Other years, this really was for the kids, but we've realized that a lot of this is good for parents and grandparents, too.

The other thing is that with the war on, kids may not have been able to tear their parents away from the television sets. That could have been a factor for some chains, like Hot Topic, coming in with weaker sales. Basically teens are very image conscious. Summer holidays are coming up, and they want to look good. Teen niche retailers are going to see sales go up heading into the summer.

For kids, there's a second peak in the evening, perhaps because parents are getting home, doing that last check before bed.

A lot of parents think it's a difficult subject, talking to their kids about the dangers of drugs and alcohol. They don't know what to say, when to say it and where to begin. So they end up starting too late.

There is a long list of things that are new this year. Besides all of the new things to do, this will be the first year that we are having performances.

Every individual face, a grandmother or grandchild or parents and their two kids, they're all there waving at you and they've all come to see you, it's as simple as that. They're not there simply by chance and that's very, very humbling.