It’s a busy week in Timmins, and not just for festival-goers at Hollinger Park.

The Stars and Thunder umbrella stretches all the way to downtown Timmins, where people can enjoy free activities, buskers putting on an exciting show, performances on the Centre Stage, vendors, bouncy castles and more. There’s also an Urban Market where folks can buy fresh produce, baked goods and handmade products from farmers.

The Stars and Thunder Village is especially exciting if you’re a kid. School is out for the summer, and parents might be looking for some outdoor fun for the little ones. They don’t need to look farther than Third Avenue in downtown Timmins.

Parents and kids were enjoying the first day of the downtown Village yesterday, with free activities like mini putt, a rope challenge and a rock climbing wall. The most popular area though, was the Lego Land tent.

Julie Forte was there with her kids, watching them build and destroy in the Lego Land area.

“I think it’s awesome that everything is free and that the kids can enjoy it,” she said. “We’re just here spending time with the family and just playing.”

One of the organizers behind the Stars and Thunder Village is Noella Rinaldo, Downtown Timmins BIA executive director. She said the Lego Land has been a hit so far.

“When the kids come around that corner and they see those Lego’s, they’re gone.”

Rinaldo also talked about the buskers performing all week at the Village.

“The buskers, I think, are going to be quite the show,” she said. “[…] The busker shows are different every day. There’s four buskers, two everyday. So there’ll be different shows, just with the buskers.”

Rinaldo also said the farmers and vendors might change day to day as well.

“Some farmers will be here every second day, because they are farming. This is a busy time for them.”

She also talked about moving the Village from Gillies Lake to Downtown for this year’s festival.

“They were originally looking at camping at Gillies Lake,” she said, “So that’s why…they didn’t know if they were going to have the space if they were camping. […] When that conversation came up of where they could move it, they approached us and we said, ‘Yeah, we can do it.’ So, we’re pleased that we could do this. We’re excited.”

The Stars and Thunder Village is set up in Downtown Timmins every day this week until Friday, from 9 AM to 3 PM. Performers start their show after 11 AM every day on the Centre Stage, and buskers will be walking around and performing in-between musical acts.

For more details on the Stars and Thunder Village, go here.