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Friday, Aug. 01, 2008

Raven-Symoné wows young crowd

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It was good to be tween at the Stanislaus County Fair on Thursday night.

A standing-room only crowd bulged out of the aisles at the Variety Free Stage to see former Cosby kid and Disney star Raven-Symone perform. The show, scheduled for Kids' Free Night, was the fair's first headline concert aimed at a teen-and-younger audience.

"I see you've been practicing your high-pitched screams to bring the dogs in," Raven said to the capacity crowd of more than 3,500, largely young girls and their parents.

The 22-year-old singer and actress was the star of the Disney Channel's "That's So Raven" for four seasons until the show ended last year. She also was a member of the platinum-

selling all-girls group The Cheetah Girls.

Fans started arriving at 8 a.m. to see the 8:30 p.m. concert. They came with homemade signs, glow sticks and cameras. But the night's best accessory was a tall dad on whose shoulders a daughter could get the best seat in the house.

Six-year-old Daisy Martinez of Turlock came with her mother and two cousins. The second-grader had a glittery homemade sign that read "Hola Raven! Thanks 4 making me want 2 be me!" Daisy said she had watched Raven's show "since I can remember."

Organizers scheduled Raven's performance specifically for Kids' Free Night, when ages 12 and younger were admitted free.

"This is a demographic that is sometimes difficult to reach," said fair spokeswoman Pennie Rorex. "But finding the right entertainment for every segment of the community is always our goal."

Parents said they appreciated the free, family-friendly entertainment.

"I like that it's for my kids," said Modesto mother Tracy Walsh, who came with her two sons, her daughter and her daughter's friend. "She is someone for my kids to look

up to."

Raven shot to fame in 1989 as Olivia Kendall, the stepdaughter of Denise Huxtable on "The Cosby Show." Besides TV, her résumé includes films such as

"The Cheetah Girls,"

"Dr. Dolittle," "The Princess Diaries 2" and "College Road Trip."

A celebrity since she was 2 years old, Raven sang, danced and waved to the audience throughout the evening, punctuating her performance with instructions to "Scream!" The crowd happily obliged.

Accompanied by two female and two male backup dancers, Raven sang her Disney hits and songs from her new, more mature self-titled CD released in April.

Twelve-year- old Modesto resident Aubriana Smith said Raven's show was the first concert she had attended.

"I don't think I've ever missed an episode (of 'That's So Raven')," said the seventh- grader.

But little girls weren't the only ones excited to see Raven.

"I couldn't even sleep for two days," said 8-year-old Israel Moreno of Los Banos.

Before the concert, five girls from the crowd were picked to come up on stage and ask the singer questions.

Their queries ranged from how she spent her free time (sleeping) to what her favorite color was (royal purple, because she is a princess) and who her favorite co-star was (Donny Osmond, as a former child star, his adult life gives her hope).

"Thank you, guys, for coming out. And thank all of your mothers and fathers for bringing you here," Raven said to the crowd. "You guys rock."

Bee entertainment writer Marijke Rowland can be reached at mrowland@modbee.com or 578-2284.