Chicken Bone To Host Sunday Karaoke for Kids

Aspiring young singers have a new stage in town: . The popular downtown restaurant kicked off a new weekly family karaoke series this past Sunday.

This Sunday, and for several subsequent Sundays from 3 to 5 p.m., The Chicken Bone will offer family karaoke. The downtown Framingham business also will offer $5 cheese pizzas during those hours.

Kids and their families can also sign up for an “American Idol”-style competition that’s slated to begin in March. Prizes will include free pizza for a year at the Chicken Bone; a karaoke machine; an in-home karaoke party by Karaoke for Kids; and a chance to sing on stage with The Chicken Bone’s house band.

Bill Rodenhiser, owner of the Chicken Bone, credits customer Jonathan Magsino, of Millbury, with suggesting a family-themed karaoke event at the restaurant. Rodenhiser decided to run with the idea and tapped Karaoke for Kids to organize the Sunday sessions at the restaurant.

“We thought it would be something fun for families to do during this cold weather,” he said.

Rodenhiser said he decided to add the competition as a nod to the popularity of “Idol” and similar talent shows.

Magsino was at The Chicken Bone this past Sunday with about 50 other members of The Boston-Providence Single Parents Meetup Group and their children. He said he contacted Paula Smith, who books bands for The Chicken Bone, in early January to ask about activities for kids at the restaurant.

“A couple of other bars in the Boston area do [family karaoke],” Magsino said. “I e-mailed Paula and said, ‘I love the Chicken Bone. Why can’t you do something like this?’”

According to Smith, four kids have signed up for the competition so far. She said if there is a lot of interest in the next couple of weeks, the competition will begin in early March. If families are slower to sign up, they will wait to start the competition until later in the month.