Jonathon Hintz, whose favorite food is sugary pancakes and who sometimes mistakes mushrooms for marshmallows, proved his health and nutrition knowledge at Kids Fest on Saturday.

His spin of the wheel at the Stanislaus County Health Services Agency booth landed on red; the 5-year-old from Modesto was asked: Why should you exercise?

"It keeps you healthy."

Why shouldn't you eat junk food?

"You get a stomachache."

Jonathon was a winner, and he could choose one of three prizes: a rubber mushroom, a rubber ear of corn or a rubber stalk of broccoli.

"I want the marshmallow," Jonathon said, his sweet tooth getting the better of him in the end.

Jonathon was one of thousands of children who flocked to the annual Kids Fest exhibition at Modesto Centre Plaza to learn about health, safety and American history. Along the way, they enjoyed cupcakes, kettle corn and music.

More than 40 local businesses and organizations set up exhibits, showcasing everything from the duty belt of a Stanislaus County Sheriff's deputy to the Fun Works Teddy Bear-making machine.

The Bee and KMAX-TV sponsored the event.

On a hardwood floor, the Center for Human Services designed a city made of cardboard cars and buildings so riders such as 6-year-old Marcus Geck of Modesto could learn about safety.

After navigating the course, Marcus said he learned to look four ways before crossing a street, to walk a bike through a crosswalk and to wave at cars "so they see you."

In the main room, organizers set up "Jeopardy"-like booths and fired questions at young contestants.

Who invented the lightbulb?

"Thomas Edison," said Reno Sharp, 9, of Modesto.

What direction does the sun rise?

This was a harder one, and the candidates exhausted three compass directions before Reno chimed: "East."

In the Arbor Theatre, Hank the Cowdog, also known as John R. Erickson, sang his children's ballads, including the favorite, "I Am a Witch."

But for all the games, music and exhibitions, Kelsie Oliveira, 4, of Modesto, said she liked the cupcakes best. At least the white frosting. After licking it off, she handed the rest of the cupcake to her mom.

She smiled, without a care about the frosting that dotted her nose.

"It's good," she said.

Bee staff writer Todd Milbourn can be reached at 578-2339 or at tmilbourn@modbee.com.

Reprinted by permission of The Modesto Bee.