Instead of watching the show on television, Carson City's own rug rats will get a chance to see a bit of the children's network Nickelodeon Saturday when the Big Helpmobile comes to town.
The Helpmobile, a brightly-colored, interactive learning laboratory created from a 34-foot Airstream trailer, will be at Mark Twain Elementary School from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will be open to the public.
The visit is part of this year's 50-state tour of state capitals by Nickelodeon's Big Help 2000, a national campaign dedicated to promoting volunteerism in children.
"It will show the kids that when you volunteer, you feel really good about yourself," said Joyce Lancaster, special events coordinator for Carson City Parks and Recreation. "If kids learn that at an early age, they will carry it on through life."
Nickelodeon's Big Help is working in conjunction with the White House Millennium Green Program, which has set the goal of planting 20 million new trees in the new millennium and to plant a grove of famous and historic trees in each state capital.
Carson City will receive four of those trees.
Nickelodeon will present a Martin Luther King Jr. sycamore tree to commemorate Big Help Day in Carson City. Kids will also help plant three trees, donated by AT&T Broadband, in honor of Carson City Superintendent Jim Parry.
The four trees will be presented by Associate Superintendent Mary Pierczynski during a special ceremony at noon.
The Helpmobile visit will coincide with Mark Twain Elementary School's carnival.
The carnival will feature more than 20 activities ranging from balloon-popping contests to bean-bag-tossing competitions.
Two bounce houses will also be available.
"The kids just love those," Principal Mary Garey said.
Representatives from the fire and sheriff's departments will be on hand to answer questions and offfer information on youth organizations including Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and 4-H.
Tickets for the carnival are five tickets for $1.
Children will also earn tickets playing the games that can then be redeemed for prizes. More than $2,000 in prizes were donated by Safeway.
"We're expecting a big crowd," Garey said. "This is a way our PTA can raise funds without the traditional door-to-door solicitation."
If you go:
What: Nickelodeon's Big Helpmobile
Where: Mark Twain Elementary School, 2111 Carriage Crest Drive
When: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday
For information call 887-2290 ext. 101