Master Ali Koubeissi including kids in one of his demonstrations.

DEARBORN — On Sunday, the Dearborn Civic Center played host to an event designed to bring local businesses to one venue so parents and children could more easily explore and get involved in community programs.

Lily Rose LLC brought the first annual Kidz Expo, an event created to inform residents of the children-friendly businesses available, to Dearborn because owner Salim Rassas said he wanted to inform parents of the large number of family activities in the area.

Rassas also said he hoped the expo would address the larger needs of the city and show outside businesses that there is a demand for even more children-friendly enterprises in Dearborn.

The event, which ran from noon to 7 p.m., included face painting, bounce houses, Disney characters and a fire truck, along with appearances from the Dearborn Fire and Police Departments. There were also shows put on by Koubeissi Tae Kwon Do School and other attractions.

According to Rassas, more kids’ events are opening up outside Dearborn because of an awareness of a large demand in other cities.

“Hopefully, this event will show how much the community actually cares for stuff like that and it will bring in new local businesses to the community within the next year or so,” he said.

Kids taking a picture with one of Disney’s minion characters.

Event Coordinator Maya Younes emphasized the importance of getting kids involved with more than their electronics. She said the goal is to make the expo an annual event and to include more businesses.

“The goal for this expo was to make the parents bring [their kids] and look where there’s activity where kids aren’t always on their electronics,” she said.

Several local establishments that helped sponsor the event included British Swim School, Painting with a Twist, Yogurtown, Children’s Garden day care center and Wholelistic Wellness Center.

“We wanted to let the community know that there are painting classes that are out there for kids,” said Julian Urban, owner of Painting with a Twist. “Every Saturday and Sunday we have kids’ classes. We’re here to support the community.”

Master Ali Koubeissi, owner of Koubeissi Tae Kwon Do School, put on shows for attendees where black belt students who have been in tournaments demonstrated what they’ve learned. Koubeissi also involved kids from the community in one demonstration, where he taught the importance of self-defense and explained how children should respond if someone approaches them with a weapon.

“I like to introduce Tae Kwon Do as a peace sport,” Koubeissi said. “We target self-defense, confidence — that’s what most students need — and self-respect.

Nadine Beydoun said she was pleased with the expo as it inspired more ideas of things to do in Dearborn with her children. Nada Doudik agreed and said she would bring her kids to the event again.

Overall, Rassas was satisfied with the turnout at the Kidz Expo. 

“Obviously, like everybody else, I would like for it to be an even bigger event, but again, it’s through awareness,” he said.

Ultimately, Rassas would like the Kidz Expo to increase people’s trust that Dearborn is as an ideal location for attractions as cities like Novi and Canton, where many establishments are building their businesses.

“We want more kids’ activities in the community,” he said. “So, this way we don’t have to go elsewhere. And then that also helps economically, obviously.”