By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — The historic Coronado Performing Arts Center will open its doors to thousands of students and the general public for a free performance on Tuesday of the world-touring of Cirque Mechanics Zephyr.

The show is open for free thanks to the Friends of the Coronado’s Reach for the Stars project, which aims to enrich the lives of children by providing them access to world class cultural performances at the 97-year-old theater.

The public show takes place at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Coronado, 314 N. Main St. There are no tickets or reservations. Just show up for general admission after 5:30 p.m. when doors open.

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The Friends of the Coronado will also host two daytime shows welcoming all Rockford Public Schools fourth graders. Approximately 4,000 students, teachers and chaperones are expected. This year an invitation was also extended for private and charter schools in Rockford to participate.

The Friends of the Coronado established Reach for the Stars in 2002 after the completion of a massive renovation project.

Financial support from Friends of the Coronado donors and other organizations allow the annual Reach for the Stars show to take place for free and with no transportation costs for students.

“The project’s objective then and now remains the same; to do our best to make certain that no student in the Rockford Public School District 205 will leave their RPS education without experiencing a world-class, fully staged, cultural arts performance at the Coronado Performing Arts Center; one of North America’s top historic performing arts venues,” the Friends group said in a news release.

“Zephyr: A Whirlwind of Circus” is a blend of artful storytelling, high-level acrobatics and other performing arts that celebrates human ingenuity and the utilization of natural resources such as wind power.