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t‘s not uncommon to see chilâ€" Idren crying when they leave Kidzone Family Fun Centre. They‘re not upset because they had a bad time though. They just don‘t want to leave the large indoor playground. _ "You have to put earplugs in," joked the centre‘s manager, Helen Tickner. Since the majority of people who come to Kidzone are repeat customers, the children won‘t have to cry for long. Opened in March 2005, Kidâ€" zone was the brainchild of Nelson Costa, who used to take his kids to another local play centre. ~â€" "It wasn‘t that large or clean, so he thought ‘I think I can do a better job for kids and families," " said his motherâ€"inâ€"law Yvonne Sawatzky, with whom he coâ€"owns Kidzone. And that‘s just what he did. This familyâ€"operated business eventually opened its doors at 139 Northfield Dr., with the entrance off Parkside Drive, to the delight of local children who love its medieval theme. A large portion of the 16,000â€" squareâ€"foot centre is filled with a threeâ€"storey castle â€" complete with princesses and dragons â€" that children can play in and climb around. Ball pits, slides, rope twists, pendulum walks and a ballistic ball shooting arena are only some of the activities kids can enjoy in the castle. "It‘s actually a maze," Tickner said of the giant fortress, where kids like to play tagâ€"like games and hideâ€"andâ€"seek. Depending on the number of tickets kids earn at the games, they can "buy" different prizes. Nonâ€"violent video games and redemption games are other ways to pass time at Kidzone. Ticket points can be saved over time, and one little girl is working Kidzone provides a family friendly time MEMORY FOAM BED TOPPERS ® Promotes deep restful sleap â€" ® Relieves back pain and aching joints * Helps reduce stress afves VISCO ELASTIC MEMORY FOAM By Jennirer OrmsroN Chronicle Staff ® Greater comiort @ Less tossing and turning @ Gives pressure refief We Custom Cut Foam ... For Everything! towards purchasing an 8,000â€"point large stuffed frog, Sawatzky said. The amusement games are popular with parents, who can also play in the castle. _ Kidzone truly is a "family" fun centre, just as its name implies, and not a babysitting service. In fact, children must be accompanied and supervised by an adult at all times. Jeff Schnurr of Waterloo took his two children there last week because he‘s on his holidays, and was looking for something to do. "They‘ve been bugging me for a few weeks (to come)," he said of his kids, aged 4 and 7. â€" Schnurr has been in the medieval castle in the past, but he decided to stay on the sidelines that day, which didn‘t seem to slow his children down. Cleanliness is important for Sawatzky and her family. That‘s why the entire 6,000â€"squareâ€"foot castle is sanitized every night, and the ball pits cleaned every couple of weeks. "There‘s enough (bulâ€" lying) in schools, we don‘t want it in here. This is supposed to be a fun place for parents and children to come, not a rough place." "We have a spare set of balls, so if there was an accident, and we‘ve had them, then we can empty them and get new balls in and up and running within an hour," she said. And, _ because Kidzone‘s employees do the cleaning they know it‘s being done property. "I have kids and I wouldn‘t want them playing in dirt, so I don‘t expect anybody else to," Tickner said, adding the centre has a â€"Helen Tickner Manager of Kidzone LIFESTYLE Kidzone is a popular place for local kids to hold their birthday parties in one of five theme rooms: medieval, princess, jungle, aqua and space. mandatory sock policy. In the winter, they are "Jamâ€" packed" with parties, and people are encouraged to book far in advance. The centre slows down a bit in the summer because of all the outâ€" door alternatives, although if it rains or is too hot, the number of clients picks up. There‘s also a cafeteria, where pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, bagels and more are served. Kidzone is geared to kids aged two to 12. The playground can accommodate older kids, but the centre‘s "spotters" are vigilant about watching for bullying, swearing or inappropriate actions. Offenders are asked to leave. "There‘s enough (bullying) in schools, we don‘t want it in here," Tickner said. "This is supposed to be a fun place for parents and children to come, not a rough place." _ All of the exterior doors are secured and have alarms, and there‘s security cameras around the building. _ + That‘s why the centre has an elaborate security system in place. Everyone is tagged when they come in; to leave, a parent‘s numâ€" ber must match their child‘s. "We haven‘t had anything hapâ€" pen ... but no one can walk out with anyone else‘s children," Tickâ€" ner said. Kidzone is open seven days a week, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the summer. From Monday to Thursday, admission is $6.99 plus tax for kids aged five to 12, $4.99 for those four and under. On weekends, the rate increases to $8.99 and $5.99 respectively. Parents enter for free. For more information, call 519 884â€"5439 or go to www.kidzone familyfuncenter.ca. I i ML t idratidicicad M br:ndy%fizrendzng for all marine ERGONOMIC applications SEAT PADS & T h BOLSTERS FACTORY QOUTLET i e 360 Trillium Dr. Kitchener Foam Store * f P ~= r! **%> *A yâ€"5 "\ . . 2 a .v FOAM CUSHIONS AND # ton Ueis wl uretre emmeninn PADDING e MEO_‘QR!__F_(‘)AM RONMCH Fourâ€"yearâ€"old Ella Sheehan has fun playing at Kidzone Family Fun Centre, on Northfield Drive, last week. rennire® ormisto® PHoTO NEW HOURS: Mon. ; Thurs. 8â€"6, Fri. 8â€"4 WATERLOO CHRONICLE + Wednesday, August 8, 2007 + 13 JUST ASK! PILLOWS