Many families are getting in one last weekend together before the school year officially kicks off, unofficially kicking off the fall season.
With all of the festivals taking place Labor Day weekend, one opened its doors early to accommodate families with different needs.
Arts, Beats & Eats celebrates its 10th annual "Family Days," which opened festival gates an hour early for families that have children with autism.
Leia Jolicoeur just celebrated her sixth birthday in August. She's autistic and nonverbal. You could find her and her mother, Samantha, kicking off their day at the honey pots ride in the carnival section of the Royal Oak-based festival.
"Being affected by autism, you know, it does allow for them to be included in festivals like this," said Jolicoeur about her daughter.
Festival gates opened an hour early, and rides at the carnival were free an hour before it opened to the general public.
"I'm a mom, and I understand getting anywhere with kids can be a really big challenge. Especially when you have a child with special needs, it can be even harder just to get the car packed up and get somewhere, so I think just to give them the space and the time, I just think it's amazing," says Shannon Wojtas, art director for Arts, Beats and Eats.
Wojtas says working and coordinating with these parents helps give them a place where like-minded families, like the Jolicoeur's, come and have an outlet to allow their kids to express joy and excitement in a different way, with the room to do so.
"Just being able to spend time with Leia as families with neurotypical kids do. Just being able to enjoy the rides without having to stand in line for maybe like a half hour because that's not ideal for our situation," Samantha said.