School Carnivals

Thank Goodness for Wristbands

October means "fall" is truly upon us and for many schools and communities, it's carnival, festival and fair time! Michelle Price of Honest and Truly! details a heart-felt and helpful tale of organizing the school carnival while still enjoying it with the family. Catch an excerpt of her post below and find the whole piece on her site.

The wee ones' school does a Carnival each year as its major fundraiser. And yes, in this case, it's big enough that Carnival is capitalized. It takes over 400 volunteers to put it together and run it, and it's a blast. The wee ones love when I'm volunteering not only because it means they get to run around everywhere but also because they get no homework passes for each shift I volunteer.

The best part about those passes? They love getting the passes. In three years, I've yet to actually have them remember to use them. It's a great incentive all around.

Our Carnival is huge, and everyone loves it. It is a great community builder where you see absolutely everyone there. And yes, this year, I even saw my chiropractor. Everyone is there, not just kids from the school. There are games and rides and food and everything you could want from the midway of a real fair.

The first year I went, we bought tickets by the sheet. I went back to buy more tickets only a few times before my wallet was exhausted. I think we lasted an hour. Wow those tickets go fast. The wee ones had fun, but it was a much shorter day than I'd anticipated.