Holiday Hoopla event by Girls Inc. to feature Santa, breakfast

Girls Inc. of Monroe County will hold its annual Holiday Hoopla event this Saturday at the Fountain Square Mall.\nFor $5, guests will be able to check out the kids-only boutique, a hot pancake breakfast and a 1 p.m. showing of the animated movie "The Polar Express" at The Cinemat, among other activities at the all-day event, said Amanda Smith, development intern for Girls Inc.\nKids will also be able to get their pictures taken with Santa.\nThe event is expected bring in about $7,000, which will allow the group to continue providing local youngsters with after-school activities, field trips and scholarships, Smith said.\nStory times are scheduled throughout the morning at Howard's Bookstore.\nLive entertainment will be provided by Jack Carpenter, Beth Garfinkle, Kaia and others.\nMore than 600 girls in Monroe County take advantage of the Girls Inc.'s services, according to its Web site.\n"We provide educational, semi-structured activities for girls ages 5 to 18 from all over our community," said Lucy Berger, a center-based programs specialist for Girls Inc.\nAll of the group's volunteers are IU students on work-study, and often faculty members from departments such as chemistry come in to show off science experiments, she said.\nFor tickets or more information call 336-7313.