Kids from Beaufort County and beyond will have the chance to interact with some of their favorite UNC-TV Rootle characters in Chocowinity this weekend, including Daniel Tiger, Katerina Kittycat, Let’s Go Luna and Read-a-roo.

It’s all part of the Rootle’s Block Party Live event, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Southside High School. The event is free to the public and is geared toward kids ages 2 through 8. Rootle is UNC-TV’s PBS Kids channel and the brand for its for children’s programming.

“It’s a lot of fun, and generally we draw a pretty big crowd,” said Joy Potts, UNC-TV directory of children’s media and education services.

In addition to the colorful characters of Rootle’s TV lineup, performances from local and regional artists will include a live DJ, Myesia’s Mini Band of Washington, the Little Germinators, Scooter Hayes and story times with Lou Hunley, Keith Lyons and the Pat a Cake Playgroup.

Local community organizations joining in the event will also provide a variety of activities for kids, as well as resources for their parents. Many of the activities will focus on music and literacy.

Taking the lead as the local community partners in the effort, the Beaufort-Hyde Partnership for Children has helped organize other groups participating in the block party, ranging from Arts of the Pamlico to the Beaufort County Health Department.

“We have 12 of our community agencies coming out to engage with our families and children,” said Jewell Gardner, BHPC’s family support advocate. “They’re going to share the supportive resources that they provide at their different agencies. They’ll also have a little activity to keep the children active while they talk with the parents.”

Gardner says events like this, and the opportunity to interact with area resources, serves to empower local families and gives them knowledge of where they can go in times of need. She went on to say that the Partnership is expecting around 2,000 visitors to the event.

“Sometimes families don’t even know about different resources in the community,” Gardner said. “I want it to be a family-fun event. Our county doesn’t get a lot of big events like this to come, so I thought it would be a great opportunity for them to see the PBS characters and for the families to engage in a free event. … We want them to be supported, and we want their needs to be met and know about the resources available for them in our county.”