CHICAGO, July 31, 2008 –WGN-TV welcomes back the school year with it’s 7th annual “WGN-TV Back-to-School Kids Fair” to be held Friday, August 8, 6-9am at WGN-TV Studios, 2501 W. Bradley Place in Chicago. WGN’s own Robin Baumgarten and Larry Potash will be broadcasting live from the event. The free fair will feature food, fun, health screenings, safety tips and everything parents need to get kids ready for school.

Learn new things about the animal kingdom at the Brookfield Zoo and Shedd Aquarium booths. Check out educational activities and get supplies for the upcoming school year at the Costco, Huntington Learning Center, Quill, Sylvan Learning Center and V-Tech booths.

There will also be plenty of entertainment at the fair. Ella Jenkins, Thaddeus Rex, A-Z Entertainment, the Jesse White Tumblers and the South Shore Drill Team are scheduled to perform. Fun activities include face painting, balloon animal artists, inflatable bouncers from Record-A-Hit Entertainment and interactive fun in the Kohl McCormick Story Bus.

WGN-TV’s booth will have the Wheel of Fun with chances to win prizes such as Ty Beanie Babies, Pizza Hut mini-pizzas and backpacks, to name a few. The WGN-TV Back to School Kids Fair drawing includes a chance to win a pair of tickets to the Jonas Brothers concert, roundtrip tickets on Southwest Airlines and more. Viewers at home will also get the chance to win a pair of Jonas Brothers tickets through an on-air promotion the morning of the kids fair. Details are at wgntv.com.

Health screenings and safety tips always play important parts at the fair, and this year is no exception. Physicians from Resurrection/St. Joseph’s Hospital will be performing free back-to-school physical exams and immunizations for those who bring their medical records. In addition, the Illinois College of Optometry will be providing free vision screenings and Colgate will be performing free dental screenings in their Colgate Bright Smiles Dental Van. Visitors can also stop by Bally Total Fitness’ booth for kid-friendly fitness activities and health tips for parents.

As for safety tips, attendees can check out the Illinois Secretary of State child seat checkpoint booth, which checks car seats for proper installation. The American Red Cross of Greater Chicago will provide First Aid lessons and interactive games. Stop by the Chicago Police Department booth which will be demonstrating the dangers of drinking and driving using Fatal Vision Goggles to simulate the experience and providing useful tips about stranger danger.

Also at the fair, visitors can take photos with team mascots from the Chicago Bulls (Benny the Bull), Chicago Fire (Sparky), Chicago Wolves (Skates), Chicago Storm (Striker), Chicago Shamrox (Blarney), Chicago White Sox (South Paw) and many more.