Sunday, April 22, 2001
Families having fun
By Cathy Willoughby
Staff Writer
Small rubber bouncy balls flew through the air, dodging people, and the baked goods lined up on tables at the far side of the Lakota High School gym Saturday evening.
Hundreds of parents and their children, from stroller-riding babies to junior high kids, filled the hallways and gym of the school. They represented children from all three Lakota elementaries, taking part in a district-wide School Fair.
After standing in line to purchase tickets for 25 cents each, or five for a dollar, families moved to the gym where booths were lined up along the sides of the walls.
Face painting was popular, as was the fish pond. Each child would toss the fishing line with a clothespin hook at the end. Their "catch,'' a small plastic sea animal, would then be tossed back to them.
At the "Treasure Chest'' children dug for large plastic coins in a large "pirates'' chest, finding that a prize was awarded for color-coded pieces.
Floating plastic ducks were plucked out of the water to reveal another prize. At "Buckets of Fun,'' small balls were tossed into holes in a painted board. Bean bags were tossed into a painted tiger's mouth. At a booth a little farther down, stuffed frogs were being launched off their teeter totter pads with a stuffed mallet to land in a blue painted garbage can "pond.''
Sports enthusiasts could participate in a basketball toss, a chance to throw a pig skin pass into a specially rigged goalpost, or to try for a hole in one at a putting green.
A separate raffle was conducted, with prizes ranging from Wilson footballs to gift certificates for restaurants and family outings.
Lisa Timmons, PTO president representing all three Lakota elementaries, said this was the second year they had conducted the fair. The event is not designed as a fund raiser, Timmons said. "It's just a family fun night,'' she said. "It's for kids and their families to come out and have fun.''
Several more booths with games were added, she said, as well as some outside vendors selling baskets and housewares.
Second grader Austin Garber liked the fish pond best. "It's the most fun because you always get a prize,'' he said.
The spinning wheel where months and holidays could be wagered on was the favorite for fourth grader Amanda Welly. "Because I think it's fun for people to enjoy their school,'' she said of the event. "And people can look around everywhere and see the classrooms.''
Seven-year-old Jarett Smith was with his mother, who was working at one of the booths. A second grader at St. Mary's Elementary in Monroeville, he was glad he had come along. "You get to do a lot of stuff,'' Smith said of the fair. "It's really fun to win stuff.''
Lakota East sixth grader Jacob Wildman enjoyed the basketball game. "It raises money for the school,'' was the reason he gave for his support of the fair.
Friends from Lakota Central, second grader Autumn Cook and third grader Jennifer Schultz, liked the marble race game for the stretchy cuff bracelets in bright designs they could win.
"You get to do stuff and usually you win prizes,'' Schultz explained.
"It's fun because we get to see our teacher over the weekend,'' added Cook.